• Among adults aged 65 years and older, 83% have at least 1 dose and 70% fully vaccinated. 

• The US has administered 252 million doses of SARS-CoV-2. Daily doses administered continues to decrease, down from a high of 3.3 million (April 11) to 2.1 million now. 

• Initial analysis of Phase 2/3 testing of Moderna's vaccine in adolescents 12 to 17 years showed vaccine effectiveness of 96%, the company says. The vaccine was "generally well tolerated," and there were no serious safety concerns identified thus far. 
• Pfizer has also said it expects to seek authorization of its vaccine for kids between 2 and 11 this September, and Moderna says a phase 2 study of its vaccine in children 6 months to 11 years old is ongoing.

• Many U.S. pharmacies now accepting walk-ins for COVID-19 vaccines, given high supply 

• Researchers published in Journal of the AMA that “receiving a COVID-19 vaccination dramatically reduces the chances of contracting the virus, either in symptomatic or asymptomatic form.” 

• In a recent study from New England Journal of Medicine, the Pfizer vaccine demonstrated 100% effectiveness against “severe, critical, or fatal disease” for variants. 

• 68% of patients with mild case of COVID-19 get new diagnosis within 6 months 

• Two-thirds of nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients had at least one outpatient visit that resulted in a new diagnosis within six months of being diagnosed with the virus, the CDC's latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found.  

• The study involved 3,171 COVID-19 patients who did not require hospitalization  

• 69 percent of the study group had at least one outpatient visit between 1 and 6 months after their coronavirus diagnosis. Of those, 2/3rds received a new primary diagnosis such as a cough, shortness of breath, chest or throat pain and fatigue

• Adults aged 65 and older, women, Black adults, and those with underlying health conditions made up a high proportion of outpatient visits.  

• Researchers also found 38 percent of patients who sought medical care saw a new specialist, including cardiology, behavioral/mental health, and pulmonology, among others. 

• Uber and Lyft will offer all Americans free rides to and from COVID-19 vaccination sites beginning on May 24 through July 4, the day targeted for U.S. to hit 70% vax rate 

• Every year, around 45 million people get the flu in the US. This year, it was less than 2,000. It’s an unprecedented low for flu season, and it’s a tribute to how well social distancing measures have worked—though they didn’t stop COVID-19 entirely, influenza has virtually disappeared.  

• Pfizer, Moderna vaccines produce robust immune responses in pregnant and lactating women 
• Last week a study published in JAMA found that “the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines produce robust immune responses in pregnant and lactating women, and are likely to provide at least some protection against two dangerous coronavirus variants.” In addition, vaccinated women can “pass protective antibodies to their fetuses through the bloodstream and to their infants through breast milk.” 

• Most COVID patients now landing in hospitals aren't fully vaccinated 
• Cleveland Clinic reports that among the 4,300 hospital admissions that occurred from Jan. 1 to mid-April, 99% were not fully vaccinated said Eduardo Mireles, MD, director of the clinic's medical intensive care unit. 

• "It cannot be more clear the message that vaccines work and it's the key action that we need to do to get back to our normal lives as they were before coronavirus." 

• Vaccine-hesitant Americans list undocumented vaccine side effects among primary concerns 
• A new Harris poll found “vaccine-hesitant Americans list multiple false or undocumented side effects – such as DNA alteration – among their reasons for not getting the shot.” Of the 1,061 vaccine-hesitant respondents that listed side effects as a concern, 60% named blood clots, which have indeed been reported in extremely rare cases (1 per 500,000) but ONLY with Johnson & Johnson vaccine,  while 24% “listed infertility, and just as many cited potential birth defects, which are not considered possible from any of the vaccines that have been approved,” and 22% “said they were concerned about potentially getting cancer” which is also not considered possible. 

• Researchers analyzed “data from more than 3 million adults under 65 with private insurance” and “found that nearly 3-4% take immunosuppressive drugs,” which “can hamper their immune system and its response to COVID-19 vaccines.”  

• “15 to 80 percent of those with certain conditions, such as specific blood cancers or who have had organ transplants, are generating few antibodies” from the vaccines. 

• THIS IS THE RATIONALE FOR CONTINUING MASKING IN OUR CLINICS 

• COVID-19 hospitalized patients now tend to be younger, as older populations more highly vaccinated 
• Since Jan 2021, the proportion of Covid-19 patients between the ages of 18 to 49 now accounts for 36% of hospitalizations—a 15.5 percentage-point increase. 

• Last week the CDC changed its guidance about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, recognizing airborne spread as a key mode of infection. 

• The new guidance acknowledges that inhalation of aerosols -- which are tiny, lightweight viral particles that can float and linger in the air for extended periods of time -- is one way COVID-19 spreads. Even when an infectious person is more than 6 feet away, aerosols have the ability to travel and infect others. 

• Following a similar change made recently by the World Health Organization (WHO), the CDC guidance acknowledges three primary routes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission: inhalation into the lungs, deposition of droplets onto the face, or touching infected surfaces, also known as fomites.