Corona Virus update

 Connecticut’s Covid deaths have surpassed 8,000. We should take a moment to reflect on that and remember that a number is not just a number. Our case % remains around or below 3 % and people being becoming  sick are trending younger and that’s good.  Younger people do better in general, but not all. 

Our hospitalizations are at 507. 

Bottom line- vaccines work, masks work. 

We have masks and face shields at the state fed office. If you need them, just let me know. 

This is one of the reason we encourage our members to file Worker’s Compensation Cases if they get Covid at work, even if they don’t miss income or incur medical bills. We are just discovering the long term effects, and you know how it goes, if it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.  

COMEBAC, The Long Covid Story for Millions of Patients
 
A study published in JAMA (study here, published in March; commentary here, published 4-20) is represented as one of the first of long-term COVID-19 sequelae. 
 
The study reports that “Four months after hospitalization for COVID-19, a cohort of patients frequently reported symptoms not previously present, and lung-scan abnormalities were common among those who were tested.” The study, known as COMEBAC, (Consultation Multi-Expertise de Bicetre Apres COVID-19) “included adult patients admitted to the Bicetre Hospital (Paris-Saclay University hospitals) in France for COVID-19 from March 1 to May 29, 2020. Inclusion criteria were survival 4 months after hospital discharge or after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge for patients who had been admitted to an ICU . . . who had been hospitalized for greater than 24 hours primarily because of COVID-19, and who had received a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), by typical computed tomographic (CT) lung scan associated with clinical features, or both.”
 
The commentary notes that “As of early March 2021, more than 2.5 million individuals worldwide have died from COVID-19, but many more millions have survived COVID-19 and experienced lasting sequelae. As many as half of patients who survive hospitalization for COVID-19 experience prolonged work absence, financial difficulty, or emotional effects, each of which
may further impede recovery.”
 
The commentary explains, “The term ‘long COVID,’ coined by patients early in the pandemic, has helped to raise awareness of the life-altering effects of COVID for many patients and to drive government action . . . Although potential sequelae of COVID-19 have been widely reported in news media, smaller case series, and convenience samples, this study is among the first to systematically and comprehensively evaluate the medical outcomes of hospital survivors,” and concludes that “The heterogeneity of symptom profiles suggests that a single approach to follow-up and management of long COVID will not be effective.”

Under “why do people rob banks? Because that’s where the money is.” The money my friends is now in healthcare. 

18 highest-paid CEOs in healthcare

Ayla Ellison (Twitter) - an hour ago Print  | Email

  

The CEOs of Centene, HCA Healthcare and AbbVie are among the highest-paid chief executives of the largest U.S. companies, according to Equilar.

For its ranking of the 100 highest-paid CEOs in 2020, Equilar examined proxy statements filed by companies before March 31. 

The study showed that median CEO compensation was $15.5 million in 2020, down 1.6 percent from $15.7 million in its 2019 study. In line with the decline in median total compensation, 32 CEOs of the largest U.S. companies saw a smaller pay package in 2020 than a year earlier. Twenty-three CEOs saw compensation dip in 2019, according to the report. 

Here are the 18 healthcare CEOs that made the highest paid list, in order of total compensation in 2020. 

1. Michael Neidorff (Centene) — $24.96 million 

2. Alex Gorsky (Johnson & Johnson) — $23.14 million 

3. Richard A. Gonzalez (AbbVie) — $21.78 million 

4. David M. Cordani (Cigna) — $19.74 million 

5. Albert Bourla (Pfizer) — $19.67 million 

6. Giovanni Caforio (Bristol-Myers Squibb) — $19.56 million 

7. Daniel O'Day (Gilead Sciences) — $18.99 million 

8. Samuel Hazen (HCA Healthcare) — $18.13 million 

9. David Ricks (Eli Lilly) — $17.82 million 

10. Joseph Zubretsky (Molina Healthcare) — $17.81 million 

11. Stefano Penssina (Walgreens Boots Alliance) — $17.48 million 

12. Bruce Broussard (Humana) — $16.49 million 

13. Robert Ford (Abbott Laboratories) — $16.3 million 

14. Steven Collis (AmerisourceBergen) — $14.3 million 

15. Michael Kaufmann (Cardinal Health) — $14.22 million 

16. Michael Hsu (Kimberly-Clark) — $13.47 million 

17. Michael Roman (3M) — $12.99 million 

18. Rainer Blair (Danaher) — $10.4 million

Corona Virus Update 4/15/21

 Better numbers today. 

2% positivity rate and hospitalizations down 13, to 505

I want to share this from one of the State’s epidemiologist on the reuse of N95s. This epidemiologist has been very helpful over the past year in helping me understand the latest information on the virus and frankly, has been very patient with me. 

“Thanks for your question. We should not have assumed that everyone understands what “source control” means.

Source control means the respiratory protection is meant to prevent spread of potentially infectious particles from the wearer’s nose and mouth. Thus, source control controls infection from spreading from the source.

The other use of respiratory protection (and when extended use is no longer recommended when supplies are adequate) is for personal protection. This use protects the wearer from potential infectious particles outside the mask.

Basically, if there are enough N95 to switch out after each encounter with a patient with COVID-19 (or those in quarantine after an exposure), you should discard the N95 after wearing it for protective purposes. This is because of potential exposure of the outside surface of the N95 to infectious particles.

If you don’t have a patient encounter with someone known to have COVID-19 (or quarantining), then you can keep that N95 on until you complete and encounter with an infectious patient where your N95 might encounter infectious particles.”

My comment-

In short, it’s OK to wear the same N95 when caring for various patients who DO NOT have Covid or are not in quarantine, but when caring for Covid or quarantined patients, the N95 should be discarded after each encounter. 

Key messages & updates from the state. 
• As of Wednesday night, 1,617,983 doses of vaccine had been administered. This includes 1,037,446 individuals who had initiated a series and 2,550,660 individuals who had completed a series.
• `More than 75% of Connecticut residents 75 and over and more than 50% of residents 45+ are now fully vaccinated.
• 55% of all Connecticut residents eligible to receive the vaccine (16+) have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
J&J vaccine pause
• CDC and the FDA are recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID- 19 vaccine to allow researchers at both agencies time to better understand a small number of reported cases of women developing an extremely rare clotting disorder after receiving the vaccine.
o More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine had been administered prior to the pause o Six cases of the rare blood clots had been reported in the U.S., none in CT
o All six cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48, within six to 13 days of
receiving the vaccine.
• The purpose of the pause in the vaccine’s use is to determine if there is any association, and the
strength of the possible association, between the vaccine, the health of the six affected women, and the clotting disorder. Having this information will help screen patients in the future.
• We do not yet know if these 6 extremely rare cases were caused by or related to the J&J vaccine
• What we DO know is the risk of contracting COVID-19, getting very sick and possibly ending up
in the hospital or dying, is much higher than the risk of a severe adverse reaction to the
vaccine.
• And, we also know that getting the vaccine WILL protect you from contracting and getting very
sick with COVID-19.
• The fact that the FDA and CDC identified this after just 6 cases – and paused use of J&J to investigate and ensure the vaccine’s safety – shows that the system is working as it should.
• The great majority of people who have received the J&J vaccine have not experienced any
harmful side effects.
• According to CDC, if you received your shot over a month ago your risk is very low and you
don’t need to take any specific action. If you have concerns, consult your doctor.
• If you received the J&J vaccine within the last month and develop any of the following
symptoms within three weeks of receiving your shot, you should contact your doctor or seek medical treatment: severe headache, blurred vision, fainting, seizures, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath.
• Common post-vaccine symptoms - mild fever, mild headache, fatigue and joint or muscle pain - are routine and typically go away within two to three days.

• DPH has worked with vaccine providers to switch from J&J vaccine to one of the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, which has resulted in little disruption to the State’s vaccine program.
• The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are continuing to be administered and continue to show very strong safety and efficacy.
• As of this week, more than 67 million people have safely received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and are fully vaccinated. This greater experience with the Pfizer and Moderna shots provides more data on their safety and more reason to be confident about their continued use

Be well and thank you for all you do. 

John

Corona Virus Update (Not Thowing Away My Shot)

 Hospitalizations in Connecticut have plateaued around 500 (524 today)

Deaths have decreased to under 10/day.

Percent positive tests are running around 3.5% (3% today)

The highest number of positive cases are in the ages 20-60, with 20-30 leading the way.

Just over 50% of Connecticut residents age 16 and over have had at least their first vacination, and there is growing evidence that the vaccines work, not only for preventing illness and death, but also in preventing contraction and spreading of the virus. 

More and more, people are saying “Not throwing away my shot.”

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/video/im-not-throwing-away-shot-160517148.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHDAqfLjObkd2LCTBbCQfArQvlfu_F2dy-0Ls-rgMZjNlhu5EQySlD9C70jWKRUxhj2zkjEpeYa9VDXholaDd-ITcwB2j-3oFC5eLzc23zFdLjP1K8BMjtAZYeb8mMagJoTJ0fASfnFOuUQZ0KmTSNqsYfTQeKIcqJYFpb49yVTZ

As of last Wednesday night:

 COVID-19 Vaccine Thursday Update – Apr 08

All data in this briefing note are preliminary and subject to additional verification. For more complete data visit ct.gov/covidvaccine and click on the link to COVID Vaccine Data Portal. 

 

Doses administered – Preliminary Data

Doses administered – Last 7 days			Doses administered – Cumulative
Series initiated	Series completed	Total doses	Series initiated	Series completed	Total doses
161,093	143,048	279,710	1,421,831	883,169	2,230,742

24,431 doses of J&J are included in all three categories for the last 7 days and 74,258 doses of J&J are included in all three categories for total cumulative doses. 

 

Total doses administered by age group

	At Least One Dose Administered		Fully                                   Vaccinated		Total Doses Administered
Age bracket	Doses Administered	Percentage of Age Group Covered	Doses Administered	Percentage of Age Group Covered	Doses Administered
16+	1,421,250	49%	882,960	30.14%	2,229,997
18+	1,414,549	50%	882,317	31.09%	2,222,661
35+	1,248,117	61%	791,686	38.66%	1,980,424
45+	1,117,511	69%	718,854	44.36%	1,789,043
55+	874,072	76%	633,020	55.35%	1,473,147
65+	519,680	82%	443,140	70.31%	954,839
75+	227,556	82%	204,474	73.70%	429,689

“At least one dose” includes J&J as well as first doses of Moderna and Pfizer. “Fully vaccinated” includes individuals who have received J&J or two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna.

 

State allocation and shipment volume – First doses only 

	Week 18 (arriving next week)	Week 17 (arriving next week)	Week 16 (arriving next week)
	(Apr 12 – Apr 18)	(Apr 5 – Apr 11)	(Mar 29 – Apr 4)
State Allocation	95,280	141,610	120,140
Pfizer	51,480	50,310	60,840
Moderna	37,400	37,400	35,800
Janssen (J&J)	6,400	53,900	23,500
Pharmacy Allocation*	35,850	87,790	56,890
Pfizer	17,500	19,890	31,590
Moderna	12,600	12,300	11,200
Janssen (J&J)	5,700	55,600	14,100
FQHC Allocation**	TBD	58,850	63,930
Pfizer	TBD	29,250	45,630
Moderna	TBD	16,500	11,200
Janssen (J&J)	TBD	13,100	7,100
Total	131,130	288,250	240,960

 

* Federal Pharmacy Program allocation is a projection to be confirmed by end of week (4/09).

**FQHC allocations through HRSA for week 18 are still unknown. Total allocation for week 18 will likely be higher once HRSA allocations are released end of this week.

 

Key messages & updates

• As of Wednesday night, 2,230,742 doses of vaccine had been administered. This includes 1,421,831 individuals who had initiated a series and 883,169 individuals who had completed a series. 

• Nearly half of all Connecticut residents 16+ have received at least one dose of vaccine.  

• 70% of the highest risk age cohort, those 65 and older, are now fully vaccinated

• The Vaccine Appointment Assist Line (877-918-2224) has plenty of available inventory as of today.  Please encourage people looking for an appointment to call!

• The State will begin awarding more than $33 million in federal grants to “Equity Partnerships” between local health departments, community organizations and vaccine providers to fund outreach, education and services for minority and other traditionally underserved communities as part of the State’s efforts to ensure that those communities have information and access to vaccines.

• The FEMA mobile unit will be in the state for the next two months and will go to 17 CT municipalities to administer vaccines to residents in high SVI and underserved rural communities.  The FEMA unit finished up several days in Bridgeport and will be in New Haven today and tomorrow before moving on to New Britain from the 10th to the 13th.

• A full schedule of locations and dates for the FEMA mobile unit are available at: https://portal.ct.gov/Vaccine-Portal/COVID-19-Vaccination-FEMA-Mobile-Clinic

• Both scheduled appointments and walk-ups will be available on the FEMA mobile vaccine unit.  Scheduling will vary from location to location and is not available through VAMS or VAAL.

• Griffin Hospital has deployed 10 vaccine vans capable of administering 80-100 doses of vaccine in select neighborhoods in underserved communities throughout the state.  

• Starting May 1st, Griffin will have 35 vaccine vans circulating throughout the state.

• The goal for the FEMA Mobile Unit and the Griffin Vans is to vaccinate residents in the city/neighborhood where these assets will be deployed.  Scheduling and other vaccine outreach efforts will be targeted to the people in these neighborhoods, not open to the general public from throughout the state.

• With cases rising in CT once again, and the increased presence of several variants, it is critical that residents get vaccinated and that, whether vaccinated or not, everyone continue to wear masks, social distance, and isolate and get tested if sick. Key messages & updates