Plum Health Blog
Coronavirus Vaccine Update for March 23rd 2021
Coronavirus status for march 25th 2021
I'm upset about this most recent spike in Coronavirus cases here in Michigan and Detroit/Southeast Michigan.
Yesterday, the State of Michigan reported 4,454 new cases, and sadly we are nearing 16,000 deaths from COVID.
We can do better. We all need to get vaccinated to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our community. So far:
- 25.12% of Michiganders have received a single dose
- 14.31% of Michiganders have received both doses
That's great, but it will take 60 to 70% of us getting vaccinated to reach herd immunity.
I know that a lot of you are hesitant to get the vaccine, that's why I created this video and I answer as many questions as I possibly can to address these concerns. And, I'm happy to answer any other questions you have in the comments below.
Please - get the shot. You hold the power to save a life (or multiple lives) by getting vaccinated.
Coronavirus update march 2021
This is a presentation by Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC in Detroit Michigan regarding Coronavirus, COVID 19, Coronavirus Vaccines, and frequently asked questions about COVD 19.
Topics:
Rising cases in Michigan, potentially due to lessening of restrictions
Age groups that are at the highest risk for Coronavirus
Comorbidities and Coronavirus, and why these pre-existing conditions lead to a higher risk of dying from Coronavirus
Hospitalizations and deaths related to coronavirus in the context of coronavirus and underlying medical conditions
How the mRNA vaccines work to create the Coronavirus Spike Protein
The difference between Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson Vaccines
What is the Adenovirus Vaccine Vector for the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine
Addressing a myth: the vaccine will alter my DNA - this is not true, the mRNA vaccine does not alter your DNA
Why the mRNA is easier and safer to produce and why it’s safer for patients
When will you get your vaccine? ie When will the coronavirus vaccine be available to me? (12:00)
Comparing and contrasting the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson Vaccines
all of the vaccines are 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and death
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a 1 shot vaccine, so it may be better for specific populations
Comparing Polio to Coronavirus and Elvis Presley to Dolly Parton
How many vaccine doses have been given?
Is the Coronavirus Vaccine safe? (22:00)
If I’ve already had Covid, should I still get the Coronavirus Vaccine?
Should I get vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine if I’m currently sick with Coronavirus?
Should I get vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine if I’m currently pregnant or breastfeeding?
Vaccine efficacy against the South Africa and United Kingdom variants?
When will the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine be available?
What is Coronavirus Antibody testing (34:00)
What about myocarditis in college athletes who’ve had coronavirus?
Will there be a booster shot for Coronavirus vaccines?
What vitamins should you take to help ward off Coronavirus?
How common is Anaphylaxis after you get the Coronavirus Vaccine?
Can getting the Coronavirus cause problems with your immune system?
Thanks for reading and watching and have a wonderful day,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Oakland County Vaccine Rollout Update
COVID-19 vaccine update in Oakland County: Save Your Spot Sign-up Available until Vaccine Supply Increases
Pontiac, Michigan – Oakland County Health Division (OCHD) is asking residents to remain patient during this time because of the overwhelming demand for the COVID-19 vaccine. The Health Division has received 7,800 doses, administered about 5,600 vaccines, and scheduled an estimated 17,000-plus first- and second-dose appointments through the end of February. Minimal vaccine supply, however, limits our ability to schedule appointments for the hundreds of thousands of eligible workers and Oakland County residents who are still waiting to be vaccinated. Use the newly launched Save Your Spot link on our website oaklandcountyvaccine.com to help us identify individuals who are eligible and interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. For anyone unable to complete the form, call our upgraded health hotline at 800-848-5533.
"We are asking the community to help us plan for administering future doses of vaccine we receive by completing this new form," said County Executive David Coulter. "This will help us reach residents and workers who are eligible for vaccination when more doses become available. As we receive more vaccine, we will continue to administer them quickly and efficiently until everyone has the opportunity to receive the vaccine."
The Health Division is currently vaccinating individuals in phases 1A and 1B of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) COVID-19 vaccination plan who work or live in Oakland County.
The Health Division is following MDHHS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for prioritizing distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to individuals. According to MDHHS, those now eligible to receive the vaccine include:
Healthcare workers
Residents 65 years and older
Frontline essential workers including police officers, first responders, frontline state and federal workers, jail, and prison staff; and preK-12 teachers and childcare providers (Phase 1B)
In addition to frontline essential workers, there are over 217,000 residents age 65 and older eligible to receive the vaccine in Oakland County. To receive updates on COVID-19 vaccine availability, register your email address at oaklandcountyvaccine.com or text OAKGOV COVID to 468311. The Health Division phone lines are very busy and sometimes Nurse on Call receives over 20,000 calls per day. Oakland County appreciates the public's patience. Nurse on Call is available at 800-848-5533 to answer health-related questions, make COVID-19 testing appointments, and assist those unable to complete the 'Save Your Spot' link.
Currently the COVID-19 vaccine is available through local health departments and local health systems. Residents are encouraged to check their health providers online medical chart or portal as all local health systems are going to start making appointments for their patients once they vaccinate their medical personnel.
Vaccine information can be found at:
Oakland County: https://oaklandcountyvaccine.com/
MDHHS: Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html
More information about COVID-19 can be found on the Health Division's website at www.oakgov.com/covid. For up-to-date public health information, follow @publichealthOC on Facebook and Twitter.
City of Detroit Vaccine Rollout Update
The vaccine rollout here in Michigan has been relatively slow compared to other states. The Washington Post has a great article tracking vaccinations. Here’s where Michigan stands in the COVID vaccine effort:
At least 222,379 first doses have been administered (total population is 9.987 million)
covering 5.2% of the prioritized population...
and 2.2% of the state’s population.
Michigan has been allocated 696,600 doses,
enough to vaccinate 16.0% of the prioritized population...
and 7.0% of the state’s population.
On Monday, we received a press release from the City of Detroit about the Coronavirus Vaccine out of the TCF Center. Here it is, in full:
Statement from Detroit COO Hakim Berry on TCF COVID Vaccine Scheduling process
Since 9am this morning our COVID vaccine scheduling call center staffed by Rock Connections has experienced extremely high volumes, receiving more than 100,000 calls. Those who predicted that Detroiters would not be interested in receiving the vaccine were clearly incorrect.
Rock Connections has already increased its call center staff from 42 to 56 representatives booking the appointments. Call Center hours have now been increased by two hours a day and will operate 9 AM and 8 PM.
Our system is set up so that calls will not be kept on hold if there is more than a half-hour wait to speak to a representative. If your call is dropped, please call later today or anytime this week. At any point the wait time is under 30 minutes, your call will go through.
A major cause of call volumes is a large number calls from individuals who are not eligible. We do not have the capacity to answer questions from people under 75 or non-Detroiters about vaccinations in general. If you are not eligible to book the vaccine, please do not tie up the call lines.
As a reminder, people should call 313-230-0505 to schedule an appointment only if they meet the following qualifications:
A Detroit resident 75 and older
Any “good neighbor" 65 and older who drives a 75 year old (or older) Detroit resident to TCF
The following Group B essential workers: K-12 teachers and support staff and child care workers
We are booking 20,000 appointments through February 5th. The call center has the ability to book up to 4,000 appointments per day, so we expect to be booking appointments at least through the end of the day Friday. We will add to those appointments as fast as the federal government provides vaccines.
We thank Detroiters for their patience in this process and, most of all, for their commitment to being vaccinated so life can get back to normal as soon as possible.
This is somewhat frustrating, because the listed qualifications above are narrower than what was previously released. The previous statements from the State of Michigan include more people in the Phase IB, but the City of Detroit must be focusing on Group A only at this time, which includes only seniors over the age of 75:
Group A:
Persons 75 years of age or older not covered in Phase 1A.
This includes those in a congregate setting that were not reached in Phase 1A.
Henry Ford Health System Vaccine RollOut
Henry Ford Health System is also rolling out the vaccine here in Detroit, so if you have a MyChart account with Henry Ford, you could potentially receive an email from Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) about this vaccine option. See below for full details - this information was sent out to HFHS staff on January 8th.
What’s interesting to note is that Henry Ford is following the State of Michigan guidelines for eligibility, including “anyone 65 years and older and a broader category of essential workers.”
We have made considerable progress vaccinating our team members, having administered first doses to nearly 17,000 employees, with second doses underway for those vaccinated during our first days of the campaign. We are now expanding eligibility to volunteers, Henry Ford retirees 65 years and older, and approximately 3,000 students from our clinical education community. Additionally, we are partnering with multiple leaders across our region in a collaborative effort to vaccinate private practice physicians and other healthcare workers.
As you likely know, the state of Michigan has also expanded guidelines for eligibility to include anyone 65 years and older and a broader category of essential workers. Based on that guidance, we are finalizing our plans to begin vaccinating patients and members that meet those guidelines beginning next week.
Sites: We plan to launch two types of sites over time – those that will operate from our existing primary care clinics and others designed to serve as “mass vaccination sites” to accommodate larger numbers of patients safely, provide greater access and parking, and operate without disruption to our normal clinical activities. Here’s a breakdown by market:
South - The K-building at Henry Ford Hospital will open Monday, Jan. 11, with Henry Ford Medical Center – Ford Road expected to open by the end of next week
North - Three sites are expected to open by the end of next week: Henry Ford Medical Centers Lakeside and Columbus and the HAP Troy administrative building
Central - Two sites are expected to open next week: One Jackson Square as early as Monday, Jan. 11, followed by Henry Ford Allegiance Specialty Hospital, the current site for drive-through testing
Staffing: We know staffing continues to be a challenge but we have identified a number of viable options including our own primary care team members to staff the medical center locations. Additionally, HR plans to activate our central staffing model early next week to help identify needs, as well as team members who may be able to redeploy.
Scheduling & Patient Engagement: Initially, we will need to prioritize existing Henry Ford patients 65 years and older and plan to contact them proactively via email, providing resources to help them make an informed decision and encouraging them to sign up for MyChart if they haven’t already, for online scheduling when appointments become available.
We know that much of this is new territory and we will need to be agile as things change. A complex, community-wide vaccination campaign of this size and uniqueness requires unprecedented partnership, innovation and determination. We can’t imagine pulling this off with any other team and we are so proud of your efforts in service to our communities and each other.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck navigating these vaccine resources.
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Frustrations Around Vaccine Rollout are Palpable
As we learn more about Coronavirus Vaccine availability, we'll keep you updated.
Vaccine Options for Oakland County Residents
For residents of Oakland County, there are some options, but they are not robust at this time.
One option would be the Oakland County Health Department. It looks like they are not yet vaccinating https://oaklandcountyvaccine.com/eligibility/
You could periodically check this website to see when they are opening up mass vaccinations.
The other option would be Beaumont Health. However, their website crashed on Friday from people trying to make appointments.
You could try to create an account via the MyBeaumont Chart, here: https://www.beaumont.org/my-beaumont-chart and hope that they send an email to you.
Some of our patients have received an email invitation via the Beaumont MyChart system to get the vaccine. They are trying to give it to people over 75 and then over 65 years of age.
Henry Ford Hospital is doing something similar. Here’s some information from the Detroit Free Press:
Don't call us. We'll call you.
That's what the state's COVID-19 vaccine website and many local health departments are telling seniors, teachers, child care workers and law enforcement officers who will be eligible starting Monday for coronavirus vaccines through an expansion of the statewide immunization program.
In part, that's because local health officials had almost no heads up before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced anyone 65 or older would soon be eligible to be vaccinated.
Whitmer announced Wednesday that starting next week, people in Priority 1B group will be able to get COVID-19 vaccines along with health care workers, people living and working in long-term care facilities and emergency medical responders who are part of the 1A Priority group.
In short, a lot of people are feeling frustrated and confused about the vaccine roll out - you're not alone in this.
As we know more information, we will share it with you.
As an addendum, in yesterday’s blog we talked about the Vaccine Rollout at the TCF Center in Detroit. Some of our patients have been calling the number since 9 am and it has been continually busy. If you get through, please send me an email or drop a comment on the bottom of this post.
- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Coronavirus Update with Daily Detroit and Dr. Paul Thomas
This week, we had a great conversation with Jeremiah Staes of Daily Detroit about where we stand in terms of the Coronavirus, the number of infections, the number of deaths, and the status of the vaccine.
Will There Be Another Spike in Cases After the Holiday Season?
There were 8 million travelers who flew during the holiday season. It’s possible that we may see a large spike in new cases after the holiday break as more people visit friends and family out of state, contract the virus, and bring it back to Michigan. We may see a lag in this spike as people tend to be busier around the holiday season and this can cause people not to want to visit the doctor’s office to get tested during this time. So, we shall see what happens.
Can I Work Out at the Gym During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Just because a place is open, it doesn’t mean that it’s a great place to hang out at. This definitely applies to gyms, as gyms are a great place to pick up the coronavirus. In the gym, people are touching multiple surfaces, breathing heavily, and coming into close contact. Just think of all of the surfaces inside a gym locker, or a treadmill, or an elliptical machine, or a rack of weights. It’s virtually impossible to wipe down every single surface after every use, so it’s best to exercise outside or at home.
We Discuss Equitable Vaccine Distribution
More vaccine doses have gone to
Coronavirus Update for August 2020 in Detroit
This is Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC https://www.plumhealthdpc.com/ and I'm giving a Coronavirus Update for August 2020.
What's up with the spikes of cases in Oakland and Macomb County recently? It's likely that people are gathering for big events (I'm looking at you Jobbie Nooner, 43rd Port Huron Float Down, and the unofficial Woodward Dream Cruise) and not wearing masks or maintaining social distancing.
Stay safe. Wash your hands. Wear a mask. Protect yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbors, near and far.
#PlumHealth #CoronavirusUpdate #DirectPrimaryCare
Help Protect Other People From Coronavirus, Wear A Mask
How can you help protect yourself and other people from coronavirus? Wear a Mask
This week, Daily Detroit asked me a ton of questions about the Coronavirus and how to protect yourself, your family, and your community from the spreading virus. It boils down to wearing a mask. I answer many other questions during the podcast, listen here:
Why Should I wear a Mask?
You should wear a mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Here’s why:
Coronavirus has a long incubation period. People can have the virus without knowing it or having symptoms for about 4 to 5 days on average. This 4 - 5 day period of having the virus without showing symptoms is known as the incubation period. Some people can be in this incubation period for up to 14 days! Therefore, you could be walking around, infected with coronavirus and unknowingly spreading the virus to your friends, family, coworkers, and vulnerable people in your community. This is the main reason why you should wear a mask.
Coronavirus does not always cause symptoms. For COVID-19, data to date suggest that 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe infection, requiring oxygen and 5% are critical infections, requiring ventilation. So, in most cases, if you get the Coronavirus, you’ll be asymptomatic. If you’re asymptomatic, you can still spread the virus, so it’s important to wear a mask to prevent spreading the virus to your close contacts.
Wearing a mask prevents you from spreading the virus via respiratory droplets. When you talk, cough, sneeze, sing, yell, or breathe, you give off tiny respiratory droplets. These droplets carry the coronavirus and can land on surfaces or land in the noses or mouths or eyes of your close contacts. Wearing a mask puts a physical barrier between your nose and mouth and those around you, and therefore decreases the spread of droplets and the spread of coronavirus. If you want to explore this further, check out this blog post from Indian Express. Briefly, if you wear a mask it reduces the amount of bacterial and viral particles that you expel from your mouth when talking, as demonstrated in this image.
This PhD Scientist demonstrates bacterial growth related to wearing a mask vs not wearing a mask.
Why are bars being told to shut down?
Many bars in Michigan are closed or being ordered to close after outbreaks of coronavirus. There are four big reasons why bars are the best places to get coronavirus:
People drink at bars, and it’s difficult to wear a mask while drinking. Without a mask, it’s easier to spread Covid 19.
There tends to be loud music at bars, so people tend to raise their voices and speak more forcefully. This forceful speech tends to spread more respiratory droplets, which leads to an easier spread of coronavirus.
People tend to get closer to one another at bars - the less physical distance between people, the easier it is to spread Covid 19.
Bars are enclosed, intimate spaces, usually with poor ventilation. Many bars are windowless with low ceilings and poor ventilation systems. This can serve as a great space for a virus to circulate.
This is why bars like Harper’s in East Lansing have seen outbreaks of Coronavirus.
Here’s what Daily Detroit had to say:
Welcome to the holiday weekend, everybody. This is certainly a strange one, with coronavirus numbers once again on the upswing in Michigan and across much of the country, adding a complicated wrinkle to what is normally one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
On today’s show, we make a house call to our friend Dr. Paul Thomas, founder of Plum Health Direct Primary Care in Detroit, for help answering your burning questions about COVID-19. We talk face masks, whether it’s safe to eat at restaurants or fly on airplanes, what to make of coronavirus liability waivers and more. And we’ll remind you that if you’ve got health-related questions about coronavirus, send ’em to us at dailydetroit@gmail.com and we’ll do our best to include them in future episodes with Dr. Paul. You can even send us audio of your question and we’ll try to work that audio into the show.
Also, we talk the latest, dispiriting COVID-19 data from the state and how we’re holding up from a mental health perspective more than three months into this weird, horrible quarantine that unfortunately shows little sign of ending anytime soon.
Thanks for reading, and stay safe out there!
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Coronavirus Update For Detroit Michigan: What Happens Next?
Current Number of Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in Michigan
Covid 19 has been with us for well over 2 months now, and here’s where we stand:
45,045 Cases in Michigan
4250 Deaths in Michigan
657 new cases today
71 new deaths today
Despite the high numbers of total cases (cumulative cases) and cumulative deaths, there is a distinct downward trend in new cases each day. This is great, and it demonstrates the effectiveness of increased testing, social distancing parameters, government interventions like shutting down bars and movie theaters, as well as limiting the capacity of restaurants.
Percentage of People Testing Positive for Covid-19 in Michigan
In Michigan, about 23% of those who have been tested have tested positive for Covid-19. From April 6 to April 27th, the average percentage of positive tests has declined from almost 40% to just over 16%, which is well above the World Health Organization's 3% to 12% recommendation, but moving in the right direction.
Comparing Coronavirus in Finland, Sweden, and Norway
Some groups in the United States have demanded a re-opening of the country, and some of those have pointed to Sweden as a model country. However, Sweden has had worse outcomes with Coronavirus than its neighboring Scandinavian countries.
Finland has 5,573 cases and 252 total deaths
Norway has 7,915 cases and 215 total deaths
Sweden has 23,918 cases and 2,941 total deaths
It’s important to understand what’s working and what’s not working globally so that we can inform our own public policy at the National, State, County, and City level.
When will the Coronavirus Vaccine Be Available?
The Coronavirus vaccine will likely be ready in late 2021. There are multiple phases and stages that the vaccine has to go through, and we’re near the beginning of that process.
What is Direct Primary Care?
Some of you have asked more about Plum Health and Direct Primary Care - we provide a membership model for health care and we believe that health care should be affordable and accessible for everyone. We take care of patients of all ages and stages, from across the metro region, and of varying insurance coverages (including uninsured and underinsured folks). We love saving people money on healthcare services and delivering excellent care and service for our members.
A Few Thank You Notes!
Thank you to Max and his team at Commonwealth Sewing Company for the work they’re doing around making masks in Detroit. Thank you to Tyson Gersh at the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative for delivering 100 KN95 masks to our office - we appreciate you! And thank you to the team at MI FACE SHIELDS for providing us with 60 face shields - this is just another way we can protect ourselves and our patients during this time.
Thanks for reading and watching - Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Coronavirus Update: Have we Flattened the Curve in Michigan?
Coronavirus Update for Detroit and Michigan
As of the filming of this video, there were 32,967 coronavirus cases in the State of Michigan and 2,700 confirmed deaths in the State of Michigan. The increase from April 21st to April 22nd was 967 new cases and 232 new deaths.
This death count was pushed up by deaths that occurred previously and were not attributed to Coronavirus, but are now attributed to Coronavirus. In the video, we mistakenly attributed this jump in new deaths to perhaps an accurate counting of bodies at DMC's Sinai Grace Hospital (https://www.wxyz.com/news/coronavirus/disturbing-images-show-bodies-piled-up-at-sinai-grace-hospital-in-detroit), but this was not the case.
Flattening the Curve
In Detroit and in Michigan, we seem to be flattening the curve. Our public health efforts and the greater community support of these measures seems to be working to reduce the number of new infections. On April 3rd, there were nearly 2,000 cases reported that day. As of April 22nd, there were only 967 new cases reported. This is a good sign that we're being effective in our community strategies and social distancing efforts.
How Vaccines Work and How They May Help Us Prevent Coronavirus in the Future
Vaccines work when scientists are able to take a virus, break it down, and inject only the protein capsule into the body. That's what we, as scientists, do with the flu vaccine. We remove the RNA from the virus, the part of the virus that replicates and creates more viruses, and we give our patients only the viral proteins.
This way, our bodies can create antibodies or a robust immune response to the viral proteins, and prevent a larger infection from taking hold when we're exposed to the actual virus.
What's an Example of a Successful Vaccine from the Past?
Let's use Polio as an example.
In the late 1940s, polio outbreaks in the U.S. increased in frequency and size, crippling an average of more than 35,000 people each year. Parents were frightened to let their children go outside, especially in the summer when the virus seemed to peak. Travel and commerce between affected cities were sometimes restricted. Public health officials imposed quarantines (used to separate and restrict the movement of well people who may have been exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become ill) on homes and towns where polio cases were diagnosed.(https://www.cdc.gov/polio/what-is-polio/polio-us.html)
In 1952, the number of polio cases in the U.S. peaked at 57,879, resulting in 3,145 deaths. Those who survived this highly infectious disease could end up with some form of paralysis, forcing them to use crutches, wheelchairs or to be put into an iron lung, a large tank respirator that would pull air in and out of the lungs, allowing them to breathe. (https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-deadly-polio-epidemic-and-why-it-matters-for-coronavirus)
The first polio vaccine was available in the United States in 1955, invented by Jonas Salk.
Thanks to the polio vaccine, dedicated health care professionals, and parents who vaccinate their children on schedule, polio has been eliminated in this country for more than 30 years. This means that there is no year-round transmission of poliovirus in the United States.
Since 1979, no cases of polio have originated in the U.S.
However, the virus has been brought into the country by travelers with polio. The last time this happened was in 1993.
Hopefully, we can achieve the same results with a future Coronavirus Vaccine.
What is Herd Immunity?
Herd Immunity means that enough people in the population are immune to the Coronavirus, which will greatly limit its spread.
This Herd Immunity can be achieved in a few different ways. First, once a number of Americans get the Coronavirus, they will fight off the infection and become immune, limiting the spread of the virus once they recover.
Second, once a vaccine is developed, many more people will become immune through vaccination. Just like being vaccinated for the influenza virus, or for Polio, or for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, once you’ve been vaccinated for these viruses, your body creates immunoglobulins or antibodies to help protect you from infection from these viruses.
Unfortunately, the Coronavirus or COVID-19 vaccine will take 18 months to 2 years to develop, so this option will take a long time to achieve.
Thanks for reading and watching,
- Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Raquel Orlich with Plum Health DPC