119 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (5.14.21 Edition)

Better Health While Aging

English - May 15, 2021 18:55 - ★★★★★ - 109 ratings
Medicine Health & Fitness Science Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Previous Episode: 118 Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (3.26.21 Edition)

Next Episode: 120 Depression in Aging: Diagnosis and Treatment

Dr. K provides updated information on the effectiveness and safety of COVID vaccination for older adults, including information on breakthrough infections in nursing homes & the latest CDC data and guidance. She also addresses FAQs about coronavirus vaccination.

.searchie-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .searchie-container iframe, .searchie-container object, .searchie-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

In This Episode:

Dr. K provides commentary on the recent COVID developments, including the CDC’s latest mask guidance for vaccinated people, plus updated information on the effectiveness and safety of COVID vaccination for older adults. She also addresses FAQs about coronavirus vaccination.

This episode covers:

Why Dr. K has some concerns about the recent CDC mask update

What to know about “breakthrough” COVID cases, which have affected nursing homes and are being undercounted

The question of whether vaccinated people can transmit COVID

Recent studies related to COVID safety & efficacy in older adults

Why immunocompromised people might not be protected by the vaccine, especially if they have a “blood cancer” or are on medications that affect their B cells or T cells

How to think about COVID risk: yours and you exposing others to COVID risk

Answers to FAQs, including:

Should I get vaccinated against COVID?

Should my 90 year old mother get the COVID vaccine?

How well does the vaccine work in older adults?

Which vaccine is best for older adults? Which vaccine is safest?

Should I worry that the vaccine might harm me (or my frail older parent)?

Should I worry that I haven’t responded enough to the vaccine?

Dr. K’s current recommendations regarding COVID vaccination and staying safe given current conditions

Related Resources:

BHWA:

COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do

CDC:

Fully Vaccinated Adults 65 and Older Are 94% Less Likely to Be Hospitalized with COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States

Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People

Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination

Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard

CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (meeting slides on vaccine safety and efficacy topics are usually very informative; browse for the latest ones here)

COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness studies (May 12, 2021; includes some nursing home studies)

From medical journals:

Impact and effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths following a nationwide vaccination campaign in Israel: an observational study using national surveillance data (Pfizer vaccine in Israel, May 2021)

Researchers Tie Severe Immunosuppression to Chronic COVID-19 and Virus Variants (May 2021)

New York Times:

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Coronavirus Variant Tracker

What Does the New Mask Guidance Really Mean? (NY Times 5/13/21)