GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - As the nation learned of Gen. Colin Powell’s death from COVID-19 complications, an unexpected spotlight has shone on vaccine effectiveness.
Dr. Paul Cook, an infectious disease expert with the Brody School of Medicine, says Powell’s death is not a testament to vaccine efficacy, but rather of older age and comorbidities increasing the risk of death in compromised patients. “He had two things working against him,” said Dr. Cook. “Number one, he was 84 years old, and we know that elderly people don’t respond to the vaccine as well as younger people. Probably more important though is that he had multiple myeloma, which is a form of cancer.” Cancer attacked Powell’s plasma cells and left his body’s immune system severely compromised. He was supposed to get his booster vaccine shot last week, but fell too ill to receive it. Dr. Cook says though General Powell’s death is unfortunate, it was not unexpected. “Breakthrough cases were not unanticipated at all,” said Dr. Cook. “Any vaccine that we have on the market now is not perfect.” In comparison to other vaccines in use, like the flu vaccine, Dr. Cook says the COVID-19 vaccine is actually much more effective. He encourages anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so. This is a sentiment Congressman G.K. Butterfield echoes for his constituents. “What we see with General Powell is an example of what can happen,” said Butterfield. “So, I encourage all of my constituents to get fully vaccinated and let’s follow the guidelines so it will not happen to us as it happened to General Powell.” Butterfield knew Powell personally and referred to him as an extraordinary leader. “General Powell just devoted everything that he had to keeping America safe and keeping America great,” said Butterfield. The Powell family shared a message of gratitude to the staff of Walter Reed National Medical Center, where General Powell received treatment. They wrote, “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American.” Flags have been ordered to fly at half-staff in General Powell’s honor. As the nation’s first black secretary of state and a decorated veteran, his legacy is remembered by all.
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PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports only 31 percent of pregnant individuals have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
This is why the CDC issued an urgent health advisory to increase COVID-19 vaccination for those who are pregnant, recently pregnant, lactating, trying to become pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future. One Pitt County mom got her first dose of the Moderna vaccine at 22 weeks pregnant, per her doctor’s recommendation. And she is glad she did. “Being pregnant during a global pandemic is not what anyone imagines, so you have to think about the long run and how you can protect them long term,” said Mary Potts as she held her two-month-old baby girl, Cecilia. The CDC recommends that the current best way to protect infants is through passive immunity via the vaccine. This is something Dr. Kerianne Crockett, an OBGYN expert from the Brody School of Medicine, agrees with. “The risks of the infection in pregnancy far, far, far outweigh any theoretical suspicion for some risk about the vaccine in pregnancy,” says Dr. Crockett. “It’s horrible. This virus is terrible. And when somebody who’s pregnant gets really, really sick it’s extremely complicated to manage them.” The CDC says symptomatic COVID-positive pregnant people have a two-fold risk of admission into intensive care and a 70% increased risk of death. Some of the COVID-19 pregnancy risk outcomes include preterm birth, stillbirth, and admission into the ICU of a newborn also infected with COVID-19. “This frequency of this specific diagnosis in repetition being the reason that pregnant or an immediately postpartum person ends up in the intensive care unit. This is way different than anything else.” As of last week, the CDC reported over 125,000 positive cases of COVID-19 in pregnant people. It has seen 22,000 hospitalizations and 161 deaths. August 2021 alone accounts for 22 of those total deaths. “I couldn’t imagine being in a position where I didn’t put her first,” Potts said about her new addition to the family. The CDC hopes that further education via health departments and clinicians on the benefits and safety of the vaccine in pregnant individuals will aid in increasing the vaccination rate.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - The city of Greenville has proposed a plan to spend the $24.7 million it is receiving from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.
The largest portion of allocated funds sits at $22.6 million with the intended use of enhancing entertainment and recreation activities in the city. This will include improvements to Guy Smith Stadium, the 2016 Town Common Master Plan, the expansion of Thomas Foreman Park, and a trail connection between Town Common and Wildwood. Some in the community have taken to Facebook to share their opinions on the spending plan. Pam Etheridge is a Greenville resident and moderator of the Greenville, NC/Pitt County Moms Facebook group. Yesterday she shared the city’s post about its allocation plans and scheduled a Zoom session across a few platforms to get people talking. “Our voices needed to be heard because it kind of felt like we were an afterthought, that a proposal was already made by the city,” said Etheridge. In her opinion, these “pet projects” can wait and the funds would be better served directly supporting the communities hit hardest by COVID-19. “That’s not bringing any help to our impoverished community, the people most affected by COVID,” said Etheridge. “Most of those are people of color and women. We need more money because we need more jobs here.” Etheridge has personal experience working hard to make ends meet for her family. She says she’s had to stretch $40 a week for food and gas for her and her 5-year-old and that struggle is difficult to manage. “Do I think some of the money should be going to these things? Yes,” she explains. “But we need to be doing common sense spending.” Greenville Assistant City Manager Michael Cowin presented the allocation plan to the council earlier this month. He said there are additional dollars being spent that will directly impact marginalized communities in the area. “There’s a lot of funding for the community that may not have been clarified in the post that was on Facebook,” said Cowin. “That will be explained as part of the public input sessions tomorrow night.” Cowin said that explanation comes with a budget of $2 million for home funding from the federal government as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. “Those dollars will be going directly towards an affordable housing project for those that are either at risk of homeless[ness] or are homeless,” said Cowin. “We also have dollars that are going to street improvements.” The Zoom public input session will be the first in a series of community engagement activities to gain support and input on the funding. “The first one is on Zoom tomorrow evening and then we’ll be holding two live input sessions in the month of October so that we can start to prep for providing more input to council at its October workshop,” explained Cowin. “Hopefully the council will be in a position in November to actually consider the adoption of the plan.” The event will be held virtually on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, from 5-7 p.m. Those interested can register at this link.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - The CDC concluded a two-day advisory meeting to determine its recommendation of the Pfizer booster shot.
The meeting began shortly after the FDA offered its approval of the shot in individuals aged 65 and older, adults with underlying health conditions, and those in high-risk positions like teachers, grocery workers, healthcare professionals, and those in homeless shelters or prisons. In North Carolina, 57 percent of individuals have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot. 52 percent of residents have received both doses. 87 percent of residents aged 65 and older are fully vaccinated across the state. “We’ve got ample supply of the vaccines to cover the persons that are at high risk,” said Dr. Paul Cook of the Brody School of Medicine. “I think it can be done and it can be done in a manner that doesn’t create chaos. The Pfizer vaccine is good at refrigerator temperature for 30 days. Most doctors’ offices can give the vaccine. This is likely to roll out in a reasonable fashion and offer additional protection for those who are vulnerable.” The infectious disease expert said that for the general population, the two-dose recommendation should be enough to appropriately protect them from the virus by keeping them out of the hospital and alive. However, if another variant arises, which Cook says is likely, the CDC and FDA may need to reevaluate their recommendations. For many in the area, the approval is something they’ve been keeping a close eye on. “They keep saying that the boosters are available or would be available after this date. So, I got online this morning and was checking,” said Pfizer vaccine recipient Gloria Schwartz. “I have arthritis so my immune system is low anyway, and that is why I’m thinking of a booster shot. I’d like to be able to be out and about and do things.” As of now, the CDC has backed the use of Pfizer’s booster shot for those 65 and older, nursing home residents, and people who are 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions, as reported by the Associated Press.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - As pediatric cases of COVID-19 rise in the community, the demand for specialized testing is strong.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported over 10,000 cases in children under the age of 18 last week. “With the expansion of the Delta variant, and we know that more kids are getting infected and it’s more contagious, it is extremely important now to test kids,” says pediatric doctor Sherif Taha. “The only way we can tell the exact size of the problem is to know how many people got the virus.” The start of school and the resuming of group daycares has led to a rise in COVID-19 exposures among young children that are not yet able to be vaccinated. Parents are then met with the need to find alternative childcare solutions, all while attempting to have their little ones tested in order to return back to their activities. For children, this is particularly harder than for adults. Pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS only accept patients three years old and up. So for a local mom of an exposed five-month-old, it wasn’t an option. Some pediatricians provide testing services, but it is entirely dependent on the office’s patient load. Logan Keziah-Hamill, a local parent of a three-year-old, took extra precautions for the last 18 months to ensure her daughter’s safety. After returning to daycare for less than 7 days, she was back at home and scheduled for a drive-up test with her pediatrician. “I worry about all the other parents who don’t have that kind of support, and I hope that everyone in the community will do what they can to make it easier on everyone,” said Keziah-Hamill. “Masking and vaccination and all of those things, so that myself and other parents don’t have to be put in this position all the time.” Some parents are left to try Vidant Health’s testing site. Wait times have been said to expand six hours. The Maynard Children’s Hospital noticed the demand of pediatric testing and opened a new drive-up, appointment-only testing site. So far, it is reducing the burden on local families who value their children’s health as top priority. Appointments can be made between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling 252-816-3720. |
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