23 May e7health.com CEO Discusses COVID-19, Masks and J&J Vaccine
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Baktari
Jonathan Baktari, MD
CEO of e7health.com
Dr. Baktari dicusses COVID-19 vaccinations as well as the nine vaccinated New York Yankees have now tested positive for COVID-19. They all received the J&J vaccine.
MedicalResearch.com: There are nine known COVID positive results among members of the Yankees, previously immunized with the J&J vaccine. Do you know if the players have become ill or just tested positive on routine testing?
Response: Only 1 out of the 9 was mildly symptomatic and were all picked up as part of MLB testing protocol.
MedicalResearch.com: Do you know how long after they were vaccinated that they tested positive? Do you know of other incidences of positive reactions after vaccinations?
Response: According to MLB, all players tested positive after receiving the J&J vaccine. All were at least 14 days after the vaccine was administered. The 14 days post vaccination is when J&J is supposed to be effective in preventing serious illness and death.
MedicalResearch.com: Who should continue to wear masks and where?
Response: Anyone unvaccinated should wear a mask at all times especially indoors. Vaccinated people who are not at least 14 days after completing their vaccine series should also wear a mask. People who have been vaccinated but have underlying conditions may consider wearing a mask as extra precaution depending on their situation.
MedicalResearch.com: Should the J&J vaccine be avoided?
Response: The J&J continues to be a very effective vaccine if you measure effectiveness by preventing severe illness and death. We knew ahead of time that the J&J is only about 67% to 80% effective in preventing asymptomatic or mild disease. But where it matters which is severe illness and death, J&J COVID vaccine is very effective.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the prospects for the need for booster vaccination against COVID variants?
Response:: The answer to that is not yet known because there has not been enough time to study the issue. We will know if we need a booster when we better understand when and if our immunity peters out from natural infection and from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The other determinant whether we will need a booster is if a new variant comes out that the current crop of approved COVID-19 vaccines do not cover or the new variant can re-infect patients with the original COVID-19 virus.
MedicalResearch.com: What is your opinion regarding travel, domestically or internationally?
Response: If you have been fully vaccinated, traveling domestically given the current situation is safe. Of course, taking general precautions is still recommended such as avoiding crowds, especially indoors if it can be avoided. If possible, avoiding indoor contact with large groups of unvaccinated people would be advisable.
In terms of traveling internationally, most of the world is still in the midst of a large number of COVID-19 infections. Ideally, it would be better to defer travel to the hotspots of COVID infection internationally for the time being.
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Last Updated on May 23, 2021 by Marie Benz MD FAAD