No one can go back in time to change what has happened, so work on your present to make yourself a wonderful future. Shutterfly
End each year with a few good lessons and start the new one by showing that you have learnt the lessons of the past well. Shutterfly
This is my last Newsletter for 2021. It has been a very interesting two years dealing with the COVID virus and its various variants. When I undertook this project, it was with the intent to present accurate, reliable and factual information from multiple respected sources based upon the science and the constantly changing information as we learned more about COVID-19.
My intent was to clear up and dispel the misconceptions, controversial opinions as well as outdated information about COVID that was being presented on a daily basis in the media and on social media. Most of these views were based upon nothing more than the media’s own opinions and not based on the science, the current science or the facts at the time.
I like most of you thought this pandemic would be over by last summer or the end of the year (2020) or by the summer of 2021 at the latest. Then we got into 2021 and the appearance and subsequent spread of the DELTA Variant took the world and our country by storm and nothing changed. People were still getting sick and people were still dying.
I have tried to present information without the politics but based upon the math, the science and the facts of this crisis relying upon the current scientific research, facts and information from multiple reputable sources about each particular topic I wrote about and bringing you information based on the math, the science and the facts and not opinion.
I tried to present you with accurate information and left it up to you to make up your own mind and form your own opinions based upon the science and the facts and not unsubstantiated opinion on this ever-changing Pandemic.
As we embark on our third year of COVID, now with the presence of Omicron, I can only hope that the worse is behind us and I would like to end this year with a message of optimism for 2022 that the worst is behind us.
Facts about Omicron and the pandemic: Omicron has been detected in almost every country and in all 50 states now with South Dakota the lone holdout finally succumbing. Positive COVID case numbers have doubled since the summer with the travel surge of Thanksgiving and the introduction of Omicron. The hospitalization numbers are increasing with the vast majority being the unvaccinated. It is estimated that there are about 66 million people that are not vaccinated.
Some people have very valid medical reasons why they have declined the vaccine after consultation with their physician. And I can respect that. Even though our practice is about 99.5% vaccinated we have a few patients in our practice that have valid medical concerns and have declined getting vaccinated after consulting with their physician. This is the proper way to arrive at this complex medical decision.
Some scientists are not entirely ready to abandon hope that some parts of the world will emerge from the pandemic next year. Omicron appears to be less lethal than Delta with no hospitalizations or deaths reported to date. As of December 21, Omicron represents about 73% of all COVID infection today. According to the WHO, Omicron spreads very quickly, about 70 times more quickly than Delta and has been shown to double in the number of infections every 3 days. This is primarily because Omicron lives in the nasal passage versus the lungs (Delta). The first case of Omicron appeared in the U.S. on November 22,2021 and within a month it grew to 73% of all the outbreaks.
The double dose vaccination plus Booster provides the best protection against both the Delta and Omicron variants. Those Who Are Vaccinated and experience a Breakthrough Infection also develop high levels of immunity to both the Delta and Omicron variants. Scientist and leading medical experts agree that getting vaccinated and wearing your mask is the best way to address and mitigate the rise in the number of cases that we are seeing now since the Thanksgiving break. We can expect to see a higher increases in the number of positive cases and deaths as we go through the Christmas and New Year’s Holidays.
Facts about the Vaccines: The vaccines are not going to prevent you from getting infected. Just like the Flu vaccine, the COVID vaccines prevents you from getting very sick with the virus. What the COVID vaccines do is prevent the disease itself from occurring 30-40% of the time, prevents serious illness 70%-75% of the time and with the booster prevents serious illness 80-85% of the time. What the COVID vaccines do is minimize the severity of the infection leading to less of a chance of being hospitalized or dying. It does not prevent you from getting or spreading the virus. It lowers your viral load. It helps your immune system better able to handle and deal with the COVID virus without the risk of hospitalization or death.
People with co-morbidities like Immunologic disorders, cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart, liver, lung and kidney disorders, transplant patients, pregnancy, and those that are 80- years and older are at high risk of getting COVID and ending up in the hospital and they are also at a high risk for breakthrough infections and possibly ending up in the hospitals. Based upon the numbers, the Breakthrough infection of vaccinated people make up a very small percentage of hospital admissions. The majority of hospital admissions are still in the unvaccinated.
The Delta variant is still the primary variant of concern in the United States, even though the Omicron variant has been identified in all 50 states and is in the media darling as of late. But as has been shown, the vaccines in combination with the boosters offer the best protection against both variants of Covid than just the double shot alone. We also have therapeutics such as Regen, Remdesivir, Remdesivir combined with Dexamethasone and Pfizer’s COVID Pill to help combat both variants. So, we have more tools in our tool box going into 2022 than we had in either 2020 and 2021.
So, while we are now being faced with an onslaught from Omicron, at this moment it appears to be less lethal than Delta. Omicron is projected to overtake Delta as the dominant strain in 2022 with hopefully less disastrous results.
So, IF Omicron becomes the dominant strain of 2022 and IF Omicron continues to produce only mild symptoms, then we may see some resolution to this crisis or be able to co-exist peacefully with this virus by mid to end of 2022.
To that end I like to share a poem that instills the positive thoughts and wishes for a return of hope, peace and a spirit of brotherhood and civility for 2022.
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten
by Robert Fulghum
Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.
These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life -
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
Final thought for 2021: “The world needs less heat and more light. It needs less of the heat of anger, revenge, retaliation, and more of the light of ideas, faith, courage, aspiration, joy, love and hope.”
Wilfred Peterson
Until next time, Stay Safe, Stay Well, Practice Mitigation Factors including Mask wearing, Wash your hands frequently, consider getting Vaccinated if you have not already done so and get your Booster as soon as you are able. Any medical concerns as well as decisions about the vaccine should be made between you and your physician. Not the media or social media. How well we end this year and gain control over COVID -19 in 2022 is in each of our hands and arms.
I want to wish all of you Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Healthier and Safer 2022
James A Vito, D.M.D.