Dear Patient:
I hope this finds you well. Currently there are 17 persons hospitalized at NCH with COVID and we have treated 1152 people in the hospital successfully since the beginning of the pandemic. The WHO has recently estimated that 10% of the world’s population has been infected.
Vaccines: A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. There are several different “biological preparations” being actively investigated to provide the active immune response to Coronavirus. A special committee that includes physicians, specialists in infectious disease, public health and vaccines was convened earlier this year at the request of the CDC and NIH to determine how best to distribute any vaccine that may become available. It has recommended a phased approach to vaccine administration. The first phase, 1a, would cover about 5% of the population and includes frontline healthcare workers such as those in hospitals and nursing homes as well as first responders. The next phase, 1b, would cover about 10% of the population and include people with health conditions that would put them at risk for increased complications of the disease. This would also include people over age 65 who live in settings such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities as well as people in homeless shelters and prisons. In phase 2, an additional 30 to 35% would be vaccinated and this would include teachers, childcare workers and workers in high risk settings who cannot avoid risk of exposure to the virus such as food supply workers and public transit. In phase 3, young adults, children and workers in colleges and hotels would be encouraged to get the vaccine. Finally, phase 4 would make it available to the general public. The committee recommends that the vaccine be free to all and the federal government is planning to purchase 300 million doses. I think it is a distinct possibility that a vaccine will become available in the first 2 months of 2021.
Below is an updated link for Collier County testing sites:
http://collier.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/06/0601testinginformation.html
Below is the link to the updated NCH COVID information page:
https://nchmd.org/news-and-events/newsroom/coronavirus-covid19
As always, take care and remember to wash your hands, wear a mask and practice at least 6 feet of physical distancing. Please also get your flu shot now.
Paul Jones MD