As we start to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, there has been a shift in the kinds of articles showing up in medical journals about the virus and its impacts. They’re talking about the vaccines out in the real world now and not just their future impact. But some of the research now examines the impact that the virus, and our societal response to it, have had upon us. This week’s Long Reads features three such papers that make for interesting reading.
Though Washington State will be getting more doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as specialized syringes that will be able to coax out one extra dose from every vial of Pfizer vaccine, the good news Gov. Jay Inslee shared during his press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 26 was somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of the significantly more contagious novel coronavirus variant in the state, the discovery of which was officially announced this past weekend in a Department of Health press release.
Washington State has avoided a post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID-19 cases, but the state — particularly its hospital system — isn’t in the clear yet.
In a press conference on Dec. 16, Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy shared graphs from the DOH’s COVID-19 tracking dashboard that show case counts and hospitalizations, including ICU bed occupancy, are levelling off. The Emerald has shared these graphs below. But the trends aren’t yet level, and the state must go beyond just flattening the curve, DOH Health Sec. Dr. John Wiesman said.
In an online news conference Sunday morning, Gov. Jay Inslee said he was “joyous” to announce that the federal government and Washington state have both authorized the Pfizer- BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and that shipments of the first 60,000 doses could arrive in the state Monday. Immunizations could start as early as Tuesday for high-risk health care workers, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, and people in tribal communities, the governor said. He also said an independent review board from western states confirmed the transparency, rigor, and scientific independence of the federal approval process for the vaccine.
Aside from starting to cancel non-emergent surgeries and other procedures, there doesn’t appear to be much else healthcare professionals can do to make way for what many see as an inevitable surge in COVID-19 cases and associated hospitalizations, following Thanksgiving and the December holidays.
