A vaccination against COVID-19 has been long-awaited and eagerly anticipated by many, especially medical professionals on the front lines. Now that it’s here, though, it’s pretty clear that not everyone is eager to get it. One vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech’s product) obtained emergency use authorization (EUA) last week. Another (Moderna’s product) may obtain EUA yet this week. Shipments of vaccine started arriving in hospitals over the weekend, and frontline healthcare workers are
Vaccinations are a routine part of preventative healthcare. Vaccinations decrease the chances that we’ll contract infectious diseases, or that we’ll suffer critical illness if we do. We’re all hoping for a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19, and there are lots of researchers working hard on that. But it’s likely to be quite some time before there’s one available and in widespread distribution. In the meantime, we still have all
Vaccination against pneumonia is an important way to protect yourself from one of the most common life-threatening infections. Pneumonia affects people of every age, but is more serious for those at both ends of the age spectrum. It’s estimated that one million people will be hospitalized in the United States this year for pneumonia. Worse, it’s likely that 50,000 of the infections will end in death. Causes of pneumonia include
The new Shingles vaccine, Shingrix, has been in short supply for the past year. It’s starting to become more widely available, and the supply is expected to meet demand during 2020. If you’re 50 years of age or older and you haven’t been able to complete the two-shot series yet, or if you haven’t even thought about getting vaccinated, now’s the time to put it on your to-do list! What