MJH COVID-19 Coalition Weighs in on Latest Pandemic News
This week, members of the MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition shared insights on the latest pandemic news, including long-term health consequences, vaccine hesitancy, and new recommendations.
This week, members of the MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition shared insights on the latest pandemic news, including long-term health consequences, vaccine hesitancy, and new recommendations.
The MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition is a partnership with 10 nationally recognized experts in infectious disease, public health, epidemiology, and virology, who work to generate the most accurate, up-to-the-minute information on the pandemic's ever-evolving impact on health care professionals and the patients they treat through live, biweekly webinar events, white papers, and surveys.
According to the COVID Tracking Project, the US has surpassed 16.5 million cases and 295,000 deaths as of December 15, 2020. Additionally, 112,816 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the data.1
With COVID-19 vaccinations beginning among priority groups, Coalition members were asked how health care providers can help increase vaccine uptake. Vaccine hesitancy poses a major hurdle to overcoming the pandemic.
To help increase uptake, experts recommended:
- Being truthful and being patient.
- Continued education and communication.
- Being part of education campaigns.
- Working closely with community leaders, particularly those in underserved areas.
Additionally, 62.5% of members agreed that too much emphasis is placed on a vaccine as a “silver bullet” to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding the long-term health consequences of COVID-19, half of Coalition members pointed to cardiovascular-related problems as posing the most risk, followed by risks associated with neurologic (25%), pulmonary (12.5%), and emotional (12.5%) effects.
Recently, the CDC reduced the recommended coronavirus quarantine time from 14 days to 7 to 10 days for asymptomatic individuals who were exposed. According to the survey, 75% of Coalition members indicated they were comfortable with this change in recommendation, given the data.
Lastly, Coalition members offered their top piece of advice for Americans heading into the holiday season: wear a mask, practice social distancing, and refrain from traveling during this time to reduce the risk of exposure.
Reference
1. The COVID-19 Tracking Project. Last updated December 15, 2020. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://covidtracking.com/data
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