COVID-19: We all long for the time that the battle against COVID-19 is no longer foremost in our minds. After a brief spike in early September, the prevalence of COVID-19 and the number of hospitalizations and deaths is declining in most areas of the United States. Unfortunately, Vermont is currently experiencing sustained growth of COVID-19 cases, up 38% in the past 14 days, with cases in Windham County up 52% in the last two weeks. As Vermont Governor Phil Scott said last week, “we have a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” And children now have a higher rate of infection than adults in Vermont, so vaccinating children quickly is of paramount importance.
There are many theories about why the number of COVID-19 cases in Vermont is rising despite the fact that we’re the most highly vaccinated state in the nation:
- The vaccine has made us complacent. We’re not masking or being as cautious as we have been in the past, at a time that we should be even more vigilant because the Delta variant is so highly transmissible. We are making ourselves vulnerable when we don’t mask and when we don’t practice social distancing. Not only do we tend to be more complacent than we were a year ago, but we also suffer from COVID-19 fatigue. We all feel that this has gone on long enough and it should be over by now.
- It’s been more than 6 months since many of us have received our second dose of the vaccine, and for those of us who have not yet received the booster shot, our immunity is waning.
- Now that summer is over, we’re spending more time indoors, increasing our risk when we get together with others.
- Schools are back in session, in-person, increasing the possibility of transmission, particularly among children who may not yet be eligible for vaccination or whose parents may be vaccine-hesitant.
In view of all of this, many of us are wondering when we should get the COVID-19 booster shot.
Here’s what we know now about boosters:
- The Moderna and Pfizer booster shots have been recommended for adults 65 years of age and older, and younger adults at high risk of contracting COVID-19 (including health care workers). It’s advised that these people get a booster shot about six months after completion of the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer series.
- The Moderna booster is half the dose received in the first two shots. Pfizer is given at full-dose.
- However, those with a compromised immune system will receive a full-dose third shot. Technically, this is not called a booster, these immune compromised people require a 3-dose series in order to mount a proper response to the vaccine. We have been giving this third dose at Grace Cottage for the past few weeks.
- The Johnson & Johnson booster has been recommended for all adult recipients of the first Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months after the first shot. This means that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is actually a two-shot vaccine after all.
We anticipate that the Vermont Department of Health will give Grace Cottage the “go-ahead” to start administering Moderna boosters later this week. Meanwhile, we have been administering third doses to immune-compromised patients in our Grace Cottage Family Health Clinic and Pfizer to healthcare workers who receive Pfizer for their first and second doses.
By early November, it is expected that the Pfizer vaccine will be approved for children ages five through eleven and the state of Vermont is expected to request parental permission to administer these vaccines in elementary schools.
You will still be considered to be “fully vaccinated” if you’ve received two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson, but the booster will give you even more protection. To schedule an appointment for a booster shot, or to get information on walk-in clinics, visit www.healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine or call 855-722-7878.
Many people are asking if they can get their flu shots at the same time as their COVID-19 booster vaccines, and the response is yes. This is not the year to forego your flu shot – and now is the time to get it. Last year, for the first time in history, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported almost no cases of the flu, probably due to all of the precautions against COVID-19 we were taking. Some experts are saying that, as a result, this coming flu season may be worse than normal because we have less natural immunity in our population. Only time will tell, but it’s always highly advisable to get a flu shot.
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES: Grace Cottage offers monoclonal antibody treatment for certain patients. Click here to read an article on this topic, featuring Grace Cottage’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. George Terwilliger.
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT: The sidewalk project in front of Grace Cottage Family Health has been completed! Funded by generous donations from The Irwin & Dorothy Nessel Foundation, a grant from the State of Vermont Building Communities Fund, and other supporters, this new sidewalk is a vital and necessary improvement for patient access and safety. Indeed, many patients have already expressed their appreciation for the fact that the sidewalk is now smooth, level, and wide enough for large wheelchairs. Also, the stone wall with a ledge on top gives people a place to sit if they aren’t feeling well when they enter or exit Grace Cottage Family Health, when waiting to be picked up, or for companions who are waiting outside. Lighting has been installed in the wall, for safety and convenience as the days, unfortunately, get shorter.
P.S. LINDER UPDATE: We know that a lot of you have been wondering, so we’re very happy to report that Dr. Moss & Dr. Elizabeth Linder have finished their nine-week bicycle trip from Townshend and have safely arrived in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
