Breaking News – COVID vaccines for kids 6 months to 5 years are finally here! We now have two vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) authorized for emergency use by the FDA and CDC to protect our youngest children from COVID. This is an exciting time for parents who have put life on hold to protect their … Read more
It’s that time of year again. As fall approaches, influenza is knocking on the door… but this flu season, AGAIN, promises to be far from typical. We are smack dab in the middle of a pandemic – still! COVID19 has devastated lives and livelihoods. The Delta variant is a monster and, even though we now … Read more
Today, we’re going to talk about COVID vaccines and your teen. But first, a quick word about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause. While I could spend a whole blogpost discussing this turn of events, my friend Dr. Jill Grimes has already written an amazing piece on the topic (read here). So, why reinvent the … Read more
Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this series discussed a variety of topics; the immune system and how vaccines work; the phases of vaccine development and how we have much more rapidly, but safely, developed COVID vaccines; and specifics about the mRNA vaccines. Well, this post is going to be a hodge podge of different … Read more
As the world races to find a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 so that we can return to normal life (whatever that new normal will be), you can bet your you-know-what that the anti-vaxxers are going to come out of the woodwork. In fact, they already have. Many have joined forces with the “COVID19 hoax” gang and … Read more
If you’ve ever wondered what life was like before vaccines, or what life could be like if we allow immunization rates to fall, now you know. Or, at least, now you have a sense – suffering, death, anxiety, fear, poverty, and more. In 2020, we will certainly fare better in our fight against the novel … Read more
When I first saw this tweet, the snarky, judge-y part of me spoke up. “Well, duh. This is EXACTLY what vaccines do!” But I had to check myself, because judging and snark rarely, if ever, further understanding. I have assumed (and you know what that does) that your average Joe or Jane knows how vaccines … Read more
In response to the growing anti-vaccination trend, several states now limit personal and/or religious exemptions to vaccinations that are required for school entry. This leaves some parents desperately seeking medical exemptions in order allow their non-vaccinated children to continue to attend schools or daycares. And some medical providers are willing to comply… for a fee … Read more
Have you ever had a discussion with your child about why they need to be able to do math when “Nowadays we have technology and everyone just uses a calculator”? I mean (eye roll and sigh)… Who is this “everyone”, anyways? Kids are great at making you feel out of the loop and old at … Read more
5. In the U.S., depending on the year, up to how many people die of the flu? ANSWER: B. Up to 56,000. Based on review of prior influenza seasons, between 12,000-56,000 people die each year in the U.S. from influenza. And of those that died, around 80% had not had a flu vaccine.