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Doctors confident in COVID vaccine, but admit some unknowns
by: Deon Guillory
BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) – There is new confidence in the first COVID-19 vaccine expected to be sent Baton Rouge.
New documents released from the FDA Tuesday show Pfizer's vaccine candidate offers some protection after the first dose, with nearly full protection after the second dose. The two doses are taken 21 to 28 days apart.
Doctors say reactions to the COVID vaccine are similar to any other including arm pain, fever and fatigue, but they admit, there are still some things they don't know yet.
"The vaccine itself. How long does it last? We don't know because they haven't been out for that long. So those trials and that information will be forthcoming," said Dr. Katherine Baumgarten with Ochsner Health.
Doctors also said the person getting the vaccine could determine how long the vaccine lasts due to their immune system. It's also unknow if the virus will change or become seasonal like the flu.
Baumgarten explained, "So, theoretically it makes sense that it would prevent transmission and spread and that's what we think will happen, but I can't say that for sure based on the information we have yet."
Despite these unknowns, doctors said if you can get a flu shot, you should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer goes before the FDA on Thursday to get approval for its COVID-19 vaccine. It is expected to be in Baton Rouge before the end of December.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Saturday, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the state's first case of the U.K. covid variant in the Greater New Orleans area. This variant of the illness is common in the United Kingdom and it spreads more easily from person to person than other strains of the virus. However, there is no proof that this variant creates a more severe case of the disease. Despite the new strain showing up in the New Orleans area, health experts believe the current covid-19 vaccine is effective against the variant.
"It was always a matter of time before this new strain of the virus would reach Louisiana, which is why our state health experts have been monitoring cases and working with the CDC to prepare. There is no such thing as taking this too seriously. Our case counts and hospitalizations are increasing daily and deaths from COVID have reached an alarming rate," said Governor John Bel Edwards. Edwards adds that everyone should wear a mask, keep social distancing in mind, and to wash your hands frequently.
OSU Wexner Medical Center finds new strain of COVID-19 in Ohio
by Matthew Herchik / Jan 15, 2021
COLUMBUS (WCMH) -- Researchers from Ohio State University said two new strains of COVID-19 have been identified in central Ohio, bringing with it new questions about how it could impact those across the state.
Those researchers said that mutations of the COVID-19 virus are expected and have been studied since the pandemic began last March.
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