The U.S. pandemic has progressively worsened to peak after peak over the last 2 months in the U.S. Likely this is due to the absence of appropriate precautions at least partially due to “pandemic fatigue.” Over 200k new cases per day and over 2500 deaths per day are routine stats unfortunately.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being distributed as rapidly as possible in the U.S. Both are safe and effective. There have been rare severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine and both vaccines elicit local arm soreness and some flu-like symptoms which dissipate rapidly. It is estimated that 75% of the U.S. population needs vaccination to develop herd immunity.
The principles of prevention should be continued and reinforced:
1. Wear a mask when outside of the household
2. Keep 6-10 feet between persons as much as possible
3. Avoid small indoors spaces with persons outside of the household
4. Avoid unnecessary interactions
5. Hand sanitization should be performed frequently.
There is a variant of the virus in the U.K. that has 18 mutations including to the spike protein. This variant seems to spread more rapidly. The vaccines currently available should cover this variant.
