Monday, February 22, 2021

Vaccine And COVID News From The CDC This Week

Key Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines

As the death toll due to COVID-19 reached 500,000 in the U.S. today, and now a leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer, studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. 

Experts also think that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19. But while COVID-19 vaccines can keep you from getting sick, scientists are still learning how well vaccines prevent you from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to others. 

So even after vaccination, we need to continue using all the tools available to help stop this pandemic as we learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work in real-world conditions. 

Although the vaccine supply is currently limited, the federal government is working toward making vaccines widely available.

Variants of the Virus that Causes COVID-19

Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 are circulating globally. These variants seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19. An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on healthcare resources, lead to more hospitalizations, and potentially more deaths. So far, studies suggest that antibodies generated through vaccination with currently authorized vaccines recognize these variants. This is being closely investigated and more studies are underway. Prevention strategies like vaccination, social distancing, use of masks, hand hygiene, and isolation and quarantine are essential to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health.

New Data Show Ongoing Need for Prevention

Data published last week in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) highlight how new COVID-19 variants are spreading. These data show the ongoing need for proven prevention strategies to limit the impact of these variants. To slow the spread, everyone should:

Wear a well-fitting mask.
Stay at least 6 feet away from people who don’t live with them.
Avoid crowds, gatherings, and poorly ventilated spaces.
Postpone travel.
Wash their hands often.
Get a vaccine when it’s available to them.

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