Lots of debate about what this means. Here’s my take:
- Fewer sick and dying is good, no matter why
- It shows we CAN control the virus
- Like an MMA fight our opponent is stunned- if we keep at we can win- If we let up, we could get knocked out... npr.org/2021/02/15/968…
Is it herd immunity? Well it’s complicated. Herd immunity is a threshold that depends on the setting. On a National level, it could take > 250 million vax + infected (ie 80%). For individual encounters, all it takes it’s one person with immunity to slow/ stop spread...
So with the possibility of 100 million plus infected and recovered in US (some estimate 3-4 x as many who’ve tested positive have actually been infected and have antibodies) and almost 40 million vaccinated, some degree and type of herd immunity is likely helping ⬇️ spread.
Also, more people than ever are wearing masks (in public at least), and now that we’re past the deadly holiday trifecta (Thanksgiving/ Christmas/ New Years) and people are hunkered down for winter, there is more adherence to the 2 most important W’s- Watch distance & wear masks.
Yes we need to be worried about variants- but also need to help people understand that we know what works (the data proves it) and that means there’s hope for a return to normal sooner vs later- if we all do our part.

Wear masks
Watch distances
When your turn, get vaccinated

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Keep Current with Jerome Adams

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More from @JeromeAdamsMD

16 Feb
I’ve been calling for ⁦@CDCgov⁩ to publish demographic data on vaccinations (eg race, gender, and age breakdowns on who is- and who isn’t getting vaccinated), and I’m happy to see it’s finally on their website. VERY revealing- Check it out. 👇🏽

covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra… Image
Blacks make up 12% of US population, but less than 6% of vaccinations. Hispanic Americans are 18% of US population, but les than 9% of vaccinations.

Whites seem to be over represented in vaccinations, but so are asian Americans and native Americans. Image
Some fascinating vax data on age and gender- there is a large over representation among women who’ve gotten vaccinated, and among 50-64 year olds who’ve gotten the shot. Does this represent a healthcare worker bubble? Better access? Less hesitancy/ more willingness? 🤔 ImageImage
Read 4 tweets
11 Feb
I respectfully disagree w @DrTomFrieden here- or at least contend his hypothesis (and that of MANY other experts is incomplete). If you flooded the market right now with vaccine, data suggest they’d continue preferentially going to affluent whites, and you’d increase disparities.
The math is in fact unforgiving. Overall supply is the most important rate-limiting step- IF YOU ARE WHITE. If you’re a minority (and therefore on average at higher risk), there are other significant “rate limiting” factors, like hesitancy and location.
https://t.co/bLc83DtTOA
I greatly respect Dr. Frieden’s work, but this is the blind spot (and unintentional but real perpetuation of bias) I continue to see in public health. We often talk of equity, but when we have a chance to drive the conversation, we often prioritize averages > inequities.
Read 4 tweets
7 Feb
If you care about health equity and haven’t seen this @KFF #COVID19 data, it’s shocking, and a must read.👇🏽

In NJ for example, blacks = 12% of population, 16% of deaths, but only 4% of vaccinations...

Latest Data on COVID-19 Vaccinations Race/Ethnicity kff.org/6f5f223/
Hispanics are 21% of NJs population, 19% of deaths, but only 6% of #COVID19 vaccinations.

And not just NJ- these trends hold up for all other states.

This IS systemic bias (and institutional racism) playing out in real time. @CDCgov @POTUS should be reporting & addressing!
I see a story here or a tweet there, but there really needs to be @WhiteHouse press briefing dedicated solely to discussing actions/ solutions- not just casually mentioning it as an issue. Resources and accountability are key.
Read 5 tweets
31 Jan
The bottom line on vaccine efficacy against #COVID19 variants, as well as comparing one vax to another:

ALL of the vaccines are still more effective vs all strains of covid than the flu shot is vs flu strains in many years.

And 50% more likely to live still better than 0%!
We can’t allow our collective judgements to be clouded by the amazingly high (and to be frank unexpected) 90% plus efficacy of the mRNA #COVID19 vaccines against the original viral variants.

The original bar for most scientists as well as @US_FDA was > 50- 60%.
In other words, judged by original/ pre- mRNA standards, the current efficacy of all the current vaccines against all the current strains would’ve been widely touted and welcome news if they’d been the first across the finish line/ to get authorization.
Read 5 tweets
30 Jan
Unfortunately we had an incredibly deadly (opioid) epidemic long before #covid19, and many of the gains we’d made were erased in 2020. We MUST walk & chew gum at same time!

With Biden Team Focused On Other Crises, Experts Say Drug Epidemic Exploding : NPR npr.org/2021/01/29/960…
The #COVID19 & opioid epidemics are converging to create an even deadlier “syndemic.” “Quarantine too closely resembles addiction -- staying indoors, avoiding others... that was my life when I was drinking and drugging, and that's what the CDC recommends we all do every day...”
Unfortunately the only thing a new administration has done so far in this space is eliminate a tool doctors have been begging for to help them fight the opioid epidemic for years. We can’t afford to trade lives here (especially not for political payback).
google.com/amp/s/www.inqu…
Read 5 tweets
24 Jan
An FAQ that deserves an answer:

Do the COVID-19 vaccines contain aborted fetal cells?

A: NO!!! And the Catholic Church and other religious leaders & faiths have weighed in and said if recommended by your provider, you should get the vaccine. See🧵 and links below for more...
The mRNA #COVID19 vaccines from Pfizer & Moderna don’t
use any fetal cell cultures for manufacture.

Early in the development of mRNA vaccine technology, fetal cells were used for “proof of concept” (ie to prove a cell could take up mRNA and produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein).
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were found to be ethically uncontroversial by the pro-life policy organization the Charlotte Lozier Institute, and the Catholic Health Association of the United States...

health.nd.gov/sites/www/file…
Read 6 tweets

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