Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP

By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions – Rapid Test Center of NY

February 17, 2021

CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust.Welcome new readers from the Rapid Test Center.

Topics: Pfizer vaccine update

New Testing Centers Open!We have opened our testing center in Chelsea in Manhattan and will open our center in lower Westchester County on Sunday. Beside rt-PCR with rapid results, we do antibody testing. We hope to give vaccinations as soon as the supply increases.

Pfizer Vaccine Update There are two updates for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The first update is a result of a study out of Israel. As you may recall from my newsletter earlier this week, Israel has the second highest percentage of its population vaccinated in the world after UAE. They are somewhere around 60% vaccinated with at least one shot. The study, published yesterday in the medical journal Lancet, looked at 9100 Israeli healthcare workers. The study showed that Pfizer’s vaccine was 85% effective 15-28 days after receiving the first dose. Pfizer phase three trials had shown that their vaccine was 95% effective after the two dose regimen. While the single dose percentage sounds good, no one yet knows how long the antibodies created after only one dose last. Some experts think that you need two doses to maintain longer lasting antibody levels. Additionally, although the vaccine does protect against the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant, no one knows if that protection will be good after only a single dose. Here in the US, the FDA is still recommending a two dose regimen. In the U.K., they have chosen to prioritize the first dose and have been delaying second doses up to 12 weeks. We will have to see which strategy works best. The second announcement is that the Pfizer vaccine may be stable for a short time at normal freezer temperatures. Previously, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had to be stored in -112 to -76 degree F temperatures. That made it hard for smaller vaccine sites and doctor’s offices to store that vaccine. If the FDA approves the new temperature data, the vaccine will be able to be stored in a standard freezer for up to 2 weeks. That will help with distribution. So if the changes are approved for the Pfizer vaccine and the FDA approves the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in the next week or two, our supply chain of vaccines should continue to improve. If you are eligible, get vaccinated so we can all get through this together. Dr. Stu Weiss

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COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY

Coronavirus update for February 19, 2021 World Wide Updates Wales extends Covid-19 lockdown for further three weeks This tiny remote Ascension Island could be the first fully vaccinated territory in the world G7 countries pledge $4 billion to Covid-19 vaccine initiatives 30% of people with Covid-19 continue to have symptoms up to 9 months after infection, study finds Johnson & Johnson applies for WHO authorization that could make its vaccine available in 190+ countries EU doubles contribution to COVAX global vaccine effort German politician drops out of volunteering in a vaccine center after getting threats Caught in vaccine limbo, some European states are scrambling for Chinese and Russian shots Macron urges European countries to allocate 4-5% of vaccine supply to developing countries More than 20 million years of life lost to Covid-19, study suggests Hong Kong receives 1 million doses of Covid-19 Sinovac vaccines Russian MFA says it offered coronavirus vaccine to all foreign embassies  UK Covid-19 variant detected in every 5th new infection in Germany One dose of Pfizer vaccine reduces symptomatic Covid-19 by 85% after a month, study shows G20 should establish a vaccine task force, UN secretary general says Indian state announces fresh Covid-19 restrictions as cases surge Taiwan blames “external forces” for blocking BioNTech vaccine deal Paraguay to start Covid-19 vaccinations next week New COVID-19 strain discovered in Finland, researchers claim The Irish Department of Health reports three cases of the Brazilian variant Philippines records highest death toll in 5 months South African virus variant confirmed in Poland British government broke law in opaque billion pound PPE procurement deals, court rules Dutch government fights legal challenges against night curfew Total Cases Worldwide: 111,189,160 Total Deaths Worldwide: 2,461,266 Total Recovered: 86,012,587 US Updates Biden explains why he can’t say when every American who wants a vaccine will get one AOC calls for investigation of Cuomo’s COVID nursing home scandal US cases, deaths and hospitalizations from Covid-19 all dropping, CDC director says California will set aside 10% of Covid-19 vaccine doses for teachers Biden tours Pfizer vaccine manufacturing facility in Michigan  New York City’s indoor dining capacity will increase by next Friday, governor says Schools can open at any stage of community spread of virus, CDC director says US should have Covid-19 vaccine safety data for high school kids by fall, Fauci says It’s too risky to go to a single-dose coronavirus vaccine regimen, Fauci says White House announces new Covid-19 vaccination centers in Florida and Pennsylvania Delaware governor signs order easing Covid-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings Nearly 28 million coronavirus cases have been reported in the US since the pandemic began Serious adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines are rare, CDC study says US senator calls on social media to stop the spread of antivax disinformation targeting pregnant women Leading Democratic senator says he still hopes US Covid-19 relief can be bipartisan People of color are underrepresented in US vaccine trials, new study finds US may have enough vaccines to fully vaccinate its population by July Walgreens’ Covid-19 vaccine allocation in US will increase by more than 300,000 doses next week Pfizer/BioNTech submits new data to show its Covid-19 vaccine can be stored at warmer temperatures A drop in Covid-19 cases can be deceptive, official warns US reports more than 69,000 new Covid cases on Thursday More than 1,500 reported cases of concerning variants in the US, CDC says Pregnant women are at a 70% higher risk for Covid-19 infection, study finds US pharmacies see high Covid-19 vaccine demand “outweigh inventory” Visitors allowed back in NY nursing homes as Cuomo claims he should have been ‘more aggressive’ in countering critics  2 Florida women dressed up as ‘grannies’ to get COVID vaccine Total US cases: 28,589,243 Total US deaths: 507,250 Total Recovered: 18,766,676 Total Tested in US: 336,330,183 Total cases in CA: 3,502,559 Total deaths in CA: 48,576 Total cases in TX: 2,586,166 Total deaths in TX: 41,883 Total cases in FL: 1,856,427 Total deaths in FL: 29,692 Total cases in NY: 1,612,067 Total deaths in NY: 46,812 Total cases in IL: 1,170,902 Total deaths in IL: 22,368 Total Vaccines Administered in US: 57,737,767

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