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An overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases is underway in the U.S. The delta variant continues to spread, the lambda variant is showing up, and some people are refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or wear face masks.
"My message today is a hospital term and that's Code Red," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "It is Code Red in the U.S. and for the globe regarding these variants." Dr. Poland adds that the public has been thinking that the COVID-19 pandemic was over but nothing could be further from the truth.
"You see article after article of people pleading for the vaccine, once they're intubated, or dying, or are begging their family to tell everybody, "We were wrong about this,'" says Dr. Poland. "People who were mocking vaccines and masks are now dead of COVID-19. It makes you feel beside yourself because you're watching a population-wide tragedy occurring, yet can't get the message across to people."
Dr. Poland encourages people to consider these 5 tips to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
- Listen to credible experts, not people who are celebrities or politicians, but people who know the science.
- Get vaccinated.
- Wear a proper mask properly.
- Limit your travel to only that which is essential.
- Avoid crowds and if it's inevitable you have to be around a crowd, stay to the periphery and wear a mask.
In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland goes into detail about the latest COVID-19 research, back-to-school masking, air travel and explains why people who have already had COVID-19 still need to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
To practice safe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this interview was conducted using video conferencing. The sound and video quality are representative of the technology used. For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.
Read the full transcript.
Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.
Connect with others talking about the pandemic and supporting one another in the COVID-19 support group.
Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date.
For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.
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@trixie1313 , I would urge you to watch this for answers. This guy has his finger on things we never hear about in the mainstream public.
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3 ReactionsExcellent Podcast! THANK YOU, Dr. Poland and all the other health care workers who continue to stress the importance of vaccination even in the face of senseless resistance. I was first in line to get vaccinated, and I wish the world would please LISTEN! Your message is so important, and I appreciate the latest science and all the efforts put forth to stay current and informed. Bless you!
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2 ReactionsI always appreciate Dr. Poland’s words of advice. As an organ transplant recipient I’m interested in his comment that a third “booster” vaccine will most likely be recommended within the next week or so for people like me. Will the recommendation be to get a different vaccine than the previous two doses? Also, have there been studies showing a boost in immune responses in organ transplant recipients who received a third dose or is this just an attempt without data to prove a third dose will boost our immune response?
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1 ReactionI would like to hear some information on vaccination for children under 12. Kids are vaccinated for other diseases long before that age. It was reasonable that we started out by offering vaccination to the older population when availability was low and then expanded down the ages as supples became widely available. Now it seems unreasonable not to offer protection to school children, at least. With schools opening soon, isn't this the next logical step?
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1 ReactionIt is the next logical step but, I believe availability isn’t the only consideration, but making sure what is and is not safe for children.
We have all been assured that the vaccine cannot cause the disease. We are hearing increasingly about more of the young contraction it. The use of the vaccine has been approved as an emergency measure, but a standard approval is expected very soon. Is that what is needed for the next step in protection?
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1 ReactionI believe it will be another separate approval for children.
I don't know whether I can get vaccine or not, since I have 6 autoimmune diseases : RA, SLE, Fibromyalgia, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Thyroiditis Hashimoto, Psoriasis. Actually, I want to get vaccine.
Is it possible for me to get Moderna or AZ ?
Could somebody help me to answer my question, please ?
Please let me know, thanks Sofie
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1 ReactionHi Sofia,
Here is the information from the CDC
- People with Underlying Medical Conditions at Increased Risk from COVID-19 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/underlying-conditions.html
For autoimmune conditions, it states: People with autoimmune conditions may receive a COVID-19 vaccine. However, they should be aware that no data are currently available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for people with autoimmune conditions.
It is best to discuss with your doctor.
I also invite you to join the discussions in the Autoimmune Diseases support group here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/autoimmune-diseases/
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2 ReactionsHere is an article about a recent study aimed at determining the effectiveness of third-dose COVID-19 vaccine boosters for organ transplant recipients.
- Transplant patients see boost in COVID-19 protection after 3rd vaccine dose, study suggests https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/transplant-patients-see-boost-in-covid-19-protection-after-3rd-vaccine-dose-study-suggests-1.6138089
Here's the study from the New England Journal of Medicine
- Third Time’s a Charm — Covid-19 Vaccine Hope for Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2112866
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