Category: General Interest

Categories : Cancer COVID General InterestTags :

Young Cancer Researchers Strive On Despite Pandemic

On By ModernMedia
DNA Fragmentation. A dye marker on agarose gel used to separate DNA by a female scientist. The smaller fragments move faster, the larger ones move slower. This separation process is used to analyse the size of DNA fragments, to map DNA, to separate fragments of DNA to create clones. Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Although long hours in the lab are standard, some young cancer researchers have told BBC’s Radio 1 Newsbeat that, in order to continue their work, the pandemic is forcing them to work longer, harder days with no pay.

Many relished the easing of COVID rules in the UK at the beginning of the summer months. However Dr Alba Rodriguez-Meira, 28, said that those sunny weeks were like an “extended lockdown”.

At the time, labs had been shut for nearly four months and Dr Rodriguez-Meira worked more than 90 hours a week – equivalent to 13 hours a day, 7 days a week – to catch up her leukaemia research at the University of Oxford.

“That was fine during the first month but it becomes a bit disruptive in terms of life quality if you try to do it for much longer,” Dr Rodriguez-Meira said.

Her weekly hours are slowly returning to her usual 60 a week – but she’s still feeling the pressure.

“I’ve lost a lot of productivity – sometimes I think I’ve not been as happy or as passionate as I used to be.

“Working under these circumstances has made me lose a bit of that. And I am sometimes so, so, absolutely tired.”

Social distancing rules mean that even though labs have reopened, not everyone can be there at the same time.

This is affecting the work of PhD student Laurien van de Weijer, 24, who is studying meningioma, a kind of tumour which makes up over a third of primary central nervous system tumours.

An important experiment she was running at her lab at the University of Plymouth over Easter weekend in April failed because she could not get in to provide nutrients to the tumour cells, which subsequently died. She is apprehensive about the 18 months she has left to finish her doctorate.

“I’ll be so overloaded… because I lost lots of time in the early stage, I really have to catch up, so I probably will do crazy hours.

“I really don’t look forward to being in the lab in the middle of the night.”

Laurien is also concerned that the longer she takes to get her research done, “the longer there won’t be any good drugs” for people with meningiomas.

The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) says the COVID pandemic will add on an extra two years to the lag time between new treatments being discovered and cancer patients being able to use them.

“We don’t have the luxury of time – that’s the truth – to wait for two extra years,” says Amani Liaquat, 23, who has an aggressive cancerous brain tumour known as a glioblastoma multiforme, and according to doctors has between 12 and 18 months to live.

Amani is now trying a new drug called ONC201 which is still in trials, after chemotherapy and radiotherapy have both failed to shrink the tumour

Amani says she “can’t really put into words” how grateful she is to researchers going into labs during the pandemic, “risking their own health to try and help others”.

“The fact that people are still out there, trying their best in such difficult circumstances is really important,” she says.

Spurred on by stories like Amani’s, some groups of so-called “wet lab” researchers, whose work is experiment-heavy, have come up with shifts that allow them in to labs while observing social distancing.

It’s often after midnight when Beshara Sheehan begins her cycle home from the ICR lab in Sutton, south London.

Beshara Sheehan, 28, whose research is on improving prostate cancer therapy, works a lot of late shifts, often cycling home at midnight. She finds it “difficult to switch off” from work, having to still communicate with on-shift colleagues..

Fiona Want, 25, works at the same site as Beshara, albeit in a different research team, but prefers early morning shifts over late ones.

“It took a bit of getting used to having that real jumble of routine,” said Fiona, who has walked half her day at the lab and half at home.

Her research is on bladder cancer, and works up to 55 hours a week, 10 hours more than pre-COVID. She is driven on by the death of her fiance’s dad from cancer at the end of last year.

“That’s been a real source of motivation for me to keep working hard and a reminder that everyone’s life is, in some way, impacted by cancer,” she said.

“It is so important that we don’t let research slow down and keep pushing forward with discoveries that ultimately save lives.”

Source: BBC News

Categories : Exercise General Interest Mental HealthTags :

Hiking Prescribed for Elderly Man Coping with Lockdown

On By ModernMedia

When Jim Snodgrass, 84, was expecting to receive medication to treat his anxiety, he instead was simply given the phone number for the Ramblers, a UK-based society of nature walkers and hikers.

Dr Victor Jack said that he recognised that Jim needed “social connection” and not medication. Hiking itself also has a number of proven physical and psychological health benefits. Some may be immediate, such as decreased blood pressure, decreased stress levels, enhanced immune system functioning, and restored attention, or else occur over time, such as weight loss, decreased depression, and overall wellness.

During the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, Jim was on his own since his wife Sheila died six years previously, said he suffered a breakdown.

The grandfather-of-two said: “I was not feeling good as I was bothered with my nerves so I called the doctor and that’s when I burst into tears on the phone to the receptionist.

“She was so nice to me and got the doctor to call me. I was surprised when he didn’t give me any pills and instead gave me the number for the Ramblers.”

During lockdown doctors could give exemptions to people who lived on their own to meet one other person outside. Then last summer people were allowed to meet in groups to walk.

Presently in the UK, groups of 15 people are allowed to meet outside.

He said: “The Ramblers saved me during the last year of lockdowns. I don’t know where I would be without them with my nerves. Within two miles of walking I’m a different person. Dr Jack is an amazing man as he has saved me from my nerves in the lockdowns with this idea of his.”

Jim has walked 6.4 to 8 kilometres a day in the last year.

He said: “I even went out when the roads were icy and always stayed within a five mile radius of South Queensferry during the lockdowns. I hope my story helps someone else who is feeling bad so they know to join their local Ramblers group too.”

Dr Jack, of South Queensferry Medical Practice, told BBC Scotland his own experience with stress was used to inform Jim’s treatment.

“When Jim told me he liked walking but that he had been walking on his own I was aware that he was actually quite socially isolated as his wife had died,” Dr Jack explained. “He was benefitting from the physical part of walking but not the social side. A few years ago I joined a running club and found it very helpful for stress. This has made me recognise that any sports club has a benefit particularly through the social connection it provides.”

Dr Jack said he had seen numerous patients experiencing mental health issues during the lockdown, especially in those working from home.

Brendan Paddy, director of Ramblers Scotland, said: “Jim is truly an inspiration to us all. It’s amazing to see how he’s improved his health and happiness by getting active with his local South Queensferry Ramblers group.

“Clearly lockdown has been a hugely challenging time, yet we know that many more people like Jim are discovering the revitalising power of walking – with booming numbers enjoying Scotland’s outdoors. I’d urge anyone who’d like a bit more adventure, friendship and fresh air in their lives, to give the Ramblers a go.”

Source: BBC News

Categories : COVID General InterestTags :

Trump Encouraged to Urge Followers to Take Vaccine

On By ModernMedia

As US polls show that half of Republicans voters are reluctant to get a COVID vaccine, two former senior Trump administration officials have said that former US President Donald Trump is being encouraged to urge his followers to get the jab. 

The officials stressed that herd immunity could be threatened by Republican vaccine hesitancy, and that Trump’s followers will listen to him and him alone.

“Vaccines are widely regarded as one of Trump’s greatest accomplishments, and Trump understands that this legacy is at risk because half of his supporters are not taking the vaccine,” one of the officials told CNN. “It’s just not clear yet if he understands that he’s the only one who can fix this.”

The other official concurred. “In Trump country, if you want to call it that, there are still significant numbers of people who aren’t sure [COVID] is a real thing, despite folks getting sick, and there are lots of suspicions about the vaccine,” the source said. “They have literally said to me, ‘I want to hear from the president about this.’ I don’t think they’re going to listen to anyone else.”

Trump told Fox News last week that he would make a “commercial” about the vaccine, but did not make a firm commitment.
However, a person close to Trump disagreed he should take this approach. “He shouldn’t be pushing these vaccines. His posse isn’t exactly vaccine-approving and it could backfire,” the person said.

All the living former presidents save for Trump, and their wives, appeared in an ad campaign started last month encouraging vaccination – though Trump’s team denied he was approached to participate. This was because the team that organised the PSA did not think it was likely he would participate, according to a source close to that project.

In the Fox interview, Trump said, “I encourage them to take it. I do,” referring to his supporters, but has only spoken out a few times about vaccination.

Fifty-four percent of Republicans are either hesitant about or opposed to getting a COVID vaccine, according to a March survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, and 29% said they would not get a vaccine under any circumstances.

The number of people 18 and over with at least one vaccine dose, the top 10 states are all states President Joe Biden won last November. Trump won 9 out of the bottom 10 states for vaccination.

A third former Trump official confided that as early as last summer, there were already concerns over Republican vaccine refusal.

“On Facebook I saw a ton of hesitancy for that group — just insane amounts of hesitancy already and we knew it was just going to get worse,” the official said.

That official said Trump ally Michael Caputo briefly mentioned to Trump last fall that it would be good for the president to do a vaccine PSA after the election.

One of the other former officials noted that recently, Caputo “in particular has been active in discussing” the possibility of doing a PSA with the Trump team.

“Michael takes this very seriously and sees this as a big public health problem,” said the source. “His stepping out, because he’s so connected to the president, is really going to be forceful and incredibly helpful.”

Mr Caputo served as assistant secretary for public affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, leaving after being diagnosed with throat cancer and a rant at heath scientists saying they were undermining Trump.

Mr Caputo confirmed to CNN that he met with Trump and the two men “spoke about vaccine hesitancy and what can be done about it.”

Trump’s final year in office will define his legacy, according to historians, which was marred by the failure to contain COVID and his incitement of a mob that stormed the US Capitol.

The former  officials said they don’t want to see the vaccine development that Trump pushed undone by vaccine hesitancy, including among his own supporters.

“I see Operation Warp Speed tipping towards failure, and it really concerns me,” one of the senior officials warned. “If we don’t move half those people into the vaccinated column, we’re most likely not going to reach community immunity, and if we don’t reach it, then the president’s vaccine legacy is dead.”

The other senior official said Trump supporters would respond positively to the former president “taking ownership of Operation Warp Speed” and mentioning that he and his wife were both vaccinated.

“He could talk about how [vaccine uptake] is the way to get the country back to where it needs to be economically and socially, using his language that he uses with his supporters. I think that would be really powerful,” said the source.

Source: CNN

Categories : Gastrointestinal General InterestTags :

Woman Suffered ‘Excruciating’ Pain From Rare Gastrointestinal Condition

On By ModernMedia

An undiagnosed, rare gastrointestinal condition left a 32-year old UK woman in “excruciating” pain for 16 months before a life-saving emergency operation.

In January 2020,  Rebecca Bostock started to experience stomach swelling and had difficult keeping her food down. After she was rushed into hospital on Good Friday this year, her mysterious illness was found to be Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS).

“I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through,” she said.

Ms Bostock, 32, underwent an emergency operation at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Nurses there told her they had only treated three cases of SMAS in 27 years. She was also told that she likely survived because she had been rushed into hospital on that day.

“My stomach was swollen so much that I couldn’t breathe, I was being sick and couldn’t keep any medication down,” Ms Bestock said. “I was on a downward spiral. They took me into imaging and diagnosed SMAS and I was taken away for the operation. They said I needed the operation straight away or I wouldn’t survive even a couple more hours.”

Ms Bostock said she had been experiencing pain for 16 months, with stomach swelling, fever, sickness, diarrhoea and dizziness, and visited the GP and emergency departments several times. She was told there that the pain was likely to be caused by endometriosis or irritable bowel syndrome. 

“I was referred to a gynaecologist around the time of the first lockdown but everything shut down and I didn’t see one for months,” she said. “I was advised to change my diet, which seemed to help at first, but then the symptoms deteriorated again to the point where I struggled to walk and couldn’t breathe.”

SMAS is a rare disease, affecting some 0.1 to 0.3% of the population, and is defined as compression of the third portion of the duodenum between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. It is now mostly treated by laparoscopic duodenojejunostomy. The operation released the blockage, “re-plumbing” her stomach as the surgeon told her.

She is still unable to eat solid foods but hopes to introduce them to her diet soon and wants to raise awareness of the rare condition so that others can learn to spot the signs earlier.

“I want to tell my story to raise awareness I feel blessed and relieved,” she said. “I’m so thankful to the doctors and nurses who saved my life. I get so emotional thinking about it and I can’t thank them enough. It is so rare and even doctors don’t know about it, so helping people to spot the signs and be able to rule it out is so important.”

Source: BBC News

Categories : General InterestTags :

Wrangle Over GoFundMe For Family of Deceased Nurse

On By ModernMedia

The family of a pregnant nurse who died with COVID have yet to receive any money from a GoFundMe campaign that names them as beneficiaries.

Mary Agyapong, 28, died after giving birth in April 2020 at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, where she worked. At 35 weeks pregnant, she was admitted to hospital April 5 after having collapsed with breathing difficulties, but was discharged the same day, despite her misgivings. She was readmitted two days later with COVID symptoms. She gave birth to a daughter by Caesarean section and was then transferred to intensive care on April 8, where she died four days later.

On April 15, family friend Rhoda Asiedu set up a GoFundMe page to support “Mary’s husband, and the couple’s children… during this heavy and trying time”, and has raised more than £186 000 (R3 720 000). This money had been placed into a trust, according to her lawyers.

Ms Agyapong’s widower said he found it “surprising” he had not been involved.

Coroner Emma Whitting, at an inquest held last month, said that it was “unclear” how mother-of-two Ms Agyapong contracted COVID before her death. She then urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to begin a public inquiry into the pandemic.

The funds raised were paid to Ms Asiedu’s legal team, Blue Trinity, who said it had been placed “on trust” for the education of Ms Agyapong’s children and that 80% would be released when they turned 21. The remaining 20% would be provided to Ms Agyapong’s widower Ernest Boateng for “maintenance and upkeep” of the children, but he had “failed to co-operate with the trustees to arrange a schedule of maintenance”.
Blue Trinity however has not responded to requests from the BBC or Mr Boateng’s legal team to see the trust documents.

“I just try to keep my head above the water,” said Mr Boateng, who is studying law. “I find it very surprising that we have not been asked or involved with this GoFundMe money – it’s beyond my understanding.”

GoFundMe stated that it was clear from the outset that the money would be placed in a trust, adding: “Our records show the wording of the page has not been changed since it launched on 15 April 2020.”

However, an archived snapshot of the webpage on 16 April found by the BBC made no reference to a trust at all. When fundraiser Ms Asiedu was contacted by the BBC, she directed media requests to her legal team.

Source: BBC News

Categories : Cancer General Interest PaediatricsTags :

Donated Afro Hair Wigs Now Possible Thanks to UK Girl

On By ModernMedia
A silhouetted woman with afro hair reading a book by a window. Photo by Thought Catalog from Pexels

A British girl who was told her afro hair was too delicate to donate for wig-making prompted a new wig-making approach to use it, BBC News reports.

When eleven year old Carly Gorton wanted to donate her afro hair to the Little Princess Trust charity, which makes natural hair wigs for children who have lost theirs from cancer treatment and other causes, she was initially frustrated as the charity said the hair was too delicate. Undeterred, Carly had urged the charity to rethink, which it did.

Following research and a trial to make them possible, the charity described the new wigs as a “historic breakthrough”.

“It’s really beautiful,” said Carly, of one of the new wigs.

A BMJ study showed that wigs positively impact psychological wellbeing for people with alopecia, attributed to increasing their confidence of going out in public and the perception of fewer comments about hair loss.

At a special school assembly, Carly’s mother Anna Mudeka then cut her daughter’s hair and it was donated for use in the first new wigs to be worn by other children.

Phil Brace, The Little Princess Trust’s chief executive, said Carly’s “determination” to donate her hair had pushed them to find a solution.

The charity worked with the 120-year-old London company Raoul to develop a wefting method to weave and tie the donated locks.

Carly’s mother, Anna Mudeka, said: “History has been made and we are so proud of Carly.

“Through her sheer determination and everyone pulling together to hear her voice, children of black and mixed heritage can now donate their hair to the Little Princess Trust.”

Ms Mudeka, of Southburgh, added that children needing wigs through illness could now receive a wig “true to their heritage”.

Carly and her mother’s campaign had created a “fundamental change in wig manufacturing”, said Mr Brace. “The commitment and work that has gone on has shown just what is possible when groups of people get together and bring different skills to find a solution.”

Source: BBC News

Categories : COVID General InterestTags :

Liquor Industry Questions Alcohol Ban Effectiveness

On By ModernMedia

Representatives from the liquor industry have said that the South African government must consider data from a new report that shows little alcohol ban effectiveness on trauma cases. However, other studies show negative effects of alcohol during lockdown, and a surge in violent trauma in Cape Town after alcohol bans were lifted.

In a statement on Thursday, the South African Liquor Brand owners Association (Salba) referenced a new report showing that, compared to other countries, South Africa saw similar trauma cases with its lockdown and alcohol ban to those that only had a lockdown.

The report had financial support from Distell, led by independent data expert Ian McGorian of Silver Fox Consulting, in collaboration with professor Mike Murray from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

The report found that trauma cases in South Africa under lockdown dropped 60%. But other countries also saw the same drop with no alcohol ban, including the UK (57%), Ireland (62%), Italy (56.6%) and the USA (54%), casting doubt over the effectiveness of alcohol bans in curbing trauma. The researchers also commented that curfews may have explained more of a reduction in trauma cases than alcohol bans.

While members of the liquor industry recognised the impact of alcohol on South African society, they said that government needs to be more objective with its lockdown regulations.

Salba chairperson Sibani Mngadi said the alcohol ban over Easter Weekend, while simultaneously allowing larger gatherings, made even less sense in reducing COVID transmission. This suggests that government was not considering science in its decision making, he said.

However, a multicentre study from Colorado, USA showed that even while trauma cases during lockdown fell by 33%, alcohol screens increased from 34% to 37%, and alcohol positive patients rose from 32% to 39%.

A study of Cape Town trauma admissions saw a dramatic drop of 53% in trauma admissions during the hard lockdown and an immediate rebound coinciding with the resumption of alcohol sales, with a 107% increase in gunshots wounds compared to pre-lockdown conditions.

The researchers noted that in South Africa the trauma demographic is much younger, with much higher rates of violence, with about half of homicide victims in SA testing positive for alcohol.

Distell chief executive Richard Rushton said the industry was merely asking that the data should be viewed objectively to improve dialogue with decision makers.

“We are all on the same side, and we want to help find solutions. We are very clear that alcohol abuse is unacceptable and causes harm. Our view is that the focus must be on finding ways to deal with high-risk drinkers, rather than using blunt instruments that penalise all South Africans.

“Any proposed new regulations need to be evidence-based, rational and target problem areas,” he said.

Business Leadership SA chief executive Busisiwe Mavuso said that lockdown could have been better managed, as 220 000 jobs had been lost along billions of rands in tax to the fiscus, while uncertainty still plagued alcohol producers.

“The decisions made to confront the health crisis should not have unintended consequences for the economy, and that is exactly what has happened with the bans on alcohol,” she said.

Mr Mavuso added that, since the start of the pandemic, business has been a willing partner to government and “needs to be part of the solution to ensure we fight this pandemic with the least possible damage to the economy”.

“The data analysis by the alcohol industry is an important intervention and must be taken seriously as we move forward.”

Source: BusinessTech

Categories : General InterestTags :

‘Absolutely Revolutionary’ Kaftrio Drug Betters Lives of Cystic Fibrosis Patients

On By ModernMedia

In an article by the BBC, one woman with cystic fibrosis recounts how the “absolute revolutionary” Kaftrio drug has improved her life.

Jody Lewis, 31, is an avid rider and one of around 80 people in Wales to have had Kaftrio, a “revolutionary” drug treatment for cystic fibrosis, at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition resulting in faulty cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) proteins which regulate the transfer of chloride ions into and out of the cells. The condition causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, gastrointentinal system and other organs.

The treatment is suitable for around 90% of CF patients aged 12 and over and has been approved for use in the UK. Kaftrio is a triple combination of elexacaftor, tezacaftor which corrects the faulty CFTR protein, and  ivacaftor, which potentiates CFTR. 

Ms Lewis, said since taking it she had “a whole future and life” ahead of her.
Her condition worsened about two and a half years ago, when she was put on continuous oxygen supply, needing four or five oxygen bottles a day, almost placed on a ventilator and considered for a lung transplant. This meant stopping riding and changing how she cared for her four dogs.

“I’d have to change my complete lifestyle just to survive. I get that I’d have a second chance at life but it wouldn’t be me, it wouldn’t be true to who I am,” she said. At her worst, she said she could barely cope with simple tasks such as making tea.

This all changed when she started taking Kaftrio last year.

“Within a week, my [oxygen saturation] was going up and up to 94, 96 and I wasn’t even on oxygen and I can’t remember the last time I saw those numbers, it was mad.

“I’m now as good as I was back when I was 25, so I’ve like regained six years of my life,” she said.

“When I was 25 I was fine, I was in work, living a normal life, so it’s given me all that back really,” she said, adding that it was “really emotional” and “fantastic” to be able to ride her horse again after two and a half years..

“I’ve got a whole future and life in front of me that I’ve never had to think about.”

Consultant Martin Ledson, clinical lead for respiratory medicine at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, described the drug treatment as “absolutely revolutionary”, saying that it had changed the lives of 222 of the hospital’s patients.

He said that when his patients were born, they could expect to live to their 30s, so they have “lived all their lives with the knowledge that their life expectation could be 30 or even less”.

“What this drug does is extend that life expectancy who knows how long?

“Not only that, the patients immediately – within 24 hours – feel amazingly better. Their breathing tests improve, they get less chest infections, their digestion improves, they put on weight and in many cases need to take less treatment,” he said.

Source: BBC News

Categories : General InterestTags :

Russian Doctors Perform Heart Surgery in Burning Hospital

On By ModernMedia

Russian doctors stayed behind in a burning hospital to complete open-heart surgery on a patient after a fire broke out on the roof while they were operating.

It took firefighters over two hours to put out the blaze in the city of Blagoveshchensk. Using fans to keep smoke out of the operating room where a group of eight doctors and nurses was working on the patient, they also ran a power cable in to keep it supplied with electricity.

The heart bypass operation was finished in two hours before removing the patient to another site, the emergencies ministry said.

“There’s nothing else we could do. We had to save the person. We did everything at the highest level,” surgeon Valentin Filatov was quoted as saying by REN TV. 

According to the ministry, when the fire broke out on the roof,  128 people were immediately evacuated from the hospital, which is extremely old. There were no reported injuries.

“The clinic was built more than a century ago, in 1907, and the fire spread like lightning through the wooden ceilings of the roof,” the ministry said. The fire was believed to have been started by a short circuit. The hospital is the only one in the region with a specialist cardiological unit.

“A bow to the medics and firefighters,” said the local regional governor, Vasiliy Orlov.

Source: Reuters

Categories : COVID General InterestTags :

CDC Director Fears ‘Impending Doom’ as COVID Cases Rise Again

On By ModernMedia

Rochelle Walensky, MD, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director, says that she fears “impending doom” as COVID deaths in the US edge upwards as people increasingly ignore health restrictions and start to travel.

Beginning her usual COVID status update,  Dr Walensky spoke as she often did of “concerning trends in the data.”

Dr Walensky spoke about the country surpassing 30 million COVID cases; of a 10% increase in the 7-day average of COVID-19 cases over the past week, to slightly below 60 000 cases; and of an uptick in hospitalisations, from a 7-day average of around 4600 per day to around 4800 per day.

“And deaths, which typically lag behind cases and hospitalizations, have now started to rise,” she said, pointing to a nearly 3% increase to a 7-day average of “approximately 1000 deaths per day.”

“I’m going to pause here,” she said. “I’m going to lose the script and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom.”  

At the start of her tenure, Walensky said she had pledged to always tell the truth even if it wasn’t something Americans wanted to hear.

“We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope. But right now I’m scared,” she said.

She recalled her time caring for COVID patients, saying: “I know what it’s like as a physician to stand in that patient room, gowned, gloved, masked, shielded and to be the last person to touch someone else’s loved one because their loved one couldn’t be there.

“I know what it’s like when you’re the physician, when you’re the healthcare provider, and you’re worried that you don’t have the resources to care for the patients in front of you.” 

She also recalled “that feeling of nausea, when you read the ‘Crisis Standards of Care’ and you wonder whether there are going to be enough ventilators to go around and who’s going to make that choice.”

She emphasised that she was speaking “not only as your CDC director, but as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter, to ask you to just please hold on a little while longer.”

She sympathised, she said, with those “wanting to be done” with the pandemic.

“We are just almost there, but not quite yet. And so I’m asking you to just hold on a little longer, to get vaccinated when you can. So that all of those people that we all love will still be here when this pandemic ends.”

Dr Walensky warned that the US pandemic trajectory was looking dangerously similar to that of European countries like Germany that were still struggling to contain the virus.

“We are not powerless. We can change this trajectory of the pandemic,” she said.

“But it will take all of us recommitting to following the public health prevention strategies consistently while we work to get the American public vaccinated.”

According to the New York Times’  COVID vaccination tracker, 146 million vaccinations have been administered in the US to date, with 2.76 million doses being given daily. At this rate, 70% of the adult population will have been vaccinated by June 16.

She urged community and religious leaders, officials, and other influencers to help support the vaccination programme.

“For the health of our country, we must work together now to prevent a fourth surge.”

Source: MedPage Today