November 16, 2020 - Help is On the Way
Help is On the Way
November 16, 2020
ADPH’s daily report offers a brief respite from five days of nearly 2,000 or more cases per day. With 1,410 more cases today (incl. 256 probables) and 7,197 tests, the State’s one-day positivity rate is 19.6% and the 7-day moving average is between 23 and 24%, depending on the tracker. Remember - the data today was transmitted from testing labs yesterday, a Sunday, when some labs were closed.
The State’s hospitalizations resumed their upward climb today. There are now 1,262 COVID-19 patients in 108 reporting hospitals, an increase of 69 patients from yesterday and an 80% increase since September 25. As of November 10 - when there were just 1,068 statewide COVID patients - 206 ICU beds were unoccupied and available in the State (12% of the total). With a 20% increase in overall patients in six days, ICU beds will be in shorter supply.
Despite the grim current data, however, help may soon be on the way. This morning, Moderna announced Phase 3 trial results showing its vaccine is 94.5 percent effective at preventing the illness. Of the 30,000 trial participants, there were 95 infections but only 5 infections occurred in those who received the vaccine. What’s more, 11 cases of severe disease were reported in those who got the placebo but no severe disease was reported in those who received the vaccine.
This news comes one week after Pfizer announced its vaccine was more than 90% effective. While the two vaccines share similar technology, they do differ in terms of “user friendliness.” The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius, which presents greater storage and distribution challenges than Moderna’s vaccine, which has six months of shelf life in a regular freezer, at minus 20 degrees Celsius, and up to 30 days in a refrigerator. Both vaccines will require two injections taken several weeks apart.
In a separate announcement, Johnson & Johnson launched a new late-stage trial to test a two-dose regimen of its vaccine. J&J has seen positive interim results from its ongoing clinical study that showed a single dose of its vaccine induced a robust immune response and was generally well-tolerated. The purpose of the new trial is to evaluate whether two doses will produce benefits for the duration of protection.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are expected to receive emergency use authorization later this month. By year's end, 20 million doses of the two vaccines are expected to be ready for shipment in the U.S. and 25 million more doses each month thereafter. According to Dr. Fauci, anyone in the general public in the U.S. will likely be able to get vaccinated by the end of April. The totals:
11/3 - 1037
11/4 - 1848
11/5 - 1381
11/6 - 1556
11/7 - 1768
11/8 - 1205
11/9 - 1190
11/10 - 1720
11/11 - 2070
11/12- 2000
11/13 - 2980
11/14 - 2226
11/15 - 1979
11/16 - 1410
Jefferson County reported 256 cases today, followed by Madison County with 133. No other county had as many as 100 cases, but Lauderdale County (62) and Cullman County (43) are still mired in severe outbreaks.