Once again, we received no vaccine. Here is where it went. It also appears that Costco is now offering the vaccine. Someone was able to book it online with only a few days notice.
https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news/updates/COVIDVaccineAllocation-Week18.pdf
Yesterday morning, as part of the Texas Club of Internists Spring Meeting we had a virtual lecture from Dr. Peter Hotez.
Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. is Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine where he is also the Co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics. He is also University Professor at Baylor University, Fellow in Disease and Poverty at the James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Senior Fellow at the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at Texas A&M University, Faculty Fellow with the Hagler Institute for Advanced Studies at Texas A&M University, and Health Policy Scholar in the Baylor Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy.
Dr. Hotez’s other profession is that he is the bane of antivaxxers and crusades against them on behalf of science. He spoke to us on vaccine diplomacy in the time of anti-science.
Here are a few key points from his presentation which also apperaed this morning in the Houston Chronicle:
The US pandemic should be under control by the summer is the present rate of vaccination continues.
The coronavirus may become seasonal and we may dispense with wearing masks only to resume then is the winter when the virus becomes resurgent.
Since we have a new coronavirus every decade, a universal coronavirus vaccine is needed. This would would work against proteins that are found in all coronaviruses.
He thinks we will need a booster in the fall, but doesn’t think that the an annual vaccination will be necessary like with the flu vaccine.
It is smaller companies, not the major pharmaceutical and vaccine companies, that are making the innovations in vaccine production.
All in all, it was very welcome and encouraging news.
