119 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (5.14.21 Edition)

In This Episode:

Dr. K provides commentary on the recent COVID developments, including the CDC’s latest mask guidance for vaccinated people, plus updated information on the effectiveness and safety of COVID vaccination for older adults. She also addresses FAQs about coronavirus vaccination.

This episode covers:

• Why Dr. K has some concerns about the recent CDC mask update
• What to know about “breakthrough” COVID cases, which have affected nursing homes and are being undercounted
• The question of whether vaccinated people can transmit COVID
• Recent studies related to  COVID safety & efficacy in older adults
• Why immunocompromised people might not be protected by the vaccine, especially if they have a “blood cancer” or are on medications that affect their B cells or T cells
• How to think about COVID risk: yours and you exposing others to COVID risk
• Answers to FAQs, including:
  • Should I get vaccinated against COVID?
  • Should my 90 year old mother get the COVID vaccine?
  • How well does the vaccine work in older adults?
  • Which vaccine is best for older adults? Which vaccine is safest?
  • Should I worry that the vaccine might harm me (or my frail older parent)?
  • Should I worry that I haven’t responded enough to the vaccine?
• Dr. K’s current recommendations regarding COVID vaccination and staying safe given current conditions

Related Resources:

• BHWA:
  • COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do
• CDC:
  • Fully Vaccinated Adults 65 and Older Are 94% Less Likely to Be Hospitalized with COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States
  • Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
  • Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination
  • Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard
  • CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (meeting slides on vaccine safety and efficacy topics are usually very informative; browse for the latest ones here)
    • COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness studies (May 12, 2021; includes some nursing home studies)
• From medical journals:
  • Impact and effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths following a nationwide vaccination campaign in Israel: an observational study using national surveillance data (Pfizer vaccine in Israel, May 2021)
  • Researchers Tie Severe Immunosuppression to Chronic COVID-19 and Virus Variants (May 2021)
• New York Times:
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
  • Coronavirus Variant Tracker
  • What Does the New Mask Guidance Really Mean? (NY Times 5/13/21)
• Other articles:
  • How Vaccine Hesitancy Is Driving Breakthrough Infections in Nursing Homes
  • The CDC’s Big Mask Surprise Came Out of Nowhere