COVID Vaccine
COVID-19 is considered a “novel” virus. This means the virus has never been seen before. Therefore, there has been no vaccine yet for it. A vaccine is currently being researched. They are using data from older coronaviruses (SARS and MERS) to help develop the current vaccine.
Vaccine challenges
The vaccine has to be safe. Vaccines are first tested in animals. Then they are tested in humans. Some older coronavirus vaccines (for SARS) were harmful. This is why this is important.
The vaccine has to protect from infection for a long period of time. You can be infected again with the same virus weeks to years later.
The vaccine has to protect older people. People over 50 years old are at high risk for severe COVID-19. Older people do not respond to vaccines as well as younger people.
When will a vaccine be available?
Some vaccines take years to develop. Vaccines have to be both safe AND effective. The FDA is allowing to skip animal safety testing because of how severe COVID-19 is. It is going straight to human testing. This should help speed up the process. This could still take at least 6 months to complete. Vaccine manufacturers then have to make the vaccine. The vaccine then has to be distributed to all healthcare providers in the country to be given to patients.
Who will get the vaccine first?
People will be separated into four groups:
- People who have a high risk of becoming infecting. This will mostly be healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, first responders, etc.)
- People who have a high risk of getting severe COVID-19 and dying from it (old people and already sick people)
- People who are needed for essential jobs. This includes people such as grocery store workers, mail carriers, etc.)
- People who are at high risk of spreading the disease. This includes pretty much everyone else.
What to do in the mean time?
Stay 6 feet away from people. Wear a mask in public. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds frequently. Do not leave your house if you feel sick or have been with someone who is sick.
- Published in Immunizations
When to get the flu shot?
There’s a bigger push to get the flu shot this year. Some patients may want to know when is the best time to get flu shots. Flu season doesn’t start until much later in the year. It may help to know if there are any reasons to get it earlier.
When is flu season?
The most common time for flu season to start is December or early January. It can start as early as October. Peak flu was in January or later for 3/4 flu seasons from 1982–2018. In the Saint Louis area, peak flu for 2016–2017 and 2019–2020 was in early February. It started around the last week of December or 1st week of January. The 2017–2018 season started in the 1st week of December. It peaked around the 1st week of January.
How well do flu shots work?
Early flu shots in July and early August work less well. From 2011–2015, the H3N2 flu shot did not work as well by 7% for each month after its peak. The H1N1 flu shot worked less well by 6-11% every month. A study found that each 28 days after getting the shot, patients were 16% more likely to still get the flu. For example, some patients may get the flu shot 21 weeks before flu season. This means they are more than twice as likely to still get the flu. This is compared to patients who get the flu shot 6 weeks before flu season. Another study looked at the 2011–2012 flu shot. In patients over 65, it worked only 85% as well after 3 months. It mostly did not work after more than 4 months.
Recommendations
Most people 6 months and older should get the flu shot. The CDC says you should get it in September or October before flu season. July or August is too early. There is a chance that it will not work later. Kids from 6 months to 8 years who are getting it for the 1st time should get it when it is ready. They need to get 2 flu shots. They should get the 2nd shot 4 weeks after the 1st. It is better to get the shot than to not get it. With COVID-19 this year, it is more important than ever to get the flu shot. It will lower the chance of going to the hospital or getting sick.
-APPE Student Class of 2021
- Published in Health, Immunizations, Pharmacy, Wellness
Avoiding the flu
- Get a flu vaccine. When more people get the flu vaccine, it lowers the spread of virus for everyone.
- Wash your hands at least 20 seconds regularly. Wash hand before and after every meal and snack. You can use sanitizer. Sanitizer can kill germs. But, wash your hand is the best. It gets things truly clean.
- Do not touch your face: Virus go to eyes, noses, and mouth. Avoid to touch your face will lower the spread of virus.
- Cough into your elbow. When you cough into your hands, the virus can be passed to other person’s hand. Cough into your elbow to prevent the spread of the virus.
- Eat fruits are rich in vitamin C. They are strawberry, blackberry, orange, cantaloupe. They improve your immune system.
- Drink hot tea to keep your body warm and fight again the infection.
- Get enough sleep will help the body fight infection. Recommend minimum of 8 hours each night over a 2 weeks period shows a greater protection against the cold, and the flu.
- Practice social distancing: if you do not feel well, stay inside.
- Take medication if prescribed by your doctors.
It is important to protect yourself and your beloved one from the cold and the flu.
Talk to your doctor or your pharmacist if you have any questions.
-APPE Student Class of 2021
- Published in Health, Immunizations, Wellness
Flu Shots
As COVID19 continues spreading throughout the world. It is important to protect yourself and your beloved one from getting sick. We haven’t found vaccine for COVID19 yet, but we have flu shot. Flu season is coming. Flu shot will be very important to reduce flu infections. It can help reduce how bad you get the flu.
You can catch the flu anytime around the year, but the peak is in the fall and winter. You should watch for symptoms, such as: fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, etc. They are similar to the common cold. Body aches and high fever are not common in colds. It is also important to know that not everyone with flu has a fever. The flu can become a serious infection and many people die each year from it.
There are misconceptions about flu shots. Some people believe flu shots can cause flu. The flu shot cannot give you flu. It contains virus parts that were killed. You might feel achy or slightly feverish. It is a normal reaction to the vaccine. It should only last a day or two. There are flu shots for people who are allergic to eggs.
Get a flu shot this year to lower your chances of getting the flu and passing it on to others.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about the flu vaccine.
APPE Student – Class of 2021
- Published in Health, Immunizations, Wellness
The World Isn’t Ending, Even Though You Think It Is
I hope this blog finds you well in these unprecedented, trying times.
Does this sound familiar? We have all seen or heard this phrase. No one likes to be scared, unsure, or confused. Just like a virus, we as a society need to adapt and change to our environment to do more than just survive. We need to thrive. I want to simplify what I’ve read from honest sources to help you learn.
Coronavirus
After getting this virus, a person starts to feel sick after 2 to 14 days. They are contagious for 10 days. A sick person can spread this virus by sneezing or coughing in the air. This is why it’s important to wear masks. Everyone should wear a mask.
If you don’t know if you are sick, look at this picture.
I hope this blog finds you well in these unprecedented, trying times.
Right now, more people are getting sick from this virus. Some states require you wear a mask. Some states let you choose if you want to wear it. But, everyone should wear a mask to stop germs from spreading. Look at this picture.
To not get sick, make sure you wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds to kill the germs. Hand sanitizer needs to be above 70% ethanol to kill the germs. Most important, keep 6 feet away from people. If you do these things, the virus can’t spread.
G4 EA H1N1 Virus
From 2011 to 2018, China found 179 different types of flu in pigs from China. Since 2016, one flu has shown up more and more. Like how a puzzle is made up of many pieces, this flu is made up of the 2009 Swine flu, 1918 flu, and more. The flu shots we have right now will not protect you from this flu. Lucky for us, it is not a threat right now because the virus can’t spread between humans. Right now, it can only travel from pigs to humans. This new swine flu is not a threat yet, but it can be more dangerous if it mutates.
Black Plague
There have been two recent cases of the plague. The plague was found in a Chinese marmot and a Coloradan squirrel. In the 1300s, the plague killed up to 200 million people. People were not clean in the past. Now, we have medicine called antibiotics that can kill the germs and stop the plague. The plague is not dangerous anymore and it can be treated if caught early.
Takeaway
Keep in mind, we are learning more and more about COVID-19 every day. We don’t know if G4EA H1N1 or the Black Plague will become a pandemic. Right now, as I am typing this, we are okay. Wash your hands and do not worry.
-IPPE Student Class of 2023
- Published in Health, Immunizations, News, Pharmacy, Wellness
Vaccines for people with HIV
Vaccines are very important to help stop illness. There are many vaccines. Some shots are for children, while other shots are for adults. HIV is a condition that leads to a weak immune system. For people with HIV, it becomes even more important to use vaccines to protect against illness. We will talk about which vaccines are good for people who have HIV. The main source on vaccines in the United States comes from the CDC. The CDC or Center for Disease Control and Prevention also lists what vaccines are good for many other types of conditions.
Some may worry that vaccines have chemicals in them, or cause harmful effects. One example is mercury, which is a toxic metal in large enough amounts. Some shots used to contain a very tiny amount of mercury, but not enough to cause harm. Today in Missouri there are no shots with mercury. There are some side effects from shots. They include redness, pain, and swelling at the part where the shot was given. Some shots like the Shingles shot can cause a fever that lasts a day or so.
You may even have most of these shots already! The shots that are good for people with HIV to get are listed here:
- The yearly flu shot – To lower the risk of getting the yearly flu
- Hepatitis B – To stop hepatitis B
- Pneumonia – To stop pneumonia
- Meningitis – To stop meningitis
- Tdap – To help against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. A booster is given every 10 years for this shot.
- HPV – For people under the age of 26 to be safe from human papillomavirus
- MMR* – For Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
- Varicella* – To help against Chicken pox and Shingles
Certain shots can be dangerous to some people with HIV. There is a test doctors will look at your blood to find a value they call CD4. If your most recent CD4 was below 200, the MMR and Varicella shots are not recommended.
Why do these shots matter? If a person gets sick, they are at a bigger risk of another illness. For people with HIV, this risk is even bigger. Another problem is that with a weak immune system, the body cannot heal from being sick as fast. By stopping the illness from ever happening, there is less chance of a serious illness.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what is recommended for you.
-APPE Student Class of 2021
- Published in Health, Immunizations, Pharmacy