COVID-19 Update June 12, 2020

Hello again,

  • 1) Coronavirus is not gone! With all the opening up it is good to keep this in mind.  I advise to not let your guard down even as you adjust to the more options available.  For example, keep your distance, wash your hands, don’t touch your face except at home, and wear a mask in public.
  • 2) Data this week in Los Angeles show a minimal upturn in the number of cases from the last two weeks, but nothing alarming so far. I get weekly updates from the Public Health Department on Fridays.
  • 3)Now that many of you are getting out of the house… what do you want to keep about the shelter in place? Lunch with your spouse?  Dinner with the kids?   This video talks about learning from the good parts of quarantine:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NJytikl0RE&feature=youtu.be
  • 4) Vaccine update: Four vaccines are moving to Phase 3 trials this summer (already). This is the largest phase of testing involving tens of thousands of people, some getting vaccine, some placebo and testing them for antibodies and determining if the vaccine actually protects against real-world infection.  Other prospective vaccines will move to this phase soon and there are plans to start production before we know who is the winner (s).
  • 5) I use plural (s) because there may be one vaccine better for men than women, or young than old. Also, if two vaccines are comparably effective, production may be easier if multiple companies or factories are making vaccine.  There are several companies that make flu shots every year, for example.

 

We remain in this together!

 

Truly,

David Schechter, M.D.