UNITED FOR IMMUNITY! 1199 NURSING HOME WORKERS ARE MAKING PROGRESS WITH COVID-19 VACCINE!

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that most people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can stop using masks and social distancing for most indoor and outdoor activities regardless of gathering size. This is a major milestone in the ght against Covid-19 and an opportunity for the fully vaccinated to begin returning to pre-pandemic life. You are fully vaccinated two weeks after your second Pzer or Moderna vaccine or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci,
President Biden’s Chief Medical Ofcer, said there were three factors that drove the decision to issue new guidance: The “real-world” effectiveness of the vaccines, which are more than 90 percent effective in protecting against the disease; new studies showing the vaccines protect against new coronavirus variants; information showing it is unlikely a vaccinated person who becomes infected with the coronavirus transmits it to someone else. The new guidance says we should continue taking precautions while travelling on public transportation and most healthcare workers will continue to wear masks at work for now. People who are immunocompromised should also continue to wear masks and socially distance indoors. In New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state will follow CDC guidance and allow vaccinated people to not wear masks in most settings. Unvaccinated individuals, under both CDC and New York State guidance, must wear masks in all public settings. CDC and New York guidelines require people to demonstrate proof of vaccination with either the paper vaccination document or an Excelsior Pass in New York. This is great news for everyone who has already taken the step to protect themselves, their families, and their co-workers. Click here for more information about the Excelsior Pass: https://on.ny.gov/3v1RrrX.

 

COVID-19 VACCINE MYTHS VS. FACT

MYTH: The COVID-19 vaccine can affect women’s fertility.

FACT: The COVID-19 vaccine will not affect fertility. The truth is that the COVID-19 vaccine encourages the body to create copies of the spike protein found on the coronavirus’s surface. This “teaches” the body’s immune system to ght the virus that has that specic spike protein on it. Confusion arose when a false report surfaced on social media, saying that the spike protein on this coronavirus was the same as another spike protein called syncitin-1 that is involved in the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy. The false report said that getting the COVID-19 vaccine would cause a woman’s body to ght this different spike protein and affect her fertility. The two spike proteins are completely different and distinct, and getting the COVID-19 vaccine will not affect the fertility of women who are seeking to become pregnant, including through in vitro fertilization methods. During the Pzer vaccine tests, 23 women volunteers involved in the study became pregnant, and the only one who suffered a pregnancy loss had not received the actual vaccine, but a placebo. Getting COVID-19, on the other hand, can have potentially serious impact on pregnancy and the mother’s health.
 

WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION?

You may have heard that vaccines for COVID-19 were made available under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). What exactly does this mean? An EUA provides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the authority to make medical products and supplies available to protect public health during an emergency. EUAs have existed for some time but have come to prominence with the release of COVID-19 vaccines. EUAs DO NOT MEAN that vaccines have NOT gone through a rigorous and detailed approval process, evaluation, or clinical trials or are experimental. During a public health emergency, FDA administrators weigh the risks and benets of approving a treatment based on data available. They then decide about its use. Once approved under an EUA, a treatment is put into use, but still carefully monitored and studied. EUAs are adjusted (or can even be revoked) as new data becomes available. Treatments are carefully vetted under an EUA and they help the FDA ensure that safe, effective treatments are available as soon as possible in a public health emergency. So far, all the data indicates the vaccines used in the U.S. are safe and effective and the manufacturers will likely apply for full FDA approval. To learn more, click here: https://bit.ly/2QBpmbY.