Over the past nine months, many people have told Katie Passaretti, MD, medical director of infection prevention at Atrium Health, that they were hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine because it didn’t have full approval from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
On August 23, the FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 16 and older. Prior to that, all COVID-19 vaccines had been approved under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) as a public health measure.
“This is great news,” Dr. Passaretti said. “Hopefully, the full approval will help some people’s comfort level and help us increase our vaccination rate, which really continues to be essential for our communities right now.”
“We’re continuing to see that we’re at a very dangerous point in this pandemic, with hospitalizations and cases still on the incline,” she said. “This news was much anticipated by a grateful crowd of infectious disease specialists and healthcare workers.”
CONFIDENCE NEVER WANED
Dr. Passaretti said the FDA’s full approval builds upon the confidence from its emergency-use approval. Large-scale trials for the Pfizer vaccine, with tens of thousands of individuals, looked at the vaccine’s efficacy and safety. Those initial trials showed that the vaccine was highly effective and highly safe.
The term “back to school” has a whole new meaning this year. Many students haven’t been in their physical school building since the spring of 2020. When the upcoming academic year begins, many school-aged children and their parents will have questions on what to expect.
Transitioning to in-person learning – in the midst of an ongoing pandemic – might be easier for some students than others. The same might be true for their parents/guardians, but the adults can set a good example for the youth.
“I recommend that parents and children start the school year with a positive outlook,” says Kathy Davis, MD, a pediatrician at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Southlake Pediatrics. “Last year was difficult for everyone, and this year will likely have challenges as well, as we are starting to see an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant.
“A child’s outlook is often influenced by their parents, so avoid negativity and try to remain optimistic! I encourage parents to try to be patient as children go back to school.”
Parents who are struggling mentally and emotionally about sending their children back to school can also take steps themselves to feel more comfortable. Talking to other parents can help as a reminder that everyone is in this together, and it’s normal if you feel a little anxious.
“There are things a parent can do to help themself and their children feel more prepared,” says Crystal Bullard, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with Atrium Health Behavioral Health Services. “For starters, parents can contact school officials to get more information about the safety measures schools have put in place to make the schools safer during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
AVOID THE SILENT TREATMENT
Dr. Bullard says people often avoid talking about things that make them anxious. But talking about returning to school can help ease students’ nerves. “Talk to them about all the things they like about school,” she says. “Remind them of good memories from prior years. This will help them focus their attention on the positive aspects of school.”
Have you ever finished most of
a project and thought that was good enough? Or ever started a project and
abandoned it?
Several years ago, a great
principal-friend gave me some tough feedback. She said, “Vanessa, I want you to
work on finishing tasks all the way to the end with excellence.”
Gulp. I wasn’t even quite sure
what she meant by that. However, as time went on and I reflected on my habits,
I recognized that I excelled at generating great ideas and starting projects
but was not-so-good at always seeing them through to completion.
Fast forward to now. Anyone
working on a doctorate would agree that the Literature Review is the most
challenging part of the process. Well, I’ve done that step. But there’s more to
do. And I must admit I haven’t put the same level of energy into the next step
because in my mind I’ve done the hard part, you know, the major part.
Perhaps this next step can
magically finish itself. Not.
I’m finished, but not really.
My committee chair spotted this right away and sent me back to the drawing
board to finish a piece of my work that wasn’t done.
As I reflect on other areas of
my life, I see evidence of great projects that were started but not quite
finished. You see, new ideas and projects are fun in the beginning when they reside
in your head. But then you realize there’s actual work that needs to be
done. And that work takes discipline and
perseverance.
So, guess what? Lately, I’ve
been making changes, searching for those unfinished places in my life. Whether
it’s the disorganized cupboard, forgotten weight-loss plan, discarded book
project, or my ongoing dissertation, I’m trying to finish things I’ve started.
How about you?
What project or idea have you abandoned or left just a bit unfinished? Is it a business or a book? A house project or goal you promised to complete this year? If so, it’s August y’all. We only have five months left.
Starting feels good. But finishing feels even better.
(A former journalist currently working on her doctorate in Social Emotional Learning, Vanessa is a dedicated and passionate educator in the DC Public Schools system. She loves learning, leadership, innovation, collaboration, and discovering new ways to drive student gains and support staff members).
Lateasa McLean, a patient representative/patient safety sitter (PSA) at Atrium Health Lincoln, was home on June 21 when she woke up feeling awful that morning. She made it to the bathroom and … “the next thing I know, I was on the floor when I came to.” This happened one week after she tested positive for COVID-19.
Lateasa crawled to her bedroom and called her daughter. Lateasa’s oxygen levels were very low when an ambulance arrived and rushed her to the hospital. “I could hardly breathe and hardly move,” she says. “I knew right then that I need to be vaccinated.”
She can’t believe her previous opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, even though as a PSA she sees everything COVID-19 patients can go through. Lateasa gets emotional now, speaking through tears and sobs, when recalling her resistance and subsequent ordeal.
“This thing was right in front of my eyes, it’s right in front of our eyes, and we’re overlooking it,” she says. “It took me getting in the hospital (with COVID-19) to realize I need to get vaccinated. It took that for me to open my eyes and see what’s going on.”
NO PROMISE EVERYTHING WOULD BE OKAY
Lateasa was admitted at Atrium Health Lincoln that day, capping a whirlwind week since she tested positive on June 14. She got tested after experiencing symptoms for a few days, including cough, diarrhea, headache, nausea, body aches, and loss of taste and smell.
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