CCBI Resources for COVID-19 Matters – October 9, 2020
Dear Friends of CCBI, We are experiencing another rollercoaster week heading towards Thanksgiving, which most…
CCBI Resources for Covid-19 – May 25, 2021
Dear Friends of CCBI,
Come, Holy Spirit!
Vaccine dose delay:
Suddenly, Canada seems to be doing quite well in global vaccination ratings. An article in the National Post tells us vaccine expert advisors have done something which may turn out to be useful, even if not realized at the time. A lingering concern has been the amount of time Canada is allowing to lapse between doses. Vaccine manufacturers suggest about 3 weeks. Because of lack of units, Canada decided to use the supply it had to give as many first doses as possible, then asked us to wait about 12 weeks before the second dose. This was based on the idea that it is better to have a higher number of our population innoculated once, thus having some protection, instead of having a small sector vaccinated fully, leaving many completely unprotected. As it turns out, some UK studies are showing that a longer delay between doses might help antibody development and increase overall immunity prospects. Perhaps the ‘gamble’ has paid off! In our previous Bulletin we talked about risk / benefit as an inevitable component in many moral decisions, and I think this possible result is indicative of that approach when there are unknown factors, but some urgency. It was an educated guess and not entirely ‘a shot in the dark,’ since results in new situations cannot be accurately predicted.
Mixing vaccines:
This has been floated as a way of using available vaccines, instead of waiting for shipments of, say, Pfizer for one’s second dose if that was the same as one’s first. If units of Moderna or AstraZeneca are available, would using one of those as second dose be effective if, say, Pfizer shipments were delayed for some reason? ‘Mix and match’ could help more rapid innoculation of the population, with fewer delays between doses. An article from The Globe and Mail discusses one major study “… designed to test every combination of the vaccines produced by AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – the only three COVID-19 shots that have been widely distributed across Canada so far. As more vaccines come online, they could also be added to the study…”
In this study,”… participants who have already had one jab will be randomly sorted into groups to be given their second. Neither the participants nor those who are administering second doses will know who is receiving which vaccines until the study is complete. Researchers will then gather data on how well the combinations are able to stimulate an immune response in the form of neutralizing antibodies against COVID-19. The study will also compare the strength or severity of any physical reactions that arise as a result of immunization.” The article continues, “…a second study, led by a team at Oxford University in Britain, has been following 830 participants since February and is looking at a fuller set of combinations of vaccines. While that study has yet to release data on immunity, preliminary findings published last week suggest that people who received mixed doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech are more likely to experience adverse reactions, including fever, fatigue, headaches and joint pain…”
If these adverse reactions are common, many will choose to wait until the vaccine they first received becomes available again. Unfortunately, a Canadian study will not be completed until July, and we would have only one reliable study on which to make decisions before that. “One swallow does not a summer make…” I hope there’s enough of my first dose available when the second one comes due — either that or another study appears to clarify the situation!
Psychological effects:
Now that the vaccination rate has increased, some of the urgent questions concerning Long-Term Care homes and other facilities are beginning to be answered, for example the relaxing of visiting policies. The full scale of mental health problems caused by loneliness and isolation is beginning to emerge, and the effects are likely to be with us for years to come. Psychiatrists are seeing people suffering from what they have named ‘confinement syndrome,’ similar to that experienced by prisoners suffering the physical and psychological effects of incarceration and no visiting. People in LTC are already vulnerable physically, mentally through cognitive decline, and, more than ever, emotionally. Ontario relaxed its visiting policy on May 21, allowing outdoor visits with loved ones in LTC facilities now that circumstances are less threatening to the health of our older senior citizens. While protection from a lethal virus was the main point of lockdown, the stories told by families of their sufferings are horrendous, and must be included in any future planning for pandemic situations, which took so many facilities by surprise this time. Preventing visiting was the right thing to do to try to prevent infection when PPE equipment was scarce and questions of transmissibility were unknown. The death toll due to other factors was immense, and it was wise to ban visiting early on, which would have run the risk of even higher rates of infection, and of being unintentionally responsible for some deaths.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development has published a document on accompanying people during COVID-19, while looking to the future. It’s a worthwhile read, although fairly long, but helpful for those planning for post -pandemic times!
Vaccine inequity:
Discussions of equity and vaccine-sharing occupy our media headlines some of the time, but these are areas to which Catholics could pay more attention in terms of social justice and our required, but often forgotten, preferential option for the poor.
An editorial in The Globe and Mail maintains: “There are currently15 vaccines approved for full or emergency use in countries around the world. One analysis of projections estimated that, in a perfect world, manufacturers will produce a combined 12 billion doses in 2021. If that pace is met and continues, companies will have made enough doses to fully vaccinate every person on the planet by the end of 2022, and then some. The world appears to have an adequate and growing supply of vaccines. What is lacking is the will to make sure they get to every corner of the globe as soon as possible.” (Emphasis added.)
Please view the CNN video below which indicates why vaccine equity is the only way to rid the world of the pandemic, yet is also the best interests of richer countries, even if this is not clear to us at first sight. Our readers may be interested in joining an upcoming Jesuit ‘vaccine equity’ webinar, which aims to encourage this ethical response. The link gives information about registration.
Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us!
Let us pray that those in charge of finance will work with governments to regulate the financial sphere and protect citizens from its dangers!
(Pope Francis’ intention for May)
Moira and Bambi
National Post
PressReader – National Post (Latest Edition): 2021-05-22 – Canada’s smartest pandemic move Connecting People through News. All-you-can-read digital newsstand with thousands of the world’s most popular newspapers and magazines. Vast selection of top stories in full-content format available for free. epaper.nationalpost.com
The Globe and Mail
Canadian study to examine safety of mixing COVID-19 vaccines In addition to the mixed COVID-19 vaccine strategy, the federally funded study will also provide information on the effects of delaying a second dose by four months www.theglobeandmail.com
Globe editorial: Arguing about patent waivers misses the real issue with vaccine inequity – The Globe and Mail Governments around the world are embroiled in a debate about a proposal to waive the patents on the leading COVID-19 vaccines, so that more countries can start producing the lifesaving shots. www.theglobeandmail.com
The Vatican
Accompanying people in psychological distress in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
4 understand one another, and to find common ground: all these things are summed up in the one word “dialogue” ”1. NOTA BENE We have three very similar, though different terms that describe the approach to a person’s
CNN
Rich nations urged to share vaccine knowledge as WTO debates waiving patents – CNN
Canadian Jesuits International
Leave no one behind: Vaccine equity in the Global South