COVID-19 Health and Wellness Information |
This week’s news shows that the campaign to SAFELY vaccinate tens of millions of people in the United States is working.
You may think this is an odd statement to make after the news that the CDC and FDA paused the use of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine following six cases in women aged 18-48 years old of a rare blood-clotting event in people who had received the vaccine.
Let’s put this in perspective.
More than six million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered, which means that one person for every million has had this adverse event or .0001%. On the other hand, a study conducted in December, before we started vaccinating, found that as high as 21% of COVID-19 patients developed a blood clot. Furthermore this is far more than those individuals with COVID-19 who have not been vaccinated who have problems with blood clotting, a more serious issue.
Within weeks of learning of these cases, the agencies took immediate action to protect the population, followed by a public discussion of next steps the following day. Even though this might add to vaccine hesitancy, it should be seen as proof that the CDC and FDA are committed to vaccine safety and transparency. And at UHealth, we are here to provide the most effective and updated safety measures to protect us during the pandemic.
Luckily, more than 180 million people have received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines without reports of severe reaction. So, please, do not let this deter you from getting vaccinated. Everyone in the University community who has opted to get a vaccine can and should.
A reminder that you can still opt in for the vaccine. University of Miami faculty and staff should opt in using Workday, students should use ’CaneLink. If you have any questions, call 305-243-ONE-U or email us at UMCOVIDVaccineInfo@miami.edu.
Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
Chief Medical Officer for COVID-19 |
IF YOU’VE RECEIVED THE J&J VACCINEIt’s important to note that UHealth has not dispensed the J&J vaccine to any members of the University community or at our Medical Campus vaccine site. If you received the J&J vaccine from another provider or as part of a research protocol more than a month ago, you are unlikely to develop a blood clot. If you received the vaccine within the last few weeks, the risk is still very low. However, the CDC advises seeking immediate medical attention if you develop these symptoms:
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severe headache
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backache
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new neurologic symptoms
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severe abdominal pain
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shortness of breath
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leg swelling
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tiny red spots on the skin (petechiae)
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new or easy bruising
ADENOVIRUS VECTOR VACCINESIn Europe, the AstraZeneca vaccine has also been associated with similar rare blood clotting cases. Both the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines are adenovirus vector vaccines. They both use a modified adenovirus to sneak the genetic material for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into the body. The immune system then learns how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19.
Conversely, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use mRNA to perform a similar function but have not led to blood clots in vaccine recipients.
This is why some theorize that these clotting events could be somehow related to the adenovirus used in the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccine.
DISINFECTING YOUR HOMEAs we learn more about how COVID-19 spreads, we can focus on what works and not worry about unnecessary steps. For instance, the CDC issued a statement last week that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection from surfaces is low compared to airborne transmission or direct contact with someone who has COVID-19. In other words, you don’t need to frantically disinfect everything in your home unless a household member is ill with COVID-19. Cleaning with warm water and soap should be sufficient to reduce risk. You should, however, continue to diligently wear masks, physically distance, and wash your hands.
GET SOME RESTMany people think of rest and sleep as the same thing, but they are different, and both are essential. If you are constantly on the go all day until you fall into bed and sleep, you are not giving your mind and body what it needs to protect against the harms of chronic stress. Resting means taking a break from work, stressful situations, or physical exertion. It can be as short as a few minutes a day when you turn everything off and listen to calming music or sit in a park and tune into your environment.
RISK, UNCERTAINTY, AND FAITHDespite the models and predictions of the current pandemic and the development of cures and preventions, no one can argue that we live in unpredictable times. While human nature finds solace in the predictable, not the unpredictable, not everything can be distilled to statistics. Economist John Kay and former Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King make the distinction between risk, which is calculable, and uncertainty, which is not, in their prescient book, Radical Uncertainty.
They argue that society relies too heavily on calculations of probability while neglecting the fact that danger may appear from a completely unexpected source. The sudden appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic proved their point. People knew there was a possibility of a pandemic, but no one knew what it would be like, how rapidly it would spread, and what toll it would take. More important than the calculation of probabilities, they say, is understanding the situation, answering the question, “What is going on?” This is never answered by statistics or predictions, they say, but rather by narrative, by telling a story. We all have stories to tell and need to focus on both the certainty of statistics and the unquantifiable aspect of faith. |
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We will share more health and wellness news in the next edition. |
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COVID-19 RESOURCES
Students, faculty, and staff on the Coral Gables and Marine campuses who are experiencing possible symptoms consistent with, or who have been potentially exposed to, COVID-19 should contact the University's COVID-19 hotline at 305-243-ONE-U, where UHealth physicians and providers are available to answer your questions and provide telemedicine services if needed.
Members of the Medical Campus should contact 305-243-8378.
For additional University of Miami COVID-19 information and resources, visit coronavirus.miami.edu.
If you are a student in distress or need counseling services, the Counseling Center provides mental health services through HIPAA-compliant teleconferencing platforms. Counselors are certified and available to help any time by calling 305-284-5511. Additional resources are also available by visiting counseling.studentaffairs.miami.edu.
If you are a faculty or staff members in need of support visit fsap.miami.edu. |
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