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COVID-19 Update

Where We Stand & Where We are Headed.

For the first time, COVID vaccination supply exceeds demand for the worldwide programs.

The global effort to share COVID-19 vaccinations is struggling to use more than 300 million doses, the latest indicator that the world’s vaccination crisis is becoming more about supply than demand.

Last year, affluent countries consumed the majority of available vaccines to inoculate their own residents first, leaving fewer than a third of individuals in low-income nations inoculated, compared to over 70% in affluent nations.

However, as supplies and contributions have increased, poorer countries have faced challenges such as cold-chain shortages, vaccination reluctance, and a lack of funds to support distribution networks.

The propagation of this variety, BA2.12.1, which emerged in upstate New York and appears to be quite strong at transmitting while also being able to circumvent immunity, is the key driving factor behind what the United States is witnessing now. BA2.12.1 has a handful of alterations that make it more capable of doing so, and this is now driving transmission in the region.

BA2.12.1 doesn’t appear to induce significantly more severe illness than the other omicron forms, which are clearly less harmful than delta. But just because they’re mild doesn’t mean they’re harmless; in the absence of immunity, they can produce catastrophic outbreaks.

The number of cases the United States is seeing right now is a fraction of what we observed in January. We are undoubtedly under-identifying infections as a result of people performing at-home tests that are not tallied in the same manner; however, we are still seeing considerably fewer infections than in the past.

On the path of the pandemic

Seasonality is something we can anticipate. Cases are likely to grow in the fall and winter, a very evident pattern when more people are indoors, and summer infections are likely to remain low.

Things to Remember

It’s important to realize that immunity isn’t spread evenly throughout the population. Due to the nature of waning immunity whether by inoculation or infection, it is likely that each of us are continuously being exposed to COVID-19.  Since scientists are still uncertain why some individuals maintain immunity for longer periods of time than others, it is best to remain vigilant.  Many healthcare facilities offer COVID-19 antibody tests to determine your current level of protection.

It is also important to note that, unlike prior periods of the pandemic, we now have a variety of effective treatments for COVID-19. While we all continue to do our best to reduce the spread, our healthcare community will continue to find new ways to prevent and treat COVID-19.

If you or someone you know is in need of personal protective equipment to mitigate their COVID-19 infection risk, visit our online shop: J2 Medical Supply

 

 

 

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