COVID-19 News and Updates
Hello all,
This is the fourth installment of Healthy Acadia’s weekly COVID-19 update email. This week we have more information on how to discuss vaccine hesitancy with tips from the experts, and further updates on the state of COVID-19 in the state of Maine as well as addressing information on Omicron in children. Overall numbers are starting to look better, but caution is still critical.
COVID Communication:
Addressing General Vaccine Hesitancy:
Vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy theories are not a new issue, but still a prevalent one. Research shows that the majority of people who have yet to get their vaccine, who have access to the vaccine, are not particularly determined “anti-vaxxers” but rather people who are undecided about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
The vaccine is perfectly safe, and highly effective against the coronavirus. This is important to communicate, even normalizing conversations about vaccines within the community helps ease some of the concern and fight misinformation.
Vaccine Conversation Recommendations from the Experts:
1. Pick your Audience: Experts recommend starting your conversations with those who are hesitant to the vaccine, rather than those who are adamantly opposed. This is where the biggest impact on vaccination is expected to lie, rather than attempting from the outset to change the mind of ardent anti-vaxxers.
2. Humility: Make sure that the person you are speaking to feels listened to, rather than talked down to. Two-way dialogue shows that you are taking their point of view and concerns seriously rather than dismissing their ideas as inconsequential. Empathy rather than commands go farther when addressing vaccine hesitancy.
3. Engage in a Personal Conversation: Practice active listening when discussing someone’s concerns over the vaccine. Research shows that emphasizing the individual benefits of getting vaccinated is most effective in changing someone’s mind about being immunized rather than generalized facts.
4. Explain the Misinformation: In discussions where misinformation is brought up, it can be helpful to illustrate how and why misinformation has come about. Explaining the deceptive techniques used by anti-vax propagandists helps people to recognize something they have heard as misinformation (i.e. the rumor that the vaccine was “rushed”).
There’s no guarantee that somebody’s mind will be changed, but using a combination of empathetic and active listening alongside patience and proper facts has proven to help many people get vaccinated.
Sources and Further Reading: CDC How to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation, BBC How to talk with vaccine-hesitant people, NPR Tips for Parent Vaccine Ambassadors, CDC Provider Resources for Vaccine Conversations with Parents, AMA How to have crucial conversations with vaccine hesitant patients,
COVID in the News:
COVID-19 in the State of Maine
We are seeing encouraging trends in COVID-19 hospitalizations this month in the state of Maine. Though numbers continue to far outpace what we saw this time last year, due primarily to the new variants and pandemic fatigue, overall hospitalizations continue to decrease as compared to last month. So far February has seen a 37% decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state, with 275 people currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and 65 of those individuals in critical care.
Cases continue to be primarily in unvaccinated individuals, the data as of February 4th showing that 71.5% of new cases have been in unvaccinated people.
It appears as though we are starting to see a drop off in cases after the holiday surge we saw in December and January, however experts are still urging caution at this time as hospitals continue to ask for our support in helping to ease the strain on our medical staff and infrastructure.
The Bangor Daily News continues to maintain an easily digestible version of the current COVID-19 numbers across the state. The Maine CDC Division of Disease Surveillance maintains another, more in depth, updated database of the state of COVID-19 in Maine.
Deaths, hospitalizations, and wastewater screening data remain the best metrics to determine the evolving impact of COVID-19.
Experts Urging Schools to Maintain Masks and Other Precautions
Many schools across the state and country are currently debating whether or not to maintain mask-wearing and testing. Experts call for continued caution to be taken, numbers may be falling among the population as a whole, but Omicron appears to be impacting children more than previous variants in the United States. Deaths in children still remain quite low, but the trend in increased hospitalizations raises concerns of potential long COVID and keeping children away from severe cases in hospitalized adults. As of February 4th, pediatric cases made up roughly 5% of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Four times more than the previous surges of COVID-19.
Factors affecting increased pediatric COVID hospitalizations:
Poor vaccination rates in younger age groups: Even though the vaccine has been available to 5–11-year-olds for some time, less than one third of the children in this age bracket have received the vaccine. Furthermore, children under 5 years of age remain more vulnerable until the vaccine is released for their age bracket.
Increased transmissibility: Omicron’s increased transmissibility means that we’re going to see more numbers simply because there are many more people being infected. This means in turn that we’re going to see higher numbers of severe disease in all populations because there are more infected people overall.
Difference in infection: Omicron causes less damage to the lungs than previous iterations of COVID-19, spending more time in the upper respiratory tract. This means it is less severe on the body overall, but due to children having smaller nasal passages and airways that aren’t yet fully developed, they are more susceptible to inflammation and infection. Hospitals are generally well equipped to handle upper respiratory infections in children as it’s a common childhood issue, but warn of potential complications regarding the effects of long COVID on developing airways.
In short, it is premature to be removing extra precautions in childcare and educational environments at this time. Local experts are urging parents to request that their schoolboards maintain mask mandates, increase ventilation, maintain pooled testing, and practice quarantining of infected children at this time.
The silver lining is that we do know that vaccination and the proper precautions we have been taking work very well to protect children and their families, including against Omicron, but we can’t afford to drop them just yet.
Sources and Further reading: Does Omicron Hit Kids Harder?
Recommendations for parents of young children
Precautions parents can take:
Ensure everyone in your household is vaccinated and boosted. If your child is eligible, make sure they get their vaccine.
Getting vaccinated or being vaccinated while pregnant transfers high levels of antibodies from parent to baby during pregnancy and can help protect your infant during the first few months.
Avoid large gatherings whenever possible, particularly during surges in the virus and during months when outdoor gatherings are impossible.
Experts recommend that during this wave people of all ages avoid crowded modes of transportation if possible, and continue to encourage distancing.
Ensure children over the age of 2 years are masked.
Encourage frequent hand washing.
Talk to your pediatrician about whether or not your child should learn from home during a surge or local outbreak.
Make sure that areas where you are gathering are well ventilated.
Steps to Take if your Child has COVID-19:
Call Your Doctor: If your child is symptomatic, contact your pediatrician to receive a COVID-19 test.
Quarantine: Alert the school and other close contacts that your child has recently tested positive for COVID-19 so they can take the proper precautions. Everyone in the household should wear a mask for a minimum of 10 days when around others in the home and the public. Household members should get tested after roughly 3-5 days to allow for incubation time.
Treat and Help with Symptoms: Keep your child hydrated, encourage rest, and talk to your pediatrician about treating fever and aches with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Monitor for any more severe symptoms (difficulty breathing, dehydration, confusion, unusual sleepiness), and contact your physician or seek emergency care if any of those symptoms develop.
Encourage the Whole Family to Take Precautions: Make sure that all family members continue with best practices. Keep the area where the ill child is recovering well-ventilated, encourage frequent hand washing, disinfect surfaces throughout the day, avoid sharing household items, and if possible, have the sick child use a separate bathroom as the virus is shed in stool.
Help Prevent Future Infections: Once again, the best protection remains vaccination, so make sure all eligible members of your family (everyone age 5 and up) is vaccinated and boosted. Continue to wear a mask in public places, maintain social distancing, and encourage your local school board and childcare centers to maintain best practices.
Sources and Further Information: John’s Hopkin’s Children’s Hospital, CDC Parent FAQs, CDC What to Do if a Child Becomes Sick, CDC Families and Children, CDC K-12 Takeaways, How to Hold Your Child During Vaccination
Featured in the Field:
Unambiguous Science
Based in Toronto, Canada, Sabina Vohra-Miller maintains an updated Instagram account on some of the latest information regarding COVID-19. She has accessible and timely posts regarding the recent news on the virus and ways to combat it.
Check out her Instagram, her website, and direct links to several news articles to which she has recently contributed.
Thanks again everyone for checking in this week. Stay safe, and remember to take care of each other. ~ Nina
Nina Duggan is Healthy Acadia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Project Coordinator. They share weekly updates about COVID-19 in the state of Maine and beyond, along with resources you may find useful on testing, vaccination, and best practices in preventative measures.
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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.