COVID-19 News and Updates
Hello all,
Nina Duggan here with the latest COVID-19-related news and updates.
This week we will be discussing available Unwinding communications resources, updated information on long COVID and the benefits of vaccination, the removal of the J&J vaccine from the U.S., and community questions.
The Unwinding Process Informational Toolkit for Community Health Workers
The Maine State Department of health and Human Services Office for Family Independence (DHHS OFI) has produced a full suite of Unwinding communications resources for use by healthcare workers and employers to keep their communities and staff appraised of the information.
To quote their website directly “MaineCare members must know what to expect and what to do to keep their health coverage. Most will either remain eligible for MaineCare or qualify for financial assistance that will help them to buy affordable coverage through CoverME.gov, Maine's Health Insurance Marketplace.
These resources provide important resources to help inform people with MaineCare about the steps they need to take to avoid losing coverage.”
These resources are available in printable flyers, pre-made social media posts, and videos. Additionally, there are flyers available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Khmer, Portugese, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese.
To access these resources, go to: DHHS OFI “Unwinding Communications Resources”
COVID in the News:
State of COVID-19 in Maine
As of June 6th, there were 215 new reported COVID-19 cases in Maine, with 50 people currently hospitalized with the virus. Of those 50 people, 4 are in critical care.
This data is obtained weekly from the Bangor Daily News
Long COVID and Vaccination Updated Information
Three new studies have come out looking at the risk of long COVID after vaccination, after reinfection, and how risk may have changed with the new Omicron variants. This data applies to the primary vaccines, there is no data yet available on the boosters.
In short, all studies showed that vaccination reduced (but did not entirely eliminate) the risk of long COVID. Furthermore, it showed that long COVID impacts an estimated 10%-25% of those infected. Risk of long COVID does appear to be lower with the Omicron variants, but still remains a significant risk. The data also appears to show that reinfection does increase your individual risk of getting long COVID, but more research is still needed.
The best measures that individuals can take to combat long COVID are to make sure you and your families are vaccinated, do what you can to reduce your risk of a COVID-19 infection in the first place, and to continue to support this kind of research and petition our government to support long COVID research. Disability advocates and healthcare workers have been raising the alarm about the effects of long COVID and its potential impact.
At present, it is believed that 15% of all adults in the United States have long COVID symptoms.
To see the excellent full analysis of the new data, see Science Whiz Liz “Long COVID Update”
Johnson & Johnson Vaccine No Long Available in the United States
The Johnson & Johnson or “J&J” vaccine has not been recommended in the U.S. for some time due to its reduced efficacy in comparison with the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna. It was paused in April of 2021 due to a potential rare blood clot disorder, and in May of 2022 following an update of the risk for said disorder it was being used once more for individuals who would not or could not get the vaccine otherwise.
As of May 7th, the last of the J&J vaccine in the government’s stockpile expired, and the CDC instructed all healthcare providers to dispose of any remaining J&J vaccine.
The remaining available vaccines, and their updated boosters are still highly effective against severe disease and hospitalization, have an excellent safety profile, and are recommended for all who are eligible. So far, nearly 367 million Americans have received the Pfizer vaccine and nearly 232 million Americans have received Moderna’s vaccine (as compared to J&J’s 19 million Americans).
Source: Bangor Daily News “Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine no longer available in US”
Community Q&A: Do COVID-19 vaccines cause new variants of the virus?
No, the COVID-19 vaccines do not cause new variants of the virus to appear. In fact, quite the opposite, the more people are vaccinated the less chance the virus has to spread and mutate in new hosts which helps to reduce the chance of mutation. When the virus infects people, it copies itself repeatedly in the body, random changes can occur when the virus copies itself. These changes can cause the virus to spread faster, cause more serious, illness, or start to evade the vaccinations. This is when we get new variants circulating. The best way to protect yourself from serious illness, and your community from new variants, is to make sure you’re fully up to date on all of your vaccinations and to make sure you’re taking other proper precautions for your area to avoid disease.
Source: Covid Vax Project “Do COVID-19 vaccines cause new variants of the virus?”
Follow Healthy Acadia on TikTok (@healthyacadia) for more updates!
If you or anyone you know have questions or concerns about COVID-19 or the available vaccines please call or text our COVID-19 Peer Support Line at 207-271-6023, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.