Center for Disease Control

FAQs on COVID-19 Vaccination with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:55 GMT

To answer common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, U.S. Surgeon General vice admiral Dr. Vivek Murthy joined AgriTalk on May 4. This was the same day President Joe Biden shared the goal for 70% of adults in America to have had at least one shot of the vaccine by July 4.

“The progress report is good,” Murthy says. “We have made tremendous progress in vaccinating the country to date. If you look at people above the age of 65, we’ve gotten at least one dose of the vaccine into more than 80%, which is pretty extraordinary. And we have about 70% of our seniors who are now fully vaccinated.”

But even with those 150 million people who have had at least one shot, Murthy says the country needs to have another 100 million shots administered in the next 60 days to reach the president’s next goal by July 4.

You can listen to the full interview with Murthy here:

On the segment, Murthy answered several commonly asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine:

Do we have enough supply?

“Here in America, we have done a good job of bolstering our supply. So we do have more and more vaccine available for those who want it. And we also, very importantly, have more places where you can get a vaccine.”

What is being done to increase access to the vaccine?

“There are over 40,000 pharmacies in the country that now have vaccine to offer. We have community vaccination sites, we have community health centers where we’ve actually directly delivered vaccine from the federal government and we’ve got more primary care doctors who are getting vaccine direct-ly in their offices so they can give it to patients. The President and the administration will be providing more direct funding and support to rural health clinics to support outreach as well as direct allocation of vaccine to rural health clinics so they can directly vaccinate their own patients.”

How is access being improved specifically to rural America?

“We know rural areas are different from urban areas, people are more spread out, it’s not always as easy to travel to one location that’s close to everyone to get a vaccine. So we’ve got to work through some of those logistical barriers, which is why the funding for the rural health clinics and for these mobile units is so important. But we also know everyone looked gets information from different sources. We’re a big country. Not everyone listens to the same news station, radio station and that means we’ve got to do more work in getting information out, and particularly through people’s doctors, which is the reason behind one of the projects we launched. From my office and other offices in the government it’s something called COVID-19 Community Core, where we bring together doctors, nurses, faith leaders, local business leaders and others to get the accurate information they know they and their communities want and to be able to share that with them.

In addition to people trusting the doctors and nurses who take care of them, we know about 50% of people say they would take the advice of a family member or friend when it comes to making a decision on the vaccine. What that means is even if you don’t have a medical degree or a nursing degree, you can still be a vital force in helping people understand the vaccines we have for COVID-19 are a way to protect them against COVID and a way, ultimately, for us to help turn this pandemic around.”

Why are people hesitant to get the vaccine?

“We’ve seen a lot of news stories about people being hesitant to get the vaccine. But what we’re finding actually is people who haven’t gotten vaccinated yet it’s a combination of a few things. Some people have questions, which are important to answer. We want people to get answers from reliable sources, like their doctors or their nurses who take care of them. But we also know some people are wondering if it’s really that important for them to get vaccinated. Maybe they’re young and healthy, and they think, ‘Hey, I’m not at high risk of a bad outcome, do I really need to get this vaccine?’, or maybe they’re working two or three jobs and don’t have transportation to get to a vaccine center.

We’re trying to work on all three fronts to make sure we’re working closely with doctors and nurses around the country, as well as pastors and other faith leaders, to help get information to their com-munities. But we’re also trying to improve the number of access points so it’s easier and easier hope-fully over the weeks ahead for people to get vaccines in their pharmacy, in their doctor’s office or in their neighborhoods.”

Should people who have had COVID-19 get vaccinated?

“The answer is yes. And here’s why. It turns out the immunity you get from a natural infection is actually not as robust. It’s not as strong as the protection you get from the vaccine. So you’re more likely to be at risk for reinfection. That’s why we’re asking everyone to get vaccinated regardless of their prior infection.”

What if people still have questions?

“I always say our health is personal to us. And if you have questions, you absolutely have a right to get those questions answered because ultimately, it’s your health. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind about the vaccine.

Recognize 90% of doctors in this country have either gotten the vaccine or are planning to get it as soon as possible. That tells you about the faith the medical profession has in the vaccine.
Keep in mind these vaccines, even though it seems like they were developed on a quick timeframe, the technology behind them has been in development for decades.
We are lucky enough to see the culmination of that research, and these vaccines have been studied rigorously in clinical trials and what we’ve seen with nearly 150 million people having received at least one dose of the vaccine is this side effect profile remains really strong in terms of safety. The effectiveness remains extraordinarily strong and high as well. That’s what you want to see — high effectiveness and very low risk in any vaccine you take.
I know many people are worried about the side effects of the vaccine. But first of all, the vast majority of people don’t have side effects from this vaccine. Those who do tend to experience one to two days of flu-like symptoms, meaning fatigue, maybe a low-grade fever and a body ache, but that lasts for about a day or two. Then it goes away, and they feel pretty good. Afterward what you’re left with is protection from the vaccine.

“It’s certainly a blessing to be able to serve the country, especially at a time like this during this pandemic crisis. I’m eager to do everything I can to help,” Murthy says.

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Fauci on COVID Pandemic — "It Will End"

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 21:38:57 GMT

The omicron variant surge of COVID-19 might appear to be cresting in some big cities, but the latest wave is far from over, especially in many rural communities, says Dr. Anthony Fauci. The chief medical adviser to President Biden says smaller towns should expect omicron outbreaks to increase in the coming weeks.

“When you have an outbreak of a new variant, there’s a delay,” says Dr. Fauci regarding rural outbreak trends. “Rather than have the sharp peak and then come down, you sort of gradually go up and then come back down.”

In a one-on-one interview with Farm Journal Editor and AgDay TV host, Clinton Griffiths, Dr. Fauci says as vaccination numbers and unvaccinated COVID survivors increase the pandemic will end.

“It will end. I can guarantee you and your viewers it will end hopefully sooner rather than later,” Dr. Fauci says. “We will reach a point where the virus will be low enough in the community as to not have any impact on what we do, so we can get ourselves back to some form of normality and it doesn’t interrupt the economy or interrupt our way of life. That’s what we’re hoping we’re going to see within a reasonable period of time.”

(Watch Full Interview Above)

The highly transmissible omicron variant has helped to push COVID-19 positive rates higher since late fall. The weekly rolling average of COVID-19 deaths is now at 1,700. That’s about half what it was in January 2021.

“If you look at the devastation in this country thus far, we’ve had 850,000 deaths and about 66 million cases,” Dr. Fauci says.

New models from the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub , created by university and health experts, which now factor in the omicron variant, expect up to 2.38 million hospitalizations and 304,000 deaths, at worst, and 409,000 hospitalizations and 54,000 deaths, at best, from mid-December through mid-March. Those models show the omicron peak sometime between February and March.

(Farm Journal)

“To be sure, there are breakthrough infections, namely, people get vaccinated and even boosted, and they may get infected,” says Dr. Fauci. “For the most part, though, those infections are either without symptoms or minimally symptomatic.”

Dr. Fauci says in many, but not all, rural areas, vaccination rates are lower compared with the rest of the country. While strongly advocating for vaccines and boosters to prevent hospitalization or severe illness, Dr. Fauci recognizes all immunity will ultimately work together against the coronavirus.

“I think when you get a situation of more and more people getting vaccinated and boosted or unfortunately, people getting sick or getting infected, then recovering and having a degree of protection, if you combine those two, there will be enough protection in the country,” says Fauci in reference to an eventual end of the pandemic.

The federal government is now offering free coronavirus test kits to some Americans. Those with a valid residential address can go to COVIDTests.gov to get one set of four free at-home COVID tests starting in late January.

The Biological Weapon Against Red Meat

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:12:14 GMT

It’s obviously the devilish work of PETA or some like-minded anti-meat group. An allergy to red meat is on the rise, and highly-susceptible targets are folks who spend a lot of time outdoors.

I’m referring to the meat allergy spread by Lone Star ticks, a malady that was discovered a few years ago, but one that is rapidly spreading across America. A bite from the Lone Star tick can make you allergic to beef and pork. Interestingly, the meat allergy doesn’t apply to poultry or fish, which makes one wonder if the chicken companies are in on this conspiracy with the activists to create a biological weapon attacking red meat consumers.

The ticks are transmitting an allergy to a carbohydrate called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, which is in most mammalian cell membranes. It’s not a mild, hay-fever type allergy. Humans affected with alpha-gal syndrome will experience a severe, delayed-reaction immune response, which hits hours after you eat red meat. In addition to hives and itching, the episodes can land you in the emergency room with anaphylaxis. Victims may suffer from the allergy for months or years.

In fact, ticks are becoming an increasing overall health threat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week the CDC issued a report noting that disease cases from ticks, fleas and mosquitoes more than tripled between 2004 and 2016.

That same CDC report says seven new tick-borne infections have been reported since 2004, and the organization hasn’t recognized alpha-gal allergies yet.

The ticks are aided by a warmer climate, but also because of the expanding white-tailed deer population in the U.S. Deer are one of the lone star tick’s preferred hosts, and the deer provide the transportation help the ticks expand their territory.

Already, according to an allergist at the University of North Carolina, 600 known cases of alpha-gal have occurred north of the Mason-Dixon line, but that may only be a fraction of the cases.

So consider this as an extra warning to watch for ticks this summer. A bite from one just might leave you allergic to your favorite food.

5 Things Hog Producers Should Know: Flu at Swine Exhibitions

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:09:39 GMT

Every year, thousands of youth across the country raise pigs and show them off at local exhibitions and county and state fairs. These experiences allow young people to learn about animal care and management, and also allow the public the rare opportunity to observe pig care and behavior.

In contrast to all the positive aspects of showing pigs, in recent years swine shows have been linked to influenza illnesses in people. Swine influenza is a regular occurrence in commercial hog farms. When influenza is associated with human illness, a whole new set of issues arise, however – especially when it affects exhibitors or visitors to a pig show.

In some ways, modern hog production and the show pig world operate in two different orbits. At the center of each of them, however, is the pig and the germs they can pass between each other and to people. What should commercial hog producers know about influenza at swine shows?

1. People get influenza from pigs every year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks cases of “swine variant” influenza in people. These are viruses commonly associated with flu in pigs but less commonly jump from pigs to cause influenza in people. Most people affected with swine variant influenza have an association with swine exhibits – the majority of them being the young exhibitors themselves. More troubling, though, is that a substantial number of these ill people reported only walking through the barn with no direct contact with pigs.

2. Pigs don’t need to be visibly sick to spread influenza.

Show organizers and their veterinarians should have plans in place to isolate pigs that turn up sick at a show from the healthy pigs. However, this isn’t enough to ensure that the virus hasn’t already spread through a barn. An off-feed pig with fever and lethargy might be just the “tip of the iceberg,” though – with many more pigs shedding the virus yet outwardly healthy. Once this shedding takes off, the amount of influenza virus in the barn’s airspace explodes – especially in poorly-ventilated facilities, creating even more of a hazard for people in the barn.

3. The risk of influenza spreading through a show can be reduced.

Most important is limiting the length of the show to 72 hours or less. Research has shown that after 72 hours together at an exhibit, the number of pigs shedding influenza multiplies greatly. Show organizers should also reduce influenza spread by emphasizing cleaning and disinfection of equipment such as sorting panels, pen dividers, and gates in common areas such as weigh-in locations. Providing handwashing or hand sanitizing stations, and discouraging eating or drinking in the barn will reduce the possibility of influenza transmission to people.

4. Pigs returning from shows should be isolated at home.

Even a healthy-appearing pig coming back home could have picked up the influenza virus and potentially infect its herdmates. Worse yet, a pig traveling from one show to the next could spread that germ to a whole new show full of pigs in a new geographic location. Seven days’ downtime at home is necessary for pigs to get over shedding influenza virus. Upon arriving back home, exhibitors should also clean and disinfect any equipment brought back from the show.

5. Commercial hog producers should care about this.

Even if not directly involved with local swine shows, hog producers can provide valuable expertise to local 4H and FFA students and their leaders with their knowledge of biosecurity and animal care. Furthermore, the success of the hog industry depends upon its connection with the consumer public. Preserving these opportunities for the public to observe swine care, and to nurture young people’s interest in pig care can only happen when these exhibits are open to – and safe for – the public to visit.

The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, along with the National Association of State Animal Health Officials, offers a valuable resource covering measures to minimize influenza transmission at swine exhibitions.