Author: Editor

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Large Gatherings Associated with Vaccine Breakthrough Infections and Multi-State Outbreaks of COVID-19

A recently published study by the CDC reviewed the public health impacts of a large public gathering that occurred during  July 3rd to 17th, 2021 in Provincetown, MA. The event was attended by vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, and mask use was not required by vaccinated individuals but was not enforced in indoor environments. The methodology involved investigating outbreak clusters from primary and secondary infections of people who recently traveled to Provincetown. The results found approximately 1000 primary and 30 secondary COVID-19 cases that emerged from that event. From the people who tested positive approximately 918 were vaccinated, 55% with Pfizer/BioNTech, 32% Moderna, and 13% with the J&J vaccine. However, there were no measurable differences in cases when comparing them according to the vaccine received. Interestingly, 99% of the cases experienced symptoms but only 0.7% of vaccinated individuals required hospitalization, and 75% of those hospitalized reported underlying medical conditions. 

Read the full study here.

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The CDC Extends Booster Recommendations to Include 12-17 Year Old Adolescents

The CDC announced their support of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation of expanding the COVID-19 booster eligibility to include 12-17 year old adolescents. The new vaccine schedule includes a booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine 5 months after the 2nd dose. The committee makes this recommendation after reviewing the data of 25 million doses and have concluded that it is safe for adolescents to receive the booster dose. 

Read the media statement here. 

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The CDC Amends the Pfizer Booster Interval Period and the COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule for Immunocompromised 5-11 Year-Old Children

The CDC updates the recommendations for the Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose; the period is now shortened to five months after the second dose rather than 6 months as previously stated. 

Additionally, children who are immunocompromised between the ages of 5 to 11 years old are recommended to receive an additional primary dose 28 days after their second COVID-19 vaccine. 

Read the full media statement here. 

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A Global Strategy to Implement Universal Health Coverage and Social Protection of the Vulnerable

The Lancet Public Health recently published an article that defines vulnerable communities impacted disproportionately by the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers medium and long term recovery strategies to safe guard these populations. Women and children, elderly people, and the indigenous populations are facing potentially permanent “shocks” to their health that could develop into intergenerational gaps. Barron et al have published a literature search on these communities and make the case of universal health coverage, equity, people-centered policies, and social protection and inclusion as part of country-level recovery strategies.

Read the full article here. 

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Katrina Paleologos, Sarah Bacher, and Ambar Navedo Mendez’s Wildfire Disaster Plan For the City of South Lake Tahoe

Three NYU GPH students develop a wildfire disaster plan for local officials to protect and preserve the population and watershed environment of Lake Tahoe. They utilize local resources such as the Emergency Operations Center of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and the fire department and establish a communications network with the federal level and other mutual aid agencies. 

Continue reading “Katrina Paleologos, Sarah Bacher, and Ambar Navedo Mendez’s Wildfire Disaster Plan For the City of South Lake Tahoe”
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The Pandemic is Creating a Mental Health Crisis

The New York Times distributed a survey targeting mental health professionals to determine the impact of the pandemic on mental health. Results showed that there is a marked increase in the demand for services; mental health professionals are fully booked and cannot accommodate the needs of old and new patients. People, old and young, are suffering from generalized anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, stress, substance misuse, marriage and family relationship issues. This has led to long waiting lists as reported by 75% of respondents of the survey and increased need for medications among patients. Healthcare professionals are also suffering from the trauma of managing the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals and the mental health issues have significantly intensified in young children. This increase in demand is leading to higher burnout rates within the mental health profession suggesting that resiliency and redundancy of mental healthcare resources are waning.  

 

Read the news report here. 

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CDC Revises Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Recommendations

CDC recently announced that the rare side effects that resulted in 57 cases and 9 deaths due to thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome and 278 preliminary reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome from 16.9 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine have encouraged the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to update the recommendations on vaccine use.

Continue reading “CDC Revises Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Recommendations”
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New Study Suggests That Omicron is Just As Severe As Delta

A study conducted by Imperial College of London analyzed all PCR confirmed cases of SARS-CoV2 in England and compared Omicron with Delta (and other variants) using logistic and Poisson regression analysis methods to explore various predictors such as gender, ethnicity, status of symptoms, vaccine status, age, and region. Results showed that asymptomatic status and hospitalization indicators are not significantly associated with omicron, indicating that it is not less severe or milder than Delta or other variants. Additionally, vaccine efficacy is substantially reduced in the traditional 2 dose schedule and, to some degree if the 1/2 dose booster is included. Furthermore, reinfection is 5 times more likely with Omicron compared to the Delta variant, and the Omicron variant grows at a faster and in an exponential rate compared to previous variants. 

Read the report here. 

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Omicron, End of Semester, and the Loosening of Public Health Regulations Created the Perfect Storm in Cornell

Cornell loosened some of it’s public health regulations by not testing students after returning from thanksgiving and by allowing social gatherings to resume. The combination of the change of these two policies and the introduction of the highly transmissible Omicron variant created a super-spreader-like opportunity for a large outbreak to occur. Despite vaccinating 97% of the student population, the first batch of 115 samples taken from 18-24-year-old students revealed that all were infected by Omicron. 

Preliminary statements by the local public health officials emphasize the need for boosters since the current vaccine regimen is not slowing down its spread; it’s highly transmissible nature is sufficient for it to overwhelm the healthcare sector without the need to factor in it’s severity. 

Read more about the incident here.