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A few days ago, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN’s Chris Cuomo that if enough Americans take the vaccine, the U.S. could see some return to normalcy between Summer and Fall of 2021.
"I said a combination of an effective vaccine and adherence to certain public-health principles will get us to the point where we want to be, by the end of 2021," Fauci said during a lunchtime call over pizza on Wednesday. "I never said just the vaccine. You never should abandon the public-health measures."
He also says that people should still wear masks and socially distance even after getting vaccinated. He's factoring all that into his estimate. He's repeatedly said that the criteria for some return to normalcy is a low level of virus in the community, not how many people are vaccinated. Vaccinations are just another tool in addition to masks and social distancing to get there.You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Good news on the Pfizer vaccine availability today. It seems that Pfizer was being liberal with how much vaccine they put in each bottle. There is supposed to be 5 doses but people have been finding that there's enough left for 1-2 more doses per vial. That's 20-40% more supply. The FDA says it's OK to use the leftovers.We really need it. Here in California cases have spiked 500% in the last month. I thought it was off the hook when we broke 10,000 new cases a day. A month later, we are over 50,000 cases a day.
This is really great news!! Here is AZ we have the highest rate of spread in the nation, a Rt of 1.19. Which makes lots of sense since our governor is doing nothing and we have restaurants open. Sigh.
In more good Pfizer vaccine news, they say they will be able to produce 100 million more doses next year than they thought. Once again, they've offered first dibs to the US. Once again, the outgoing administration is waffling on whether to accept their offer or not.I wonder if Pfizer is just going to put less vaccine in each vial with all the reports that they've been putting in too much. So then they will have another 100 million doses to sell.In bad vaccine news, the distribution of the vaccine has gone awry. Some states are saying that the CDC has told them to expect up to 40% less vaccine than they were promised. This shouldn't be confused with the existing reductions that Pfizer has already stated. This is from the already reduced levels. The government is blaming this on production delays at Pfizer. Pfizer says they have millions of doses ready in warehouses waiting for the government to say where to send them. So there is vaccine sitting around waiting for the government to distribute it but the government is telling states there's not.
Southern California is in a crisis like none other. ICU capacity is out completely. If you have a medical emergency, you're on your own.You are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginYou are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
It's bad here in San Diego. Hospitals are now allowed to blanket turn away ambulances to the ER. That's unheard of. They do have to seek permission and each time it's granted it expires in a few hours. Still, imagine calling 911 and there not being a hospital to go to. This happened because over the weekend, people had to wait up to 7 hours after getting to the ER to get in. While not unusual in chairs during a bad flu season, generally when a ambulance brings you in it's a much shorter wait. The ambulance crew has to stay with you until the ER accepts you so if the wait is 7 hours then that's a ambulance out of commission for 7 hours.
I've heard reports of a 5 hour wait to get tested in Chula Vista.