{"id":19076,"date":"2021-05-18T11:06:31","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T16:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19076"},"modified":"2023-03-20T14:14:58","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T19:14:58","slug":"5-things-to-know-about-the-covid-vaccine-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/5-things-to-know-about-the-covid-vaccine-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things To Know About the COVID Vaccine This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the vaccine rollout began in December, <\/span>more than 266 million doses<\/span><\/a> of the COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed in the US. It\u2019s been a<\/span> busy spring: By late March, the US was giving out around 3 million shots per day, and by late April, vaccine eligibility expanded to anyone 16 and older. More than 118 million Americans have been fully vaccinated so far.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we enter summer, the end of the pandemic in the US is starting to feel within reach. But there’s still plenty of COVID vaccine news to keep up with. We rounded up the five most important vaccine-related developments from the past week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Vaxxed and (mostly) un-masked<\/h3>\n

\u201cIf you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic,\u201d the CDC Director announced last week. <\/span>After more than a year of strict social distancing guidelines and mask mandates, the CDC says anyone fully vaccinated can refrain from wearing a mask or practicing social distancing in most indoor settings. After initial surprise over the announcement, <\/span>various states<\/span><\/a> are starting to drop their own mask requirements.<\/span> [<\/span>CBS News<\/span><\/a>]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Protection for pregnant women<\/h3>\n

When Pfizer and Moderna\u2019s COVID-19 vaccines were first released, there was little data available about their effects on pregnant women. We\u2019re finally starting to learn more: A new study published in <\/span>JAMA<\/span><\/i> says the shots shield pregnant women against COVID-19 \u2014 and most likely work against several dangerous variants. [<\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/i><\/a>]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVariant of concern\u201d<\/h3>\n

As India faces a widespread COVID-19 catastrophe, a highly contagious variant that originated there is worrying neighboring countries. Last week, the WHO called the variant, known as B.1.617, a \u201cvariant of concern.\u201d However, two new studies suggest the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines should at least protect against severe cases of the virus caused by the variant. <\/span>“These findings highlight the need to increase vaccination rates,” one immunologist said.<\/span> [<\/span>NPR<\/span><\/a>]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Kids are alright<\/h3>\n

The CDC greenlit Pfizer\u2019s vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 last week. The biopharma giant tested its shot on more than 2,000 children in a clinical trial, and although 91 percent of recipients reported side effects, none experienced serious adverse reactions. [<\/span>CNBC<\/span><\/a>]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Breakthrough infections<\/h3>\n

Eight fully vaccinated members of the New York Yankees, who had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, recently tested positive for mild cases of COVID-19, causing much confusion. But public health officials say you shouldn\u2019t worry, as breakthrough infections \u2014 meaning those that occur after immunization \u2014 are considered normal. Most vaccines can\u2019t offer 100 percent protection. All <\/span>COVID-19 vaccines<\/span><\/a> available in the US protect against the <\/span>most severe cases<\/span><\/a> of the virus, which is most important. [<\/span>STAT<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Ready to book a doctor’s appointment? Visit Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Expanded eligibility, relaxed mask rules and other recent vaccine news. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":18987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[165],"class_list":["post-19076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-covid-vaccine","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Things To Know About the COVID Vaccine This Week - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Expanded eligibility, relaxed mask rules and other recent vaccine news.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/5-things-to-know-about-the-covid-vaccine-this-week\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Things To Know About the COVID Vaccine This Week - 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