Huang Nina
Northwest Asia Weekly
ICHS coordinated a pop-up vaccine clinic in Seattle Goodwill on July 21 to vaccinate employees and customers. (Picture provided by ICHS)
Get vaccinated and continue to wear masks and maintain social distancing. This is the guidance of medical professionals in the Seattle area.
At a recent press conference, Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, the health officer of the Seattle and King County Department of Public Health, said that hospitalized cases of COVD-19 mainly occur in people who have not been vaccinated.
“Vaccines can effectively reduce the likelihood of people contracting COVID-19. Vaccines are the most important thing to protect themselves and others,” he said.
Christina Bradic, spokesperson for Seattle and King County Public Health, agrees. She said that 94% of cases occurred in people who were not vaccinated.
The level of protection of vaccinated people against COVID19 is very high, and some studies have shown that even the Delta variant has 88% protection.
Washington’s new mask regulations came into effect on August 23-residents must wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Duchin recommends that people wear a well-fitting and well-structured mask or respirator.
In addition to cover-ups, he also emphasized the importance of improving indoor quality, ventilation and filtration to reduce the spread of COVID-19 indoors. This disease spreads through the air and accumulates in space. For example, it will increase where people sing and shout. Encourage windows to be opened to maximize air flow. He also recommends that people upgrade their filters when possible and consider whether they need portable HEPA filter devices.
Delta variants and symptoms
Duchin said that the Delta variant brought a nasty curveball to the world and changed the course of the pandemic.
“It is more contagious than the early variants, and the virus is more easily transmitted. Delta can cause breakthrough infections in a small number of people who are vaccinated.”
He also added that if someone is exposed to COVID-19 in King County, it is likely to be a variant of Delta, and a complete series of vaccines are needed to be protected.
The Delta variant causes some symptoms that overlap with the previous variant, including runny nose, fever, sneezing, and congestion. Duchin said he saw more sore throats in the Delta variant. He also mentioned that there is no data to show that the severity of symptoms in children is different from the early variation.
“Is the vaccine useful? No doubt it is. If you are not vaccinated, then you are at high risk of spreading the infection to others.”
King County announced on August 24 that it was the first county in the United States to receive at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine for at least 70% of eligible age and ethnic groups. Duchin said that despite the extraordinary achievements, there are still too many eligible and unprotected people.
COVID-19 testing
In addition, he said that COVID-19 testing remains an important strategy to limit transmission. The updated testing guidelines recommend that anyone with mild symptoms should be tested as soon as possible, regardless of whether you have been vaccinated or not.
If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should be isolated from other people for 10 days. Even if your test result is negative and there are no symptoms, but you have been in contact with a virus-infected person, it is best to monitor for 14 days after contact.
For the Alpha variant, symptoms usually appear five to six days after exposure, but Duchin says that Delta symptoms appear to appear three to four days later.
“Patients become contagious more quickly after contact, and can spread more quickly.”
Bradic also wrote that taking Tylenol can help relieve symptoms, but it cannot fight the virus. As with any disease, it is important to rest, stay hydrated, and wait for it to disappear. If the symptoms are severe or you have any questions, please contact your doctor.
Bradic added that no vaccine can provide 100% disease protection. The best way to prevent COVID-19 is to wear a mask indoors and still take preventive measures. Many positive cases have been reported of dining in restaurants or bars, attending large social gatherings, or traveling out of state.
International Community Health Service (ICHS) doctor and interim chief medical officer Dr. Deepa Yerram said that 99.9% of all COVID-19-related deaths are people who have not been vaccinated. 20% of confirmed cases are people who have been vaccinated.
For vaccinated people who are infected with COVID-19, their symptoms are much milder.
“It feels like an annoying flu case, but it is far from ending in a ventilator in the hospital,” she described.
Vaccines and fertility
Jeram said that the Centers for Disease Control issued a notice to quell common myths and vaccines, and infertility is one of them.
“There is currently no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine will cause pregnancy problems including placental development. Because we have this information, the mRNA vaccine will not enter the DNA, nor will it modify the DNA. It will not be close to the DNA in the cell. All of this, you can safely conclude that the vaccine will affect childbirth and/or pregnancy, not only for women but also for men.”
Yerram shared that three pregnant health care providers at ICHS were vaccinated and continued to give birth to healthy babies.
She said that as a medical professional, it is important to follow your preaching.
Nina can be at info@nwasianweekly.com.
This health series is funded by the Washington Department of Health, which has no editorial opinions or supervision of this content.
