COVID-19 News and Updates
Hello all,
Nina Duggan here with the latest COVID-19 news and updates.
This week we will be discussing the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations on RSV in babies, and debunking disinformation around mRNA in the vaccine.
COVID Communication:
AAP Recommendations for Parents on RSV in Babies
RSV is a very common childhood infection, with most children having had it at least once before their second birthday. Typically, 1%-2% of children younger than 6 months of age who contract RSV may require a hospital stay. In these cases, supportive care is provided (e.g. oxygen or IV fluids), with most children going home after 2-3 days. With RSV cases starting earlier and being more severe this year (plus being combined with flu and COVID infections), has come an uptick in pediatric hospitalizations and ICU admissions from the virus. The majority of the children being hospitalized with the virus are infants under 3 months, with it not being uncommon to see these children with combinations of RSV and the flu or RSV and COVID-19. While there is a vaccination for influenza and COVID, there is currently no such vaccine for RSV, but there are still things that people can do to help protect the children in their community.
· Know the symptoms of RSV and associated diseases: RSV usually causes a cold, which can be followed by bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, and poor feeding are all symptoms of a cold which could transition into symptoms of bronchiolitis such as fast breathing, flaring of the nostrils and head bobbing with breathing, grunting during breathing, belly breathing, and wheezing.
· Know the signs that your baby is having difficulty breathing: It can be difficult to determine if an infant is having trouble breathing since they can’t verbally communicate. Look for the above symptoms, as well as the movement of your child’s rib cage as they inhale. As the AAP states, if it appears to be “caving in” and forming an upside-down “V” under the neck then they are working too hard to get in a full breath. Watch to see if the skin turns blue on the lips, fingertips, tongue, gums, or around the eyes.
· Know your child’s risk of respiratory illness: infants who were 12 weeks old or younger at the start of RSV season, were born premature or low weight, have weakened immune systems from other illnesses or pre-existing conditions, are exposed to second-hand smoke, or are exposed to children in crowded care settings or living conditions are at higher risk of contracting RSV.
· Know when to call your pediatrician: Call your pediatrician if your child has any symptoms of bronchiolitis, dehydration, difficulty breathing, any gray or blue coloration to the skin, or significant reduction in activity or alertness, has a high fever, or symptoms that worsen or do not improve after 7 days.
· Take preventative measures to reduce your risk of infection: Many of the measures we already take to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 already help to reduce RSV infection. Frequent hand washing, vaccinating against COVID and other diseases to help prevent multiple infections, limiting exposure to crowds and social distancing when possible, staying home when sick, and disinfecting surfaces and objects in high-traffic areas.
RSV spreads akin to the common cold. It typically enters the body through the nose or eyes. Symptoms can appear 2 to 8 days after contact with RSV, and people are usually contagious for anyone from 3 to 8 days. People with weakened immune systems can remain contagious for up to four weeks, even if they are asymptomatic. Children and adults can get RSV multiple times during a single season. Though repeat infections may be less severe, previous infections do not protect you from getting sick again, and it is best to try not to contract RSV in the first place if possible.
For the full article, list of symptoms, and videos of what to look for see the AAP source article “RSV: When It’s More Than Just a Cold”.
COVID in the News:
State of COVID-19 in Maine
Case numbers and positivity have both increased from two weeks ago, up 27% and 14% respectively, with average case positivity at 7.1%. Hospitalizations and the number of people in ICUs are both down, while deaths saw a slight increase. COVID numbers are currently better than experts expected them to be, believed to be in large part due to the bivalent boosters and the fact that most circulating variants are varieties of Omicron. However, uptake of the new boosters remains low, and experts urge those who can to get vaccinated. Approval of the bivalent booster for the youngest age group (those under 5 years of age) is expected to occur in the near future.
Debunking Disinformation: mRNA and COVID-19 Vaccines
Last week, Dr. Elizabeth Marnik “Science Liz Whiz” put out an excellent post debunking a common concern folks who choose not to get vaccinated have: the concern that they will be exposed to too much mRNA from repeat vaccinations. This is largely because it is not widely explained what mRNA is, and what it means in the context of the COVID-19 vaccination. For a full explanation of what mRNA is and how it works in the cell, see Liz’s full post.
In short, the COVID-19 virus doesn’t have the ability to replicate itself on its own, it needs a host to do the work for it. When someone is infected with COVID-19, the virus uses RNA as a messenger to tell the cells in the body to make more COVID. This allows it to spread and linger in the body, causing damage as it goes. The mRNA used in the vaccine is not the full message, so it can’t replicate, but it does tell the immune system what the message looks like and what to look out for. Since the mRNA in the vaccine can’t replicate, our body gets rid of it quickly (unlike the actual virus). In short, the vaccine tells your body what the virus looks like without ever actually encountering the virus in full, mitigating future damage. You can’t have too much mRNA in your system, because once your body “reads” the message it discards it, and with no new messages coming in it is simply eliminated.
Featured in the Field:
Your_Local_Epidemiologist
Your_Local_Epidemiologist is run by public health professional Katelin Jetelina, translating public health science into everyday use. She has been regularly posting on RSV, the flu, and COVID-19.
You can find her on Instagram and on her website.
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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.