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Now That Grandma Has Been Vaccinated, Might I Go to Her?

Now That Grandma Has Been Vaccinated, May I Visit Her?

A tipping point has come for many families: this week, CVS and Walgreens health care workers will be breaking into nursing homes across the country on behalf of the federal government to vaccinate residents against the coronavirus. Not only will the gunfire help protect the country’s elderly and frail people – and the staff who care for them – but they will also increase the prospect of ending the devastating isolation many residents have felt for months.

Family members hope that they will soon be returning regularly to live with parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other loved ones. We discussed some frequently asked questions with experts.

Probably not by and large. The restrictions vary by state, and the federal government’s guidelines on what it deems safe are in place for now. They already allow visits under certain conditions. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recommended in September allowing outdoor visits with residents and indoor visits if the facility has been free of cases for 14 days.

Some medical experts have said that these guidelines are too lax and that visits should be severely restricted or even prohibited. However, some of these experts are now saying that the vaccine changes the equation a bit.

“Once all residents are vaccinated, the door will open to easing restrictions,” said Dr. Michael Wasserman, the immediate past president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine, geriatrician and former senior executive at nursing home chains.

To facilitate visits, Dr. Wasserman advised that all residents of a nursing home should be vaccinated (unless they have an illness or allergy that would prevent vaccination for medical reasons). All employees should be vaccinated. The nursing home should be able to ensure that visitors test negative for the coronavirus and have been disciplined about wearing a mask in public facilities.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine clinical trials included people over 65 years of age. The results showed that it is safe and works for both older and younger people.

“This vaccine has been tested and clinically tested to ensure that it meets the highest safety standards. It’s safe to get even if you’ve already had the virus, ”read a campaign by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, a combined trade group that represents nursing homes and assisted living communities to encourage people to do so To get shots.

CMS chief administrator Seema Verma, in a statement last week, increased the confidence of elderly patients, including those with health problems, in the admission: “I urge states to give priority to nursing homes and vulnerable seniors in distributing the vaccine to grant. “

The point is made by Dr. Sabine von Preyss-Friedman, chief physician at Avalon Health Care Group, which operates nursing homes, affirmed who said the new vaccines are “safe and effective”.

Covid19 vaccinations>

Answers to your vaccine questions

With a coronavirus vaccine spreading out of the US, here are answers to some questions you may be wondering about:

    • If I live in the US, when can I get the vaccine? While the exact order of vaccine recipients may vary from state to state, most doctors and residents of long-term care facilities will come first. If you want to understand how this decision is made, this article will help.
    • When can I get back to normal life after the vaccination? Life will only get back to normal once society as a whole receives adequate protection against the coronavirus. Once countries have approved a vaccine, they can only vaccinate a few percent of their citizens in the first few months. The unvaccinated majority remain susceptible to infection. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines show robust protection against disease. However, it is also possible that people spread the virus without knowing they are infected because they have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Scientists don’t yet know whether the vaccines will also block the transmission of the coronavirus. Even vaccinated people have to wear masks for the time being, avoid the crowds indoors and so on. Once enough people are vaccinated, it becomes very difficult for the coronavirus to find people at risk to become infected. Depending on how quickly we as a society achieve this goal, life could approach a normal state in autumn 2021.
    • Do I still have to wear a mask after the vaccination? Yeah, but not forever. Here’s why. The coronavirus vaccines are injected deep into the muscles and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. This seems to be sufficient protection to protect the vaccinated person from disease. What is not clear, however, is whether it is possible for the virus to bloom in the nose – and sneeze or exhale to infect others – even if antibodies have been mobilized elsewhere in the body to prevent that vaccinated person gets sick. The vaccine clinical trials were designed to determine if people who were vaccinated are protected from disease – not to find out if they can still spread the coronavirus. Based on studies of flu vaccines and even patients infected with Covid-19, researchers have reason to hope that people who are vaccinated will not spread the virus, but more research is needed. In the meantime, everyone – including those who have been vaccinated – must imagine themselves as possible silent shakers and continue to wear a mask. Read more here.
    • Will it hurt What are the side effects? The vaccine against Pfizer and BioNTech, like other typical vaccines, is delivered as a shot in the arm. The injection in your arm feels no different than any other vaccine, but the rate of short-lived side effects seems to be higher than with the flu shot. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported serious health problems. The side effects, which can be similar to symptoms of Covid-19, last about a day and are more likely to occur after the second dose. Early reports from vaccine trials suggest that some people may need to take a day off because they feel lousy after receiving the second dose. In the Pfizer study, around half developed fatigue. Other side effects occurred in at least 25 to 33 percent of patients, sometimes more, including headache, chills, and muscle pain. While these experiences are not pleasant, they are a good sign that your own immune system is having a strong response to the vaccine that provides lasting immunity.
    • Will mRNA vaccines change my genes? No. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use a genetic molecule to boost the immune system. This molecule, known as mRNA, is eventually destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse with a cell, allowing the molecule to slide inside. The cell uses the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus that can stimulate the immune system. At any given moment, each of our cells can contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules that they produce to make their own proteins. As soon as these proteins are made, our cells use special enzymes to break down the mRNA. The mRNA molecules that our cells make can only survive a few minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to withstand the cell’s enzymes a little longer, so the cells can make extra viral proteins and trigger a stronger immune response. However, the mRNA can hold for a few days at most before it is destroyed.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require two injections – the first shot and a booster three or four weeks later. Dr. von Preyss-Friedman recommends waiting for a visit at least two weeks after the second shot.

“They hope these vaccines will work, but these are elderly patients,” she said. “You want to err on the side of protection.”

She said that ideally the visitor would also be vaccinated. Since shots may not be widely available for a few months, it may be best to wait to get your vaccine. Until then, she believes that nursing homes should consider visits on a case-by-case basis.

Absolutely, said medical experts. This is especially true if they are not vaccinated, but even after they are vaccinated, “until rates drop in the community,” said Dr. Joshua Uy, geriatrician and associate professor in the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and medical director of the Renaissance Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home in Philadelphia.

Dr. Uy hopes the federal government will provide enough personal protective equipment so that all visitors and residents can be appropriately dressed for such visits.

The Nursing Home and Assisted Living Combined Trading Group has started a program to help nursing homes and other care facilities explain the essential need to receive the vaccine to residents. The #getvaccinned campaign states: “The elderly are at a much higher risk of getting very sick, being hospitalized or dying of Covid-19. It has been shown that the vaccine offers a high level of protection against serious diseases due to Covid-19. “

But the people they love the most may have more effective persuasive powers. Families can help, said Dr. Uy, by encouraging their parents and grandparents in nursing homes to get vaccinated.

“The vaccine,” he said, “will be our way out.”

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British Airways agrees to require unfavorable coronavirus exams earlier than New York flights, Cuomo says

British Airways agrees to require negative coronavirus tests before New York flights, Cuomo says

British Airways Boeing 747-400, nicknamed the Queen of the Skies airliner, on final landing gear landing at New York’s JFK John F. Kennedy International Airport, USA on January 23, 2020.

Nicolas Economou | NurPhoto | Getty Images

British Airways will require travelers to test negative for coronavirus before boarding flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday as officials grappled with a highly contagious new strain of Covid -19 grapple that is spreading the UK

Cuomo said at a press conference that he had also asked Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic to adhere to the same requirements.

“We know what the governor said and will work with his office to understand the exact details New York State is looking for regarding flights out of the UK,” said a Delta spokesman. Virgin and British Airways did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

More than two dozen countries have blocked flights or access to people from the UK due to the new strain of the virus.

U.S. and overseas airlines have already suspended much of their international service due to Covid-19 and travel restrictions. For example, since March the US has banned most foreigners in the European Union or the UK from entering.

There are 122 flights between the UK and the US this week, up from 752 last year, according to flight data provider OAG.

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What You Can Do Put up-Vaccine, and When

What You Can Do Post-Vaccine, and When

It should be much safer to move once your community has reached herd immunity – the point where the virus can’t easily spread because enough people have been vaccinated or are already suffering from the disease. Many scientists believe that at least 70 percent of people must have acquired immunity in order for the entire community to be protected. However, this number is only an estimate and may need to be revised once we know more about how vaccines affect the ability of the virus to spread.

When a large majority of people are vaccinated, scientists say it is safer to do things in your community, such as: E.g. eating in indoor restaurants, attending a party or taking the bus. Next Christmas families could likely gather in ways they should avoid this year, they said.

It is too early to know exactly when we will reach that threshold. Although federal officials have said the United States should have the resources to vaccinate hundreds of millions of people By summer, many scientists say the timeline is optimistic. Vaccinating everyone could pose logistical challenges and some people have expressed reluctance to vaccinate.

It is likely that some regions have higher vaccination rates than others. Just as some communities have been susceptible to measles due to low vaccination rates in children, outbreaks can occur in areas with low Covid-19 vaccination rates even after the country has reached herd immunity levels as a whole. Knowing this context is crucial for decision making.

Experts also stressed that even if herd immunity is reached, Covid-19 is unlikely to go away immediately. Outbreaks could still be likely, likely in winter.

“Winter will be flu and Covid season,” said Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist studying Covid-19 at the University of California at Irvine. The last things he’ll be returning to are international travel and crowded events like concerts – but he expects to do those again at some point. Not only is he waiting for the vaccine, but also for the spread of the virus to decrease sharply and for the hospitals to have more capacity: “I intend to return bit by bit.”

During the pandemic, experts asked people to imagine a risk budget: if you spend some of that limited supply on riskier behaviors, you have to cut back on other aspects of your life. Vaccines can add to a person’s risk budget, Professor Lofgren said. But they don’t make the budget infinite: if you’re traveling to see friends, you may still want to make up for that decision by avoiding indoor restaurants.

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This is what you must know if you wish to change Medicare Benefit Plan

Here's what you need to know if you want to change Medicare Advantage Plan

LifestyleVisuals | E + | Getty Images

Yes, Medicare’s annual enrollment period ended on December 7th.

No, all hope is not lost when you find that the benefit plan you have chosen for 2021 does not match.

This is because Medicare has a three-month window at the beginning of each year from January 1 to March 31 when you can swap your benefit plan for another or drop it and return to Medicare (Part A Hospital Insurance and Part B Outpatient Coverage)).

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“The most common reason people change is because they change during the [fall enrollment window] without realizing that one of their doctors is off the network or one of their drugs is not on the prescription, “said Danielle Roberts, co-founder of the insurance company Boomer Benefits.

Also from January 1st to March 31st, if you missed your first Medicare registration period and do not qualify for an exemption, you can register during that time. If this is your situation, coverage won’t start until July 1, said Elizabeth Gavino, founder of Lewin & Gavino and independent broker and general agent for Medicare plans.

Of the 63 million or so Medicare beneficiaries, around 25 million are enrolled in a benefit plan that includes Parts A and B, and usually Part D for prescription drugs, as well as extras such as teeth and eyesight.

The upcoming three-month opportunity to change or drop your benefit plan will come just weeks after Medicare’s annual fall registration ends, when a multitude of options were available for those looking to change their coverage.

In contrast, the upcoming window related to the benefit plan has limitations.

For starters, you can only do one switch. This means that the change will generally be locked in 2021 as soon as you switch to another benefit plan or delete it for basic Medicare (unless you meet an exclusion that qualifies you for a specific registration period).

Additionally, you cannot switch from one standalone Part-D prescription medication plan to another in that three month window.

In the fall, if you selected a Part-D plan based on inaccurate or misleading information, anytime during the year you can call 1-800-Medicare to see if your situation allows you to make changes.

In the meantime, deleting a benefit plan in favor of Basic Medicare often means losing drug coverage – which means you have to sign up for a standalone Part-D plan. This is important because if you remain uncovered for 63 days, you face a life penalty for late enrollment that will affect your monthly premiums.

If you switch back to Original Medicare and want to get supplementary insurance (also known as “Medigap”), be aware that you may not be eligible for guaranteed coverage. These guidelines cover all or part of the cost sharing of some aspects of Parts A and B, including deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance. However, they have their own rules for signing up.

If someone is planning to go back to the original Medicare and get a Medigap plan, they should be aware that they will likely have health questions to answer.

Danielle Roberts

Co-founder of Boomer Benefits

“If someone plans to go back to the original Medicare and get a Medigap plan, they should be aware that they will likely have health questions to answer and go through the underwriting,” said Roberts.

She recommends starting the process by applying for the Medigap plan and getting approval before leaving the benefit plan or signing up for a standalone Part-D plan.

“If you sign up for the Part-D plan, you will be removed from the Medicare Benefits Plan, so it’s important to wait for that part as well,” said Roberts. “We encourage people who need to make changes to do so at the beginning of the legislature.”

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Hospitals Are Nonetheless Going through Shortages of Masks and Different Protecting Gear

Hospitals Are Still Facing Shortages of Masks and Other Protective Gear

The incoming administration, he said, is exploring ways to take over the distribution of testing supplies and medical equipment. They are also trying to create financial incentives and “buy” American guidelines to bolster the handful of domestic companies that make PPE, he said. Mr Biden would not hesitate to adopt the Defense Production Act, said Dr. Bright, although he did not provide details on how it would be applied.

Industry executives say the only way to guarantee the United States a reliable supply of quality masks and other medical equipment is to recognize the sector as essential to national security, similar to the Pentagon’s approach to companies producing fighter jet components and military personnel manufacture to ensure uniforms remain viable in peacetime.

This could mean that domestic businesses receive loans and subsidies, that state and national inventory must acquire American-made medical devices, and that hospital chains may have to source some of their supplies from domestic manufacturers.

“Masks are not a huge expense,” said Mr. Bowen. “The whole damn market is less than $ 150 million.”

Dan DeLay, who oversees procurement at CommonSpirit Health, the country’s second largest nonprofit hospital chain, said the pandemic opened his eyes to the importance of home care. But it can be difficult to convince hospital managers to buy American-made protective equipment, which can cost 40 percent more than goods made overseas. “If we are serious about domestic manufacturing, we need to make serious investments that will be sustained in the long run if this happens again,” he said.

Currently, the legions of exhausted healthcare workers are focused on managing the current crisis. Mary Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, said the months of bottlenecks left many members unnoticed and angry. Ms. Turner, who is also an intensive care nurse at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, recalled the days leading up to the pandemic when nurses were given an N95 mask for each patient. Nowadays she hears a lot about nurses being forced to use the masks up to ten times “or until they fall off their faces,” she said.

Despite her optimism that a Biden government will be different, it is tired of the political leaders who mark medical workers as frontline warriors but do little to protect them, she said.

“The total disregard for our security was incomprehensible,” she said. “They call us heroes, but we are not treated like soldiers in war because if we were, the federal government would make sure we have everything we need.”

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Covid-19 vaccine shortfalls attributable to confusion over FDA necessities

Covid-19 vaccine shortfalls due to confusion over FDA requirements

Employees move boxes of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine as they prepare for shipment at Pfizer Global Supply’s Kalamazoo manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan on December 13, 2020.

Morry Gash | AFP | Getty Images

Officials at Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government’s program to distribute Covid-19 vaccines to Americans, had to cut doses for several states due to confusion over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s certificate of analysis for rounds of vaccination.

The federal government’s mistake disrupted vaccination distribution plans in at least 14 states and frustrated governors and state health officials who said they were surprised to learn of shipping shortages.

Operation Warp Speed ​​has put 2 million Pfizer vaccine doses ready for delivery next week, after the US shipped 2.9 million doses last week. Officials also plan to ship 5.9 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine this week.

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor to Operation Warp Speed, said the agency mistakenly assumed that Pfizer’s vaccine was ready to ship when there was actually a two-day delay in which the FDA required a certificate of analysis for each batch of vaccines.

“This delay has led to differences in the plan and in the actual measures,” Slaoui said in an interview on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “We’ve looked at it and optimized what we’re doing every day.”

The FDA requires a certificate of analysis for each round of Pfizer vaccines at least 48 hours prior to distribution, but does not require the certificate to be verified prior to shipment. The certificate contains quality control test results and is required when Pfizer uses an emergency approval under the FDA.

Former GlaxoSmithKline pharma executive Moncef Slaoui, who will serve as the chief advisor in the search for a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, speaks while President Donald Trump during a coronavirus response event Illness in the rose garden at the White Hearts House in Washington.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

Operation Warp Speed’s Chief Operating Officer, General Gustave Perna, who is responsible for the logistics for shipping the vaccines, repeatedly apologized for smaller vaccine shipments on Saturday and took responsibility for the “planning error”.

“The mistake I made is not really understanding – again my responsibility – what steps are needed to make sure the vaccine is releasable,” Perna said at a press conference.

States where fewer than expected numbers occur include Washington state, New Jersey, Virginia, Idaho, Michigan, Connecticut, California, Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, and Oregon.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee said Thursday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had told him that vaccine allocations for his state had been cut by 40% and that other states had similar deficits.

General Gustave Perna, Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Defense’s Warp Speed ​​Project, speaks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press conference in the James Brady Press Room at the White House in Washington, DC on November 19, 2020.

Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images News | Getty Images

“It’s disruptive and frustrating. We need accurate, predictable numbers to plan and ensure on-site success,” wrote Inslee in a tweet. “No explanation was given.”

Pfizer spokeswoman Kim Bencker told CNBC in an email after Perna apologized that the company had millions of cans in warehouses ready to ship once the company received confirmation from Operation Warp Speed.

“We remain confident that we can dispense up to 50 million doses worldwide this year and up to 1.3 billion doses next year,” said Bencker.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the introduction of the vaccine will be the toughest vaccination program in history, warning that there will be inconsistencies in the number of planned doses and the doses actually allocated.

“This will be the technically and logistically most difficult vaccination project of all time,” said Adams on Sunday in an interview with CBS ‘”Face The Nation”. “We started slowly and will continue to grow. The American people should be hopeful about the vaccines, but we also need to remain vigilant.”

– CNBC’s Noah Higgins-Dunn contributed to the coverage

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The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Imply for Us?

The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Mean for Us?

Just as vaccines were beginning to offer hope for a way out of the pandemic, British officials issued an urgent warning on Saturday of a so-called highly contagious new variant of the coronavirus circulating in England.

Citing the rapid spread of the virus in London and the surrounding area, Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed the country’s strictest lockdown since March. “If the virus changes its method of attack, we will have to change our method of defense,” he said.

A similar version of the virus has emerged in South Africa, which appears to share some of the mutations seen in the British variant. This virus was found in 90 percent of the samples whose genetic sequences were analyzed in South Africa.

Scientists are concerned about these variants, but not surprised by them. Researchers have found thousands of tiny changes in the genetic material of the coronavirus that has hopped around the world.

Some variants become more common in a population only through luck, not because the changes somehow charge the virus. However, because vaccinations and increased immunity make it harder for the pathogen to survive in human populations, researchers also expect the virus to acquire beneficial mutations that make it easier to spread or evade detection by the immune system.

“It’s a real warning that we need to take a closer look,” said Jesse Bloom, evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “Certainly these mutations will spread, and definitely the scientific community. We need to monitor these mutations and characterize their effects.”

The British variant has around 20 mutations, including several that affect how the virus binds to and infects human cells. These mutations could allow the variant to replicate and transmit more efficiently, said Muge Cevik, an infectious disease expert at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and a scientific advisor to the UK government.

The estimate of higher transferability – British officials said the variant was up to 70 percent more transferable – is based on the modeling and has not been confirmed in laboratory experiments, added Dr. Cevik added.

“Overall, I think we need a little more experimental data,” she said. “We cannot completely rule out that some of this portability data is related to human behavior.”

In South Africa, too, scientists quickly discovered that human behavior triggered the epidemic, not new mutations whose effects on transmissibility had yet to be quantified.

The UK announcement also raised concerns that the virus could evolve to become resistant to the vaccines that are being rolled out. The concerns focus on a few changes in the viral genetic code that may make it less susceptible to certain antibodies.

However, several experts warned caution, saying it would take years – not months – for the virus to develop to the point where current vaccines become impotent.

“Nobody should worry that there will be a single catastrophic mutation that will suddenly make all immunity and antibodies unusable,” said Dr. Bloom.

“It will be a process that takes place over a period of several years and requires the accumulation of multiple viral mutations,” he added. “It’s not going to be like an on-off switch.”

Like all viruses, the coronavirus is a shape shifter. Some genetic changes are unimportant; others can give him an advantage.

Scientists fear the latter possibility, in particular: vaccinating millions of people can put tremendous pressure on the virus to become resistant to the immune response, pushing back the global battle for years.

There are already small changes in the virus that have occurred independently of one another several times around the world, suggesting that the mutations are helpful for the pathogen. The mutation The affect on antibody susceptibility – technically known as the 69-70 deletion, which means that letters are missing from the genetic code – has been observed at least three times: in Danish mink, in humans in the UK, and in an immunocompromised patient who became much less sensitive to convalescent plasma .

“This thing transmits, it acquires, it keeps adapting,” said Dr. Ravindra Gupta, a virologist at the University of Cambridge, who last week detailed the recurring genesis and spread of the deletion. “But people don’t want to hear what we’re saying, namely: this virus is going to mutate.”

The new genetic deletion changes the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus that it needs to infect human cells. Variants of the virus with this deletion appeared independently in Thailand and Germany in early 2020 and were distributed in Denmark and England in August.

Scientists initially thought the new coronavirus was stable and unlikely to escape a vaccine-induced immune response, said Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, a clinical epidemiologist at Queen Mary University in London.

“But in the last few months it has become very clear that mutations can occur,” she said. “As selection pressure increases with mass vaccination, these mutants will likely appear more frequently.”

Several recent publications have shown that the coronavirus can evolve to avoid detection by a single monoclonal antibody, a cocktail of two antibodies, or even a convalescent serum given to a particular individual.

Fortunately, the body’s entire immune system is a much more formidable enemy.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines induce an immune response only to the spike protein that the coronavirus carries on its surface. But every infected person produces a large, unique and complex repertoire of antibodies against this protein.

“The fact is you have a thousand great guns aimed at the virus,” said Kartik Chandran, a virologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. “No matter how the virus turns and weaves, it is not that easy to find a genetic solution that can really fight all of these different antibody specificities, let alone the other arms of the immune response.”

In short, it will be very difficult for the coronavirus to escape the body’s defenses, despite the many variations it can take.

To escape immunity, a virus has to accumulate a series of mutations that allow the pathogen to undermine the effectiveness of the body’s defenses. Some viruses, such as influenza, accumulate these changes relatively quickly. But others, like the measles virus, hardly collect changes.

Even the influenza virus takes five to seven years to collect enough mutations to completely evade immune recognition, noted Dr. Bloom. His lab released a new report on Friday showing that cold coronaviruses also evolve to evade immune recognition – but over many years.

The extent of the infections in this pandemic can quickly lead to diversity in the new coronavirus. Still, a vast majority of people around the world have yet to become infected, and that has given scientists hope.

“It would be a little surprising to me if we saw active selection for immune escape,” said Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland.

“In a population that is still largely naive, the virus just doesn’t have to do that yet,” she said. “But it’s something we want to look out for in the long term, especially when we get more people vaccinated.”

Immunizing about 60 percent of the population within a year and reducing the number of cases along the way can help minimize the chance of a significant mutation in the virus, said Dr. Hodcroft.

Still, scientists need to closely track the developing virus to identify mutations that could give it an advantage over vaccines.

Scientists routinely monitor mutations in flu viruses to update vaccines and should do the same for the coronavirus, said Trevor Bedford, evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

“You can imagine that there is a similar process for the flu vaccine where you swap out these variants and everyone gets their annual covid shot,” he said. “I think that will be necessary in general.”

The good news is that the technology used in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s vaccines is much easier to customize and update than traditional vaccines. The new vaccines also generate a massive immune response so the coronavirus may need many mutations over the years before vaccines need to be tweaked, said Dr. Bedford.

In the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government agencies should set up a national system to link viral sequence databases to on-site data – for example, whether an infection has occurred despite vaccination.

“These are useful suggestions for scientists and governments to put systems in place – now before we could need them, especially when we start vaccinating people,” said Dr. Hodcroft. “But the public shouldn’t necessarily panic.”

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NY Gov. Cuomo briefs the press on Covid pandemic as state distributes vaccines

NY Gov. Cuomo briefs the press on Covid pandemic as state distributes vaccines

[The stream is slated to start at 11:30 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will hold a press conference on Friday on Covid vaccine sales plans as the state threatens further economic shutdown.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Cuomo warned that unnecessary businesses may be forced to close again early next year unless the state restricts escalating coronavirus cases. However, whether the state will again impose an economic lockdown depends on what New Yorkers do in the remaining vacation time and whether new Covid-19 infections decrease or increase, he said.

“Of course, a shutdown in January is possible,” said Cuomo at a press conference in Albany. “But there is a big but,” he said, spelling the word letter by letter “BUT”.

According to a CNBC analysis of the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, New York is responding to a surge in Covid-19 cases above the levels reported in the spring, causing an average of 10,914 new infections per day over the past week.

Read CNBC’s live updates for the latest news on the Covid-19 outbreak.

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Accessible Parks for Children and Households

Accessible Parks for Kids and Families

Not much is normal for children (and indeed for all of us) this year. A constant? That nature is just as great as always. And many federal and state parks and organizations are working to expand affordable access for children and their families.

Yes, we know it’s cold and dark very early these days. If anything, it’s even more of a reason to purposefully go outside, said Kate Siber, author of the recently published book “50 Adventures in the 50 States,” a book about kid-friendly expeditions. At this time of year, “You can almost feel like the world is approaching when you spend all the time inside,” said Ms. Siber, adding, “When you are outside, you are reminded that the world is a world Much bigger place than you’d think. “

When the 10 month claustrophobia hits you at home, it’s time to bundle up and go. Here’s how to do it and keep your already overloaded December budget intact.

Since 2015, all publicly accessible federal states have been free of charge for fourth grade students and their families, and in 2019 the congress reintroduced the initiative as the Every Kid Outdoors program. According to Chelsea Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service, the agency selected fourth graders based on research that showed that age was particularly receptive to learning and appreciating nature.

“By focusing on this age group for years, we want to ensure that every child in the US under the age of 11 has the opportunity to visit their states and waters to create a lifelong connection and protect our American heritage outdoors,” she wrote in an email.

To participate, children can register at everykidoutdoors.gov and complete a short interactive activity. Parents can download and print out the parking permit. Passes are valid in more than 2,000 locations administered by the Department of the Interior, the Army Corps of Engineers, the US Forest Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In October, the Home Office temporarily expanded the Every Kid program to include fifth graders as many parks closed during the spring closings.

If you don’t have a fourth or fifth grader, there are still plenty of ways to enter national parks or recreational areas, mostly for free. While Yellowstone National Park and other “Crown Jewels” areas of the National Park Service have high car entrance fees, other lesser-known locations like Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida and Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma have free bonuses to attract less crowds . Information on fees and operating times can be found on the Park Service website. Some parks or facilities may be closed due to the coronavirus.

There will also be six days in 2021 when areas managed by the National Park Service are free for everyone. The entire list can be found on the National Park Service website.

Many state parks also offer free entry for children or, like New York, honor the Every Kid Pass. Dan Keefe, a spokesman for New York State Parks, added that many parks stop charging parking fees in the winter, making this the perfect time of year to get out.

Other states have low admission fees: In Maine, children under the age of 5 get free entry to state parks, and children between the ages of 5 and 11 pay just $ 1. In Vermont, kids ages 4-13 are just $ 2, and kids under 4 are free.

Ms. Siber, who lives in Durango, Colorado, makes a point of going outside every night to see the stars. “You can see the stars almost every night, but even if you can’t, you can still connect with the vastness of it,” she said. At a moment like this, it can be comforting to know that there is more out there.

If your garden is too urban for star gazing, a short drive might provide you with a full buffet of planets and passing satellites. The International Dark Sky Association certifies dark sky parks and urban night sky locations around the world. In many parks, such as New Mexico’s El Morro National Monument, there is no entrance fee or nightly fee. Some, like Rappahannock County Park in Virginiaeven, partner with local astronomy clubs to get free nighttime programming. However, double check before you set off.

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Health

Pelosi and McConnell obtain Pfizer Covid vaccine

Pelosi and McConnell receive Pfizer Covid vaccine

House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will receive a COVID-19 vaccination from Dr Drs on December 18, 2020 in her office on Capitol Hill in Washington. Brian Monahan (R), attending physician for United States Congress, DC.

Ken Cedeno | Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell received the Covid vaccine from Pfizer on Friday after the attending physician in Congress asked lawmakers to enroll.

The doctor, Dr. Brian Monahan, cited federal guidelines designed to ensure the U.S. government works during the pandemic.

Senior US government officials have already started receiving the vaccine. Vice President Mike Pence, his wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams streamed the recording live on national television Friday morning.

However, the general public is not expected to receive the vaccine for months as doses remain limited while Pfizer ramping up production. Moderna’s vaccine could get emergency approval as early as Friday. Congress is currently negotiating an aid package from Covid, which is expected to provide billions of dollars for vaccine distribution.

Monahan, who is also present as a doctor on the Supreme Court, said the National Security Council had told him that Congress, the court and executive agencies would be given a small number of vaccine doses for necessary staff.

“My recommendation to you is absolutely clear: there is no reason why you should postpone receiving this vaccine,” Monahan told Congress in a letter on Thursday. “The benefits far outweigh any small risk.”

Monahan stressed in his letter that “the small number of COVID19 vaccine doses that are being made available to us reflects a fraction of the first batch of vaccines being distributed across the country”. The US logistics plans for the first week of the vaccine rollout include 2.9 million doses for locations in all 50 states.

Monahan administered the vaccine to Pelosi, D-Calif. Friday after the House spokeswoman said she would follow the doctor’s instructions and receive the shot. In a press release on Thursday, she urged President Donald Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to expedite manufacturing and ensure the equitable distribution of the vaccine to as many Americans as possible.

McConnell, a polio survivor, also received the shot on Friday, calling the vaccine safe and effective. In a statement Thursday, the Kentucky Republican expressed concern that polls show that a quarter of adults in the US are unsure whether they will receive the vaccine when it becomes available.

“As a polio survivor, I know both the fear of disease and the extraordinary promise of hope that vaccines bring,” said McConnell. “I really hope that all Kentuckians and Americans will take this advice and accept this safe and effective vaccine.”

More than 100 members of Congress have either quarantined, tested positive, or been exposed to someone with Covid, according to GovTrack. When the vaccine launches and members of Congress sign up for the shot, they still haven’t reached an agreement on an aid package from Covid that would include billions of dollars to distribute the vaccine. Members of a CDC advisory panel have warned that state and local governments will need more money to administer the vaccines.

The US government and 50 states are rationing the distribution of the vaccine over multiple phases, according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the first phase, frontline health workers and residents of long-term care facilities, which have about 40% of deaths in Covid, will be given the vaccine. A CDC advisory panel will meet on Sunday to set guidelines on who should get the shot in the next stage of vaccinations.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the White House had planned to quickly distribute the vaccine to west wing workers who are in close contact with the president. Trump, who contracted the virus and was hospitalized for several days in October, announced hours after the Times report that he had adjusted the plan and that White House workers would receive the vaccine later in the program.

“I don’t plan to take the vaccine, but I look forward to doing so in due course,” the president said in a Twitter post.

At least 52 people linked to Trump and the White House have contracted coronavirus in recent months as senior officials, including the president, violate CDC’s guidelines on social distancing.