Over the last weeks of 2020 and first weeks of 2021, new variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been identified across the globe, alarming the public and raising concerns about the efficacy of the vaccines. Smoking can also increase the risk for illness, she said. Many underlying medical conditions can increase the risk of serious COVID-19, including but not limited to chronic lung, heart, and kidney disease diabetes cancer and immune-compromising conditions, such as obesity and pregnancy. “There is no absolute age when risk increases, but 80% of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in people older than age 65.” “While it is not entirely clear why some people do not develop symptoms and some people develop only mild symptoms, we know some factors that increase risk of serious infection.”įor example, she said older age is an important risk factor for serious COVID-19 infection. “These asymptomatic people may mount an immune response to infection before experiencing symptoms, or they may tolerate infection without symptoms,” explained Ryan. The PRNG expects to complete the first and second doses by the middle of March. The Puerto Rico National Guard began to vaccinate residents and personnel of the island's aegis against COVID-19 on January 27. This is because the COVID-19 virus, as many others, can infect some people who never develop any symptoms, she said. That’s why it is so important for all people to heed medical guidance and wear facemasks, wash hands frequently, and practice physical distancing.Īs we have learned, some people react differently to the virus than others: Some get sick with COVID-19 while others remain asymptomatic. And “respiratory secretions on surfaces may also be picked up by people who handle these surfaces, although this may be a less common way that COVID-19 is spread,” she said. However, asymptomatic people infected with COVID-19 may still spread virus, she explained. “People with COVID-19 can spread virus to nearby people from respiratory secretions after coughing, sneezing, or even talking.” The spectrum of illnesses the SARS-CoV-2 causes is called COVID-19 - or coronavirus disease from a pathogen first identified in 2019, she said. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can also use its surface ‘spike protein’ to infect other cells in the body.” “The body responds to infection with inflammation, and people may experience fever, cough, and trouble breathing. “In the case of SARS-CoV-2, the virus tends to infect cells in the human respiratory tract,” said Ryan. Viruses cannot reproduce themselves until they infect a living cell, she explained, so viral RNA or DNA cause an infected cell to make copies of the virus, thus infecting other living cells and potentially making people very sick in the process. SARS-CoV-2 virus, like other viruses, is an infectious agent that consists of genetic coding material called RNA or DNA that is contained in a protein coat, Ryan stated. (Dr.) Jessica Cowden, chief medical officer of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense and the Infectious Disease Programs at the Defense Institute for Medical Operations at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Margaret Ryan, medical director of the Defense Health Agency’s Immunization Healthcare Division at the Pacific Region Vaccine Safety Hub in San Diego, California and Air Force Col. To better understand how COVID-19 vaccines work, MHS Communications spoke to two medical experts who have been intimately involved in the Department of Defense’s effort to develop and roll out vaccines for Americans: Dr. Almost six weeks after the Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the first two COVID-19 vaccines, many questions have arisen concerning their efficacy in attacking the SARS-CoV-2 virus and deadly COVID-19 disease.
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