Trustworthy and accurate health info for moms like me! Monday updates
The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet this Thursday to discuss Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Next Thursday, they will meet again to discuss Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. It is very likely that at least one COVID-19 vaccine will be available this month, and probably two. Should you get a COVID-19 vaccine, and if so, how long will it be until you can get one? Read on for my thoughts.
You’ve probably already heard about risks of COVID-19 for older adults and people with certain high-risk conditions. But, new data is showing that COVID-19 can also be particularly risky for pregnant women and the babies they are carrying. Are you or someone you love pregnant? Read on for more information on risks to pregnant women during this pandemic, and important preventive steps.
“How soon will a COVID-19 vaccine come out?” That’s one of the top questions I’ve been asked over the last several months. It’s usually followed with “Is it being rushed?” Unfortunately, the answer to the first question is still unclear. However, there are real, evidence-based reasons why and how scientists are achieving the seemingly-impossible: developing a vaccine against COVID-19 within months of the first identified cases. This post will discuss those reasons and whether the vaccine is being rushed.
Halloween is nearly here! Are you ready? The COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t mean you and your kids can’t still have a spooky fun time; read on for expert tips to keep your kids and yourself safe and healthy while still enjoying Halloween this weekend.
Last week Johnson & Johnson announced that they were temporarily pausing their COVID-19 vaccine clinical studies in order to review and evaluate an unexpected illness in an individual participating in their study, less than 3 weeks after their Phase 3 study had started. Another COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, also had its clinical studies paused in July and September for similar reasons. Read on for my thoughts on what this may mean for potential COVID-19 vaccines and their safety.
This past June, the New England Journal of Medicine published two articles describing a then-newly identified complication of COVID-19 infection in children, which the CDC had named Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C. At the time, it was unclear whether this complication was unique to children. However, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) recently published a case series summarizing 27 cases of a similar condition in adults.
If you’ve been following the news, then you may have heard conflicting information about how soon a COVID-19 vaccine will become available. Unfortunately, my crystal ball is hazy on that front, but I think it’s fair to say that whenever a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccines first come out, initial supplies will be limited and focused on front-line healthcare workers, other essential workers, and people at high risk of severe COVID-19 infection. It may be several months before we have widespread COVID-19 vaccine available, so keep wearing face masks and social distancing until then!
Although there are still a lot of questions about when COVID-19 vaccine will come out, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of which COVID-19 vaccines may be available. There are currently four U.S. COVID-19 vaccines in the third (and final) phase of clinical trials prior to approval. It’s important to keep in mind that not all vaccine candidates will necessarily be approved; the whole point of a clinical trial is to study whether a vaccine is safe and effective in as many populations as possible. This post summarizes the four vaccines that are currently farthest along, but it’s no guarantee that any of them will ultimately be approved.
Welcome back to another week! If your kids’ school year has begun, whether remotely, on-site or on a hybrid schedule, I hope it’s going well and they’re staying safe and healthy!
If you live in a northern climate, then the weather’s probably getting chillier and after six months of social distancing, the call of your favorite restaurant or cafĂ© may be getting more and more attractive. Unfortunately, a recent study published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) suggests that spending time in restaurants, bars and coffee shops during the COVID-19 pandemic may be one of the riskiest choices we could make.
If you’ve been following recent COVID-19 news, then you may have heard that one of the COVID-19 vaccine studies was paused last week in order to review an unexpected illness in one of the participants. While we all want the COVID-19 pandemic to end as soon as possible, I believe this pause is a very good sign that the COVID-19 vaccine researchers are behaving responsibly and with the public’s safety at heart. Read on for a summary of this story and what it does and doesn’t mean for the future of COVID-19 vaccines.
Content warning: this post will contain frank discussions of mental illness (including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder) and suicide prevention.
Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating. But while there has been a lot of (rightful) attention to illness, loss of life and long-term complications from COVID-19, there hasn’t been nearly as much attention given to the effects of the pandemic on mental health. It’s particularly important to discuss it this week, during National Suicide Prevention Week.
