There is a wonderful story being told that confirms why every day we are thrilled to be Americans. Emily Johnson, a 68-year-old retired schoolteacher, had been waiting for a call from the world-famed Cleveland Clinic to schedule an intricate, open-heart surgery.
Yet when the call came to say she had cleared all the pre-surgery conditions, there was one last hurdle: She must be inoculated with the COVID vaccine that is rampant.
At her home – in Austin, Texas – the rollout was slow and after a day of trying to get the vaccine from every place she could imagine, she went to her neighborhood website. She explained her dilemma and asked for suggestions.
She got some good answers among dozens of replies but no solutions. When she got up the next morning, there was a private message from a lady she had never met. Christy Lewis, whose delicate autoimmune condition gave her an early medical waiver, had written: “I have an appointment at 10:45 this morning. You need this more than I do. Call me to arrange.”
Oh, heaven help! The two women quickly decided to go to the appointment together, thinking a face-to-face plea might work better but the nurse who treated Christie during her regular visits, could lose her license for such a thing. But she called her supervisor who didn’t waste five seconds after looking at the two visitors, “Let’s go!”
This is the stuff people in some parts of the world can’t quite grasp yet is why there are more Americans per square acre who will do anything to help any one of us, knowing full and well it could be their son or grandma who may soon need the next nudge.
That’s why I had a startle the other day when a doctor known for compassion told me to get the word out: “Do not be that noble with the vaccine. If you can get it, take it! I love a world of heroes, those who’d rather give, and others who are willing to do without. But the best weapon we have right now is ‘herd immunity.’”
The idea is the more vaccinated people we have, the infection cannot be passed as easily from one human to another. Our public health experts are marveling that our case loads are dropping, which means that there is a greater chance the someone can come in contact with a contaminated doorknob, for example, and will wash their hands in the meanwhile.
Another positive sign is those who have been hesitant to take the voluntary vaccine are seeing the great advantages instead of that ‘fear’ of side effects. As of 7 o’clock Tuesday night, a Johns Hopkins COVID-19 reports shows that 83,930,495 American citizens have been given the 1st shot in the two-dose series and 43,061,494 have now received the second. (There is a three-week wait for the Pfizer 2nd dose and a four-week wait for the Moderna dose.)
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is one dose, is now being used in Tennessee and, last Sunday in Nashville, over 10,000 were vaccinated with the J&J brand. People are being warned not to mix the two-dose brands; if you were given your first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, your second dose must be the same brand.
Dr. Lisa Piercey, the state’s Health Commissioner, is encouraging those who can get the vaccine in nearby counties to please do so. There are others who are on both public and private wait lists to see where the first vaccine is available but …
PLEASE … if you are on more than one wait list and get a call, have the courtesy to cancel your name from any other wait list so a dose of vaccine will not be wasted and will give another your vacated spot.
Partner locations like Walmart, Sam’s Club, certain pharmacies, and medical offices have no way to access the health department or hospital computers, much less private companies, so officials are asking you to do your part in helping the entire process.
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CAN YOU EAT JUST ONE KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT?
In my lifetime I found it nigh impossible to eat just one Krispy Kreme doughnut so I found it hysterical on Monday afternoon when – get this – it was announced that the company will give one free original glazed doughnut per day for the rest of the year to any person who shows their vaccine card, proving they've had the COVID-19 shot. It is really pure marketing genius -- anybody who takes the offer will want a cup of coffee or a glass of milk along with one or two more of the long-beloved treats, or why else stop?
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BOOSTER SHOTS BEING DEVELOPED
Right now, no one can be certain how long the COVID vaccine will ward off the virus – educated guesses ranging from nine months to five years – but epidemiologists at Pfizer and Moderna are developing booster shots already. For example, even with the vaccine you may catch a strain of COVID flu next year but at worse it is believed it would be three days of mild flu-like symptoms.
Scientists are assured new strains, or variations, of COVID will develop but seem certain a preventative much like our yearly “flu shot” will squelch another pandemic. And scientists are mystified that the “Asian flu,” that normally kills about 20,000 American annually, has been non-existent this year. Why? has every infectious disease specialist nationwide baffled, although some feel the “regular flu” was mistakenly diagnosed as COVID due to false test results and hysteria that has gripped the world.
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WHAT PERCENTAGE OF COVID PATIENTS DIED?
To begin, it has been explained to me that most of those who died in the past year of COVID-related had preexisting conditions and that a good number of them would have died without the coronavirus hastening their death.
So, the “raw figure” is that the history of the disease from its original diagnosis until 7:00 p.m. last night, the United States has 30,104,069 diagnosed. Of those, there have been 548,613 deaths …. or, 1.8% of all cases being fatal.
According to the latest CDC authenticated data, circa 2019, there are 2,854,838 human beings who die each year in the United States, which is 869.7 deaths per 100,000 population. Yes, that’s the same as .0829% of us every year.
Our Life Expectancy, this prior COVID in 2019: 78.8 years
Our Life Expectancy with COVID: The true answer is that no one knows. Sure, we took a haymaker in the chops this year – with over a half-million deaths – but look what has just happened with our hated face masks, distancing, hand hygiene, and no gatherings.
Add the vaccines and this is a one-year anomaly that has just been met with a week of our greatest resistance. You’re mighty right it is fading fast! Don’t you see? Where will it be next month, or this fall when the Vols kick off … it is all unforeseen, and although the future holds great promise, I must remind myself that our God is merciful and a mighty Father. You really think we got here on our own?
Okay, so where would be if the COVID remained unabated? This from Web M.D: “Overall U.S. life expectancy dropped to 77.8 years, down one full year from the 78.8 years estimated in 2019.
“Declines were even greater for certain demographics. For example, average life expectancy decreased 2.7 years for black people and 1.9 for Hispanic people between 2019 and the first half of 2020, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Life expectancy for white people decreased by an average 0.8 years.”
* -- Infant Mortality rate: 5.58 deaths per 1,000 live births
Source: Mortality in the United States, 2019, data tables for figures 1, 5.
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NUMBER OF LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH
(Based on 2019 CDC figures)
* -- Heart disease: 659,041 (more than COVID every year)
* -- Cancer: 599,601 (more than COVID every year)
* -- Accidents (unintentional injuries): 173,040
* -- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 156,979
* -- Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 150,005
* -- Alzheimer’s disease: 121,499
* -- Diabetes: 87,647
* -- Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 51,565
* -- Influenza and Pneumonia: 49,783
* -- Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,511
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AND THEN, MAY I ADD THIS …
“Life’s too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it’d be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.” – from ‘my man,’ Dr Seuss.
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