By "Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions - Rapid Test Center of NY"

Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP

Nov 17, 2020
CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust. Welcome new members from the Rapid Test Center.
Topics: So Where Are We?

So Where Are We?

We are heading into what might be the darkest days of the pandemic so far. Our numbers are increasing across the country and we are starting at a much higher baseline than we have had in the past. All 50 states are reporting increasing CoViD-19 case new case numbers. 39 States have hit new records over the past week. Hospitals in many states are full and deaths, which often lag behind cases and hospitalizations by 4-5 weeks are rising with a national average of 1,100 per day and rising.

States across the country are looking at ways to curtail the spread. I think we will see some amount of lockdowns occur in hotspots. We are already seeing some Governors shut down restaurants and implement curfews. At the Federal level, there is essentially nothing being done. Schools are closing and when college kids come home, they may find their spring semester is remote, from home.

So, get ready. The virus seems to have mutated to be more contagious and less lethal. That is good but with the increasing numbers, we will still see a rise in deaths overall. Thanksgiving throws another unknown into the mix with kids coming home from school and families getting together. This is looking like the year to do small Thanksgiving dinners with your immediate family only. 

There is some good news on the vaccine front. We have had announcements of good data from two vaccine trials, Moderna and Pfizer. Both seem to be highly effective to prevent disease. They require two doses. We should have 5 million doses in December which will protect 2.5 million people. This will go to critical infrastructure folks. We probably won't have vaccine for the general population until April/May. The second dose will be given in May/June. We don't know how long the protection from the vaccine lasts or what groups it protects best. The issue with the Pfizer vaccine is it requires very cold temperatures to store it. 

A new study just published seems to indicate that people may actually have some protection from getting another infection for months to years. Its a preliminary study but if true, that would be good news for many people. While anti-bodies levels may fall after 3-4 months, immune cells hang around for much longer. 

Please think carefully about big Thanksgiving gatherings. They are dangerous. If you are having a large family gathering, have it outdoors and be conscious of social distancing. Get folks tested before getting together. Be smart.

Be well,
Dr. Stu Weiss

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