January 11, 2021
rolling on
Some states, like West Virginia, are doing a mighty fine job of getting people vaccinated. A smaller state with less population can be more agile since there is more flexibility and creativity for problem solving that doesn’t get caught up in the bureaucracy of a more populated state. Despite the challenge of its physical size, Alaska is getting the job done, as well. Other states are starting to improve their vaccine rollouts, which is exciting.
These are encouraging signs. As is this MMWR report from the CDC explaining the numbers of reactions in the first 10 days of vaccinations with the PfizerBioNtech from Dec. 14-23. Anaphylaxis, the dangerous allergic reaction that can be life threatening, was rare, only 21 cases out of 1.89 million doses. These are the early data in the process, so more reactions will be documented moving forward. But so far so good. The information is helpful in planning for the vaccinations so providers and staff can be prepared with rescue medications, as well as having protocols in place for people to wait at least 15 minutes after their vaccine, before leaving, so treatment can be started if they have symptoms.
So far I like the odds. My risk of dying from COVID is much higher than a theoretical risk from a vaccine. You can check at your risk at this link to a risk calculator that Johns Hopkins University designed. Now to help others who are reluctant start to see the safety of the vaccine.
Wash your hands, cover your nose, keep safe six, and get the vaccine when it’s available.
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/07/954409347/why-west-virginias-winning-the-race-to-get-covid-19-vaccine-into-arms
https://www.npr.org/2021/01/11/954881785/we-dont-feel-forgotten-at-all-alaska-fires-up-covid-19-vaccine-rollout
https://www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20210108covidvaers.html
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7002e1.htm?s_cid=mm7002e1_w
https://covid19risktools.com:8443/riskcalculator