The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that the emergence of the omicron variant emphasizes the importance of vaccines and boosters, especially ahead of in-person and indoor holiday gatherings.

Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths from omicron infections. Breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people are still likely, and vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness with infections from previous COVID-19 virus variants.

Those 18 and older who received their second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine six or more months ago are eligible for a Moderna booster. Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recipients 18 and older are eligible for a booster two or more months after vaccination.

The CDC expects that the omicron variant spreads more easily than the original COVID-19 virus, but it isn’t known yet whether it spreads easier than the delta variant. The CDC expects that anyone with an omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.

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It’s just about the only thing some of us still have after the pandemic took everything else.

It’s taken me nine months, and many hours of therapy, to understand that I can’t fault other people for not understanding what it’s like to have COVID-19, or to be a COVID-19 long-hauler.

I can’t get angry at people who live their lives like nothing ever happened, when I’m still trying to put mine back together.

It was the hand I was dealt, and I thank God every day that I never folded.

I’m blessed to be alive, while at the same time heartbroken for those who weren’t as lucky.

Many of them never had the chance to get vaccinated.

They never had their shot of hope.

But, as this dreadful pandemic wears on, that has changed for the rest of us, the survivors who have made it this far.

There is no shortage of shots, and there are plenty of places to roll up your sleeve and get it.

Yet, here we are.

People are still testing positive for COVID-19, and people are still dying from it.

We have been down this road before. The journey has been gut-wrenching, and if we don’t do something soon the destination won’t be any better.

This highly contagious delta variant is spreading across the globe, and it is attacking our most vulnerable communities: those who are unvaccinated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about a third of the U.S. population hasn’t had at least one vaccine dose.

It is terrifying to know a target is on their back and the virus is patiently waiting to strike.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge advocate for getting your COVID-19 vaccine.

The second my teenage daughters were old enough to get vaccinated, they did.

The shots save lives.

And if you were to get the virus, it can reduce the severity of any illness.

Like all things in life, there are exceptions, but science doesn’t lie.

I’ve heard from hundreds of people who simply won’t get it, or don’t want to.

Some of my dear friends fall into that category.

It is not my job to change their mind, or yours, but I’m blessed with the opportunity to share my story, and maybe that will encourage someone to change their mind.

I know I’m not a doctor or a medical expert, but know what COVID-19 is about, and I promise you — you don’t want it.

I would take anything and do anything to make sure the horrendous pain my mind and body endured from this virus never happens again.

Sure, you may get it and be fine.

But, you may not, like me.

Or you could end up like nearly 700,000 Americans and millions around the word who have died.

Life isn’t guaranteed, but there are steps we can take to change it for the better — if not for ourselves, then for those around us.

When I decided to get vaccinated in March, every risk was outweighed by the reward of knowing I would have an extra layer of protection if I came face to face with the devil himself again.

First Pfizer dose

It had been four months since I tested positive for COVID-19, and through all of the excruciating ups and downs since then, getting vaccinated marked the beginning of a new chapter in my life, focused on my health.

When I walked into the Norton Healthcare Vaccine Clinic to get the Pfizer vaccine, I was greeted by an assembly line of health care workers, checking people in, getting their insurance cards and information, and sending them on their way to get vaccinated.

It was a well-oiled machine.

I was nervous, but I lived through the horror of having COVID-19 and knew any possible reaction I would have to the vaccine would never live up to the virus itself.

And I was right.

I couldn’t even feel the first shot.

It was in and out before I knew it, and I was on my way to the waiting area where I sat for 15 minutes to be monitored for any reaction.

By the time I made it home my head was already throbbing, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I took a nap in the same room I spent 17 days in quarantine months before.

I noticed my shortness of breath was slightly more noticeable after I got my first shot, but after a few days it improved.

I also was achy following my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

This was one of the few symptoms I did not have during my battle with COVID-19.

While I waited to get my second dose of the vaccine, my long-hauler symptoms persisted.

Debilitating migraine headaches, shortness of breath, brain fog, fatigue and the newest one: hair loss.

About two weeks before my first shot, and four months after I tested positive for COVID-19, my hair started falling out.

First gradually, then in clumps.

My neurologist, Brian M. Plato, D.O., at Norton Neuroscience Institute, told me hair loss is a symptom some of his long-hauler patients have reported, and he recommended that I try prenatal vitamins.

I followed orders, did my part, and waited for my brain and body to follow suit.

I had heard from other long-haulers who said some of their symptoms went away after they were fully vaccinated.

This was all I needed to keep me going for the next 21 days.

Second Pfizer shot

The same well-oiled machine was waiting for me.

My same broken body was, too. I hadn’t been feeling great leading up to the big day. When it rains, it pours, right?

To be on the safe side I got tested for COVID-19 before my shot, and my test came back negative, so through the sniffles and fatigue I drove back to the vaccine clinic, rolled up my sleeve and got my second dose.

I wouldn’t be fully vaccinated for another couple weeks as by body’s immune response made antibodies in response to the vaccine. But when the nurse handed me my proof of vaccination card, I just sat there, the last four months flashing before my eyes.

What a journey it had been, and how grateful I was for the opportunity to get vaccinated.

Like the first shot, I had a headache by the time I got home, and I also had an upset stomach.

I was exhausted, and spent most of the day in bed.

It took a few days to feel like my (long-hauler) self again, but as quickly as it hit me, any side effects I had from the vaccine were gone.

Any worries I had about a possible reaction from the vaccine were gone.

The hope I had for a better tomorrow, a new beginning and a healthier life, were more present than ever before.

This was my shot of hope, and boy did I need it.

It’s been months since I’ve been fully vaccinated, and slowly some of my long-hauler symptoms have faded away.

My hair eventually stopped falling out, my shortness of breath was tolerable and most days it wasn’t noticeable. My migraine symptoms have become somewhat regulated.

I still struggle with brain fog, some days terribly, but I find hope in how far I’ve come, not how far I have left to go.

I passed that hope onto my 13- and 14-year old daughters, who are also fully vaccinated.

They’ve walked this road with me, many times lighting my way, and I couldn’t be prouder of them for their strength, their courage and their decision to do what they felt was right for their own health.

A decision we all have, and we should all respect.

That’s another journey, for another day.

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COVID-19 vaccines became available in late December 2020 and our organization wasted no time in preparing to distribute this vital protection to our community. We opened Norton Healthcare Vaccine Clinics throughout the area, and employees quickly stepped up to staff them. Jill Eagan, R.N., Norton Children’s Hospital, was one of these employees. With the pandemic contributing to fewer patients at Norton Children’s Hospital, she and many of her co-workers were eager to lend their expertise wherever it was needed.

“Our employees love being at these clinics,” Jill said. “We’re just grateful to have this opportunity to serve our community.”

Early on, many employees at the vaccine clinics took additional shifts on top of their regular jobs, dedicating evenings and weekends to meet staffing requirements. In addition to administering vaccines, these teams’ duties consisted of preparing vaccines, circulating patient flow, registration, administrative leadership and clinical leadership.

“I started as a vaccinator and then become a site lead when we were doing employee vaccinations in the hospitals,” Jill said.

Jill now works as the clinical leader at Norton Healthcare Vaccine Clinic – St. Matthews. Norton Healthcare has delivered nearly 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

“There’s been an outpouring of gratitude from the patients at the vaccine clinics,” Jill said. “We’ve all had to look for positives from this pandemic, and for me, it’s been having the chance to help others return to the people and things they love.”

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The FDA has been pursuing an “all hands on deck” approach toward approval for COVID-19 vaccines, Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which regulates vaccines, told The Washington Post in July. Vaccine manufacturer Pfizer, which got an EUA for its COVID-19 vaccine in December, applied for FDA approval May 7, and Moderna made its application June 1.

Since then, FDA officials have been reviewing data and inspecting manufacturing facilities — two key and time-consuming parts of the standard approval process.

In the Washington Post article, the FDA official described the differences between EUA and FDA approval chiefly as differences of scale rather than scrutiny, with the agency undertaking review of vast amounts of data.

With the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines in the months since EUA was granted, the available data on their safety, versus any risks, has ballooned. In addition, clinical trial participants are followed for at least six months, also producing more data.

In addition, part of the full approval process for the FDA is a determination that the vaccine can be produced safely and reliably in the makers’ manufacturing facilities.

Any EUA can be granted if the FDA concludes that the “known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks” of a product such as a vaccine. FDA approval merely requires the same conclusion, but has more data backing the conclusion.

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Usted puede contagiar la COVID-19 aún después de haber sido completamente vacunado, así que tenga en cuenta que sus síntomas de resfriado o alergia pueden ser un caso de recaída leve que puede propagarse a niños no vacunados y a otras personas, poniéndolos en riesgo de contraer una enfermedad grave.

“El uso de mascarillas, el distanciamiento social y el lavado de manos siguen siendo recomendados. Si usted tiene síntomas que podrían ser de la COVID-19, quédese en casa. Salga a hacerse la prueba, pero no ponga a otros en riesgo”, dijo el Dr. Paul S. Schulz. , especialista en enfermedades infecciosas del Norton Infectious Diseases Institute y epidemiólogo de Norton Healthcare.

Las personas podrían asumir que cualquier síntoma de las vías respiratorias superiores no es COVID-19 dado que ya han sido vacunados. Sin embargo, esto podría tratarse de un caso de recaída, por lo que quedarse en casa, usar una mascarilla si está cerca de otros y mantener las manos limpias son pasos que puede tomar si no se siente bien.

Las vacunas contra la COVID-19 son gratuitas, han sido seguras para millones de personas en todo el mundo y son muy efectivas para prevenir enfermedades graves, hospitalizaciones y muertes.

La variante delta, una mutación del virus que representa aproximadamente el 83% de los nuevos casos a nivel nacional, se está propagando rápidamente entre aquellos que no están completamente vacunados. La gran mayoría de los pacientes de COVID-19 hospitalizados recientemente en todo el país no han sido vacunados.

El número de adultos y niños ingresados en los hospitales de Norton Healthcare ha sido significativamente menor que a finales del año pasado y principios de este año, pero ha estado aumentando recientemente.

Los niños menores de 12 años no son elegibles para ser vacunados,y entre los niños mayores, las tasas de vacunación han sido más bajas que las de los adultos, con solicitudes de citas que van en descenso.

A medida que los virus se propagan, mutan, y algunas de esas variantes pueden propagarse más fácilmente que otras. Hasta ahora, este no ha mutado hasta el punto de que las vacunas lleguen a ser ineficaces.

Una nueva mutación conocida como la variante lambda se ha estado esparciendo a través de América del Sur. Aún no se sabe si esta variante se propaga más fácilmente o causa una enfermedad más grave.

“Si más personas se vacunan, se obtiene menos enfermedad, menos replicación, teóricamente, menos variación y menos preocupación por el futuro de este virus”, dijo el Dr. Schulz.

Si usted cree que ha estado expuesto a la COVID-19, el mejor momento para hacerse la prueba es de cinco a siete días después. Dentro de sólo tres días de la exposición, las pruebas tienden a ser menos precisas.

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“It seems like lambda is not taking off like delta has,” said Joseph M. Flynn, D.O., MPH, FACP, chief administrative officer, Norton Medical Group, and physician-in-chief, Norton Cancer Institute. The delta variant has been hospitalizing and killing primarily those who haven’t been vaccinated and accounts for more than 80% of new COVID-19 cases nationally.

“It’s within reason to expect us to find the lambda variant increasingly over time. But based on the preliminary data, it’s not going to be at that rate that we’ve seen with delta.”

The main question now, Dr. Flynn said, is whether lambda affects the medical community’s approach to COVID-19. Guidelines continue to stress vaccination, masking, social distancing and hand-washing.

The lambda variant was originally found in Peru in August of last year, but was initially spreading at very low levels.

“Peru has had the highest mortality in the world from COVID-19, and it’s really been catastrophic in that country. It’s the predominant variant in Peru now,” Dr. Flynn said.

The best tool we have against all of the variants continues to be vaccination. As more prominent people in media and politics see the delta variant spreading among the unvaccinated, more of them are stepping up to encourage others to get the shot.

The COVID-19 vaccine is free, and after millions of doses around the world, side effects other than some mild flu-like symptoms for a short time have been rare. The vaccine has been proven highly effective against preventing severe COVID-19, hospitalization and death.

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You can still spread COVID-19 after you’ve been fully vaccinated, so be mindful that your cold or allergy symptoms may be a mild breakthrough case that can be spread to unvaccinated children and others — and may make them very sick.

“Masking, social distancing and hand-washing are still recommended. If you have symptoms that could be COVID-19, stay home. Go out to get tested, but don’t put others at risk,” said Paul S. Schulz, M.D., an infectious diseases specialist with Norton Infectious Diseases Institute and Norton Healthcare’s system epidemiologist.

People may be assuming that any upper respiratory tract symptom isn’t COVID-19 because they’ve been vaccinated. But it could be a breakthrough case, so staying home, wearing a mask if around others and keeping your hands clean are steps you can take if you aren’t feeling well.

The COVID-19 vaccines are free, have been safe for millions around the world and are very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death.

The delta variant, a mutation of the virus and which accounts for an estimated 83% of new cases nationally, is spreading rapidly among those who aren’t fully vaccinated. The vast majority of COVID-19 patients recently hospitalized around the country have not been vaccinated.

The number of adults and children admitted to Norton Healthcare hospitals has been significantly lower than it was late last year and early this year, but has been rising recently.

Children under 12 aren’t eligible to be vaccinated, and among older children, vaccination rates have been lower than adults, with appointment requests for kids declining.

As viruses spread they mutate, and some of those variants can spread more easily than others. So far, they haven’t mutated to the point that the vaccines are ineffective.

A new mutation known as the lambda variant has been making its way around South America. It isn’t known yet if the lambda variant spreads more easily or causes more severe disease.

“If more people get vaccinated, then you get less disease, less replication — theoretically, less variation and less concern about the future of this virus,” Dr. Schulz said.

If you think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, the best time to get tested is five to seven days later. Within only three days of exposure, tests tend to be less accurate.

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Among the study’s findings:

• African Americans from ages 18 to 49 are twice as likely to die from heart disease than their white counterparts
• African Americans ages 35 to 64 are 50% more likely to have high blood pressure.

• Blacks have the highest death rate for all cancers combined compared with whites.

“Social and economic conditions, such as poverty, contribute to the gap in health differences between African Americans and whites,” the CDC concluded in the 2017 study that used data from 1999 to 2015.

Risk factors such as high blood pressure, which can contribute to heart failure, may go unnoticed and untreated among younger African Americans, the CDC said. Factors such as high poverty can limit access to health care, early diagnosis and treatments that can contribute to longer, healthier lives.

Among African Americans, 19% between the ages of 18 and 34 could not see a health care provider because of cost. The proportion was similar in those 35 to 49 and 50 to 64, the CDC said. Among whites, the percentage was 15%, dropping to 12% for those ages 50 to 64.

Inactivity and obesity also affected higher proportions of Blacks than whites.[templatera id=”451938″]

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Skepticism about vaccines in general and specifically how quickly the COVID-19 vaccines have been developed have some taking a cautious view of the shots that could bring an end to the pandemic, according to Louisville-area physicians.

“Patients often ask ‘are you going to get it?’,” said Steven Patton M.D., a family medicine physician with Norton Community Medical Associates – Preston. His answer is, “Of course.”

But he recognizes that many don’t understand how it went through development and clinical trials so fast.

“I think that’s a lot of the hesitance. A lot of people are talking about that,” Dr. Patton said

Dr. Patton notes that during a normal drug development effort, the drug makers don’t share information while working independently.

“Whereas this one, we were able to get the strain of the virus quickly, and then we were able to share our data of what we’ve learned from each other,” he said.

New technology allows vaccine development in months, not years

New vaccine technology had been in the works for more than a decade and was ready to be put into practice just as the coronavirus started to spread.

The previous method of making vaccines took years as viruses had to have been grown, purified and inactivated. Once injected, the dead virus would trick the body into responding with antibodies that would at least weaken the live virus if not keep it at bay entirely.

Rather than using inactivated virus, the new technology helps the body’s cells to make a harmless protein that triggers the immune response and antibodies to fight off the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

By plugging in the right piece of genetic code for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, vaccine candidates were designed in days and ready for clinical trials — a strenuous process that allows no shortcuts.

With the new technology — messenger RNA — ready for testing, the urgency around the COVID-19 pandemic sped up the recruiting of thousands of volunteers for the three phases of clinical trials.

Governments around the world willing to fund the work and guarantee purchases of safe and effective vaccines relieved the drugmakers of much of the financial risk and other roadblocks.

“For those people who are still a little wary about the vaccine, there is something else I always say: “Look at the long-term effects of COVID-19, such as damage to the heart or vessels or scarring of the lungs,’” Dr. Patton said. “So far, looking at these trials, I’m not seeing any of those side effects with the vaccine.”

Vulnerable populations more at risk

The skepticism around the vaccines’ development can combine with a fear of vaccines and an overall reluctance to get preventive medical care.

That tendency among people of color in vulnerable populations may extend to the COVID-19 vaccines, said Kelly C. McCants, M.D., acting executive director of Norton Healthcare Institute for Health Equity and medical director, Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure and Recovery Program.

“It just so happened to be COVID-19 this time, but any chronic illness, or any acute crisis, that affects vulnerable populations is going to be a challenge,” Dr. McCants said. “Hypertension, diabetes, obesity, mental health and other conditions are largely preventable, and treatable, but still these vulnerable communities suffer.”

Health care professionals will need to make sure people in these vulnerable communities are engaged and understand that the vaccine is safe, according to Dr. McCants.

In addition to the vaccines being around 95% effective — unheard-of effectiveness for any vaccine — the side effects have been mild headaches and sore arms.

Weighing the risk of some mild aches and pains versus the long-term effects of surviving COVID-19 make it a simple choice for many health care providers.

“A lot of us in health care are excited about the vaccine because we’ve seen the casualties and complications that the virus has caused,” Dr. Patton said. “We are there for the people, and we want to be able to continue to fight for the people and decrease their exposure as well.”

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“As of now, we do not have a vaccine that is authorized for use in children under age 12,” said Gary S. Marshall, M.D., chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Norton Children’s and the UofL School of Medicine, and principal investigator for the Louisville trial. “Having a safe and effective vaccine for children will not only keep them healthy but also would facilitate a return to normal in terms of school and other activities.”

In the randomized clinical trial, two children will be assigned to receive the vaccine for every one child who receives a placebo. The study is blinded, meaning that no one initially will know which injection they receive. Parents and caregivers will be asked to track changes to the child’s health in an electronic diary, and children will have at least six in-person visits over a two-year period, some to include blood draws.

Children who are randomly assigned to receive the placebo will be given the chance to receive the active vaccine after six months; therefore, all children in the study ultimately will have the opportunity to receive the active vaccine.

The vaccine being studied is the same one that has been authorized for people ages 12 and older. In adults, this vaccine demonstrated 95% efficacy against COVID-19, and as of May 11, 2021, nearly 140 million people in the U.S. had received at least one dose. Preliminary data show the vaccine to be safe in children as well as able to generate a strong immune response.

The research team plans to enroll about 100 local volunteers for the trial; the overall enrollment will be about 4,500. Children ages 6 months to 11 years who are generally healthy are eligible to be included.

“The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shown to be very safe and effective in adults and adolescents,” said Kimberly A. Boland, M.D., chief of staff, Norton Children’s Hospital, and department chair, UofL School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. “We have every reason to believe this study will show the vaccine to be safe and effective in children and an important step forward for children’s health and for protecting our communities.”

Dr. Marshall is known for his work in vaccine development, advocacy and education. In fact, he has worked on many of the vaccines that children routinely receive today.

The clinical trial team has responded to the pandemic, treating children with COVID-19 and its consequences.

“This is the most exciting vaccine trial I have ever been involved with, and I’ve been doing this for over 30 years,” Dr. Marshall said.

Parents and caregivers can sign children up to be considered for the trial by going to NortonChildrens.com/COVIDTrial.

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