Healthcare

What to do about Covid? With nearly 60 million cases and 1.4 million deaths worldwide as of the end of November 2020, there are still no consistently effective treatments or approved vaccines yet (though large-scale vaccine trials have already produced promising results). Social distancing, mask wearing, and infection control practices can reduce the rate of spread somewhat, but as long as infectious individuals circulate amongst susceptible persons, continued spread is inevitable, given that most populations have not built immunity against SARS-CoV-2 to any meaningful extent.

Paper products and other household staples are in high demand in stores and online again as the virus surges and lockdowns loom, but none more so than those essential rolls of soft cotton squares. Photos of bare shelves and public pleas to leave behind a few rolls for other shoppers are overflowing social media. “The toilet paper aisle is CLEARED!” one person wrote on Twitter. “March 2.0 is here folkssss.”

Delivering an effective vaccine is only part of the equation. The region's recovery from COVID-19 also will hinge on Long Islanders' willingness to take the shot, experts say. The public's appetite for inoculations will be a wild card, said Julie Swann, an expert in health care supply chains who advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the H1N1 outbreak in 2009.

Two drug companies have now reported highly successful results from phase III trials of COVID-19 vaccines. On November 18 Pfizer and partner BioNTech said their vaccine was 95 percent effective at preventing the disease, based on full trial results. Two days earlier Moderna reported its vaccine was 94.5 percent effective, based on interim data.

When Timothy Nuvangyaoma, chairman of the Hopi Tribe, heard there were two coronavirus vaccines that both showed promising data of more than 90 percent efficacy, he felt initial relief that soon transitioned to cautious skepticism.

Hospitals across the country are ramping up their efforts to figure out how to store, track and administer coronavirus vaccine doses following the recent news that an effective vaccine could be on its way within weeks or months. Hospitals will play a key role once a vaccine receives an emergency use authorization from the FDA, which could happen as soon as next month. They will move quickly to vaccinate their front-line healthcare workers and then their patients and surrounding communities.

Another wave of COVID-19 cases is now triggering another wave of panic buying across the country. But the Maryland Department of Commerce says it has no regulatory oversight on grocers in the state. At this point, it's up to each individual company to set purchasing limits on high-demand items. In some instances, stores are starting to see empty shelves again.

With COVID-19 cases rising across the country, the need for a safe and reliable vaccine is increasing. Both Pfizer and Moderna have announced vaccine trials with more than 90% effectiveness. Creating vaccines and getting federal approval are only the first hurdles which are followed by finding ways to transport the highly-perishable vaccines to millions of Americans.

The number of Americans without health insurance or a primary care physician is astonishing. In 2018, the U.S. Census showed roughly 27.5 million Americans did not have health insurance at any point during the year, and that number is growing. Meanwhile, the number of people without a primary care physician is also rapidly rising. As a result, use of community health centers (CHCs) across the U.S. is at an all-time high. With almost 1,400 centers located across the U.S., CHCs reduce patient barriers such as cost, lack of insurance, distance, and language.

When Vishal Ahuja moved from Chicago to Texas in 2014, he faced a frustration experienced by many families: finding a compatible primary care provider. A few lackluster interactions with potential PCPs left him with recurring questions: “Why is this so difficult? Why can’t I have the same doctor? Can I continue working with my PCP from Chicago via phone or video?”