Santa Barbara Doctors January 2021 Newsletter
January 2021 ExtraCare Newsletter
Well, we made it through 2020 and as expected are starting 2021 with a bang. The topic on everyone’s mind these days is COVID vaccine, so this month we focused on providing you with the latest information on our county’s rollout plan and answering questions that are undoubtedly on your mind.
Please know that at Santa Barbara Doctors, we are committed to vaccinate all members of our practice in a safe and timely manner.
Finally! a Vaccine Rollout
With Covid-19 cases on the rise in our community and misleading information on nearly all media platforms, it’s critical to understand distribution planning. Right now, there are 2 vaccinations circulating throughout Santa Barbara, and both are exceeding all expectations. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations have similar side effect profiles, and both are mRNA vaccinations with a remarkable ability to prime cellular immunity. The differences between storage parameters may pose an issue in the future when many private offices find that they lack sub-zero storage capacity, but right now warp speed distribution minimizes these concerns. With hopes to improve the sluggish vaccination protocols, and to combat criticism regarding dosing waste and expiration, the State Health Department recently passed an act to expand distribution sites to better utilize the doses available. This has truly been apparent this week, with multiple vaccination sites opening throughout the county. We’re learning now that the bottleneck in this distribution process is easy to overcome: Increase distribution sites, increase staffing, and simplify the registration process.
Santa Barbara is now flying through the first phase of vaccination (17,000 doses and counting) by trusting local public health partnerships, including Cottage Health, Sansum, local MedCenters, and Santa Barbara City College; currently 42 approved vaccine provider sites are primed and ready to assist with Phase 1b distribution. Fueled by the success of our neighbor’s creativity (Disneyland and Dodgers Stadium), high flow, rapid vaccination drive-through clinics are even opening, the first planned at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital this coming weekend to facilitate administration to front line health care workers.
To avoid confusion, it’s important to understand the staging process and how the notification process will unveil. The targeted delivery dates per stage are succinctly articulated at the department of public health website: www.publichealthsbc.org/vaccine. The website has as link to scheduling as well when the appointment slots open for your stage.
WHERE ARE WE?
Phase 1A is briskly underway and expected to continue through February: This includes doctors, nurses, staff of front-line healthcare facilities, community health workers as well as staff/residents of long-term care facilities. Those identified within these roles are being specifically notified to enroll electronically to register at one of many available locations. The county is also asking for directors of facilities who qualify to reach out to the public health department to enroll their staff whom are eligible. Phase 1A is a bit more straightforward than phases 1B and beyond, however, because the requirements are more selective, and many who qualify don’t live in a dedicated facility, or hold employment.
Once Phase 1A is complete, then vaccination prioritization progresses to Phase 1B, and it’s important to note the fluidity of these time lines is based on federal dose delivery and local administration; the best way to evaluate progress is to go directly to the Santa Barbara Public Health website cited above, which is updated daily.
Phase 1B targets the highest risk per age and occupation, and is projected to initiate in February. This phase was triaged first to those 75+ at higher risk, but as of TODAY this phase was simplified to distribute vaccination to those 65+ to expand distribution rapidity. This is in addition to essential workers to target emergency services, food services, education. Transportation workers, critical manufacturing, and “logistical” workers are in Phase 1B Tier 2 as well, but given the vague nature of these industries we urge you to discuss with your employer to determine if you qualify. Because of this, we applied to the city to be a vaccination site and ultimately obtain doses of the Moderna vaccination, such that we can proactively and selectively reach out to our patients and administer the vaccine timely, and safely, in our office. We are waiting on finalized details, but we expect to receive doses in 2-3 weeks! If you are 65+ (Phase 1B) and seek the fastest identifiable vaccination slot, then closely following with public health to see if local options open up sooner than us, but we promise to notify patients as soon as we secure a delivery time for our doses. Ralph’s Pharmacy had a small supply that they already opened for scheduling LATE January (anticipated Phase 1B) which has already filled. Stay tuned to the public health website for further Phase 1B vaccination options and scheduling.
Phase 1C is expected to initiate mid-March and include all people over 50yo and those otherwise with medical conditions that place them at high risk. This is an evolving list; please review the following link to verify if your medical history deems you eligible for this phase: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html. At Santa Barbara Doctors, we understand the complexity of identifying patients within this group and the importance of assistance from your doctor to identify eligibility.
The COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ’s
Now that we have two vaccines with FDA Emergency Use Authorization approval available in our community I thought it would be helpful to address some frequently asked questions.
Should I get the vaccine if I already had COVID?
Yes. The CDC recommends getting the vaccine even if you’ve already had COVID, especially if it’s been longer than 90 days since your diagnosis and you are at high risk of COVID complications.
Should I take the vaccine if I have allergies?
The CDC issued a report, which was published on Jan. 6 that found the risk of developing a severe allergic reaction after the Pfizer vaccine is 0.001%, based on data available so far. As of right now, the Allergy & Asthma Network says that people should take caution if they have a history of anaphylaxis to another vaccine or an injected medication, and should not receive the vaccine if they have a history of anaphylaxis to any component of the available COVID-19 vaccines. People who are allergic to polyethylene glycol or polysorbate specifically should not get either vaccine.
People with a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injectable meds—such as food, pet, venom, environmental, or latex allergies—should still get vaccinated, per the CDC.
If you had an allergic reaction right after your first dose, you should not get the second dose before discussing with your physician.
Should I take the vaccine if I am sick?
You should discuss this with your physician. In general, it is ok to take the vaccine if you are suffering from a mild illness but probably not if you have a moderate to severe acute illness.
Is a booster dose necessary?
Yes, both of the available vaccines require two doses. The Pfizer vaccine requires a second dose in 21 days and the Moderna vaccine requires a second dose in 28 days.
Is one vaccine better than the other?
Both vaccines reported similar efficacy at around 95% for preventing symptomatic disease in its recipients. Both vaccines appear to be more or less equally protective across age groups and racial and ethnic groups.
What are the vaccine side effects?
The most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain. Some people in the clinical trials have reported fever. Rashes and other allergic reactions have also been reported. Side effects are more common after the second dose; younger adults, who have more robust immune systems, reported more side effects than older adults. To date there are no serious, long-term side effects associated with receipt of these vaccines, which will be closely monitored as their use expands.
Can children take the vaccine?
The Pfizer emergency use authorization is for people aged 16 and older. Moderna’s is for people 18 and older, though the company has recently begun testing its vaccine in 12- to 17-year-olds.
Does the vaccine implant microchips into our bodies?
Despite this suggestion by conspiracy theorists, Bill Gates has pledged that he is not using Covid-19 vaccine to implant monitoring microchips into billions of people.
All joking aside, we hope that this newsletter helps to answer some of your questions and address some of your concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination in our community.
Remember, these vaccines have only been proven to be effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection. Until further studies are available and until we reach “herd immunity” in our community it is imperative to continue strict infection control practices such as masking, hand washing and social distancing.
Stay safe and be well.
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