COVID-19

Cases & News

By Kilani Monterroso '21

In State Cases

During the week of May 16th, starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday, May 16th, health officials have announced 8,528 new cases over the past 7 days. As of 5/22, in total, there are 216 deaths due to COVID-19 in the state of Illinois.


Source: ABC7 Chicago News

Last Updated on 5/24/2021 at 8:10am

Global Cases

Globally, there are 167,240,144 COVID-19 cases. That total number includes people who have recently got infected, died, or recovered from COVID-19.

Specifically, there have been 3,465,238 COVID-19 deaths around the world.

Lastly, there are 1,673,587,247 vaccines that have been distributed around the world. That number doesn't include only one person, it includes the first and second doses that one person has received.

Source: John Hopkins Uni. & Medicine

Last Updated on 5/24/2021 at 8:14am

The Different Vaccines and How They Help Against COVID-19

On February 8, 2021, the dialysis facilities were working with the federal government and local and state departments to distribute the COVID-19 vaccines. They wanted the COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed evenly to prevent this virus.

Moderna and Pfizer

Both Moderna and Pfizer have made COVID-19 vaccines that are similar to each other. For the Moderna vaccine, people must get 2 doses and they must be 28 days apart from each other. Only people who are 18 years and older can receive Moderna’s vaccine. Moderna’s vaccine is 94.1% effective. For the Pfizer vaccine, people must also get 2 doses and they must be 21 days apart from each other. People who are 16 years or older can receive Pfizer’s vaccine. Pfizer’s vaccine is 95% effective. People have shown side effects of the vaccines 1 or 2 days after getting vaccinated. If people only decide to get one dose from one of these vaccines then that means they will only be 50% protected against the virus of COVID-19. If people decide to get both doses of whichever vaccine then it will take them at least 36 days to be fully immune to the virus after getting both doses. When people decide to get the second dose they have to wait for 2 weeks to pass for the body to be immune. Then after those 2 weeks they won’t have to quarantine and they can hangout with other family and friends who have gotten vaccinated without wearing a mask.

On April 14, 2021, the CDC decided to pause the the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This is because doctors reported rare blood clots that were caused by this vaccine. Everyone who had these blood clots were hospitalized immediately.

Johnson & Johnson

The COVID-19 vaccine that Johnson & Johnson has created is only for people who are 18 years or older. People only need one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. People who have received the vaccine have experienced mild to moderate side effects 7 days after getting vaccinated. This vaccine is only 66.3% effective against COVID-19. Recently, the FDA and CDC have paused the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to cases of blood clots in the large blood vessels with low levels of blood platelets. Blood platelets are blood cells that help the human body to stop bleeding. These severe cases have been mostly found in women age 50 and older. Nonetheless, eleven days later, the FDA and CDC lifted the pause on this vaccine and it is now continuing to be distributed in the United States. It is advised that if people have received this COVID-19 vaccine they should monitor their body and symptoms very closely. They should call their doctor, call 9-1-1, or go to the emergency room for anything unusual or if they feel like they're experiencing a life threatening situation.

All 3 Vaccines Side Effects and Information

All three vaccines cause pain, redness, and swelling in the arm where the shot was inserted. Other side effects include feeling tired, having a headache, having muscle pain, experiencing chills, feeling nauseous, and getting a fever. In rare cases people have thrown up from the vaccine but if people do, that is nothing to be worried about. Side effects can affect someone from 1 to 7 days after getting the vaccine; meanwhile, others won’t experience any side effects. Usually people who get the first dose of the vaccine won’t feel any side effects aside from pain in the arm, but once people get the second dose of the vaccine, it has been reported that they start to feel more side effects and have needed to take the next day off from work and/or school. The CDC noted that younger adults are much more prone to experiencing multiple side effects after the second dose than older adults. This is because the immune system of younger adults has a stronger response to the vaccine itself.

Before getting the vaccine you should eat a big meal so you don’t feel any faintness or dizziness after receiving the shot. You should also remain at the vaccination site for at least 15 minutes following the injection. Very few people have gotten an allergic reaction, such as trouble breathing, swelling of the face and throat, rash, and/or low blood pressure; however, it is important to wait and see how your specific system reacts before leaving the appointment.

The live virus of COVID-19 isn’t in the vaccines itself, so if people develop COVID-19 shortly after getting vaccinated then it's not because of the vaccine. This, instead, means someone came in contact with COVID-19 before or after getting vaccinated.

Sources Used