Close to 5,000 Intermountain caregivers have received the COVID-19 vaccination as of December 22. Intermountain will continue to prioritize vaccination for caregivers most likely to be exposed to COVID-19. Over the next several weeks and by spring 2021, we expect to be able to vaccinate all caregivers who want to be vaccinated.
For prioritized caregivers, for all caregivers, and for patients and the general public — we all need to follow available prevention methods to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19.
Eddie Stenehjem, MD, medical director of antibiotic stewardship and infectious diseases physician, says, “Getting vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus prevents people from becoming ill with COVID-19. It protects our communities and caregivers from the severe complications from this infection. In addition to our public health measures, COVID-19 vaccines are another layer of protection we can offer to our caregivers and communities.”
Even after being vaccinated we still need to continue with masking, social distancing, and sanitizing precautions, says Dr. Stenehjem. “We don’t know if the vaccination prevents asymptomatic infection in addition to preventing symptomatic infections,” he says. “There’s a good chance the vaccines prevent people from getting sick with COVID-19, but we don’t yet have evidence from vaccine studies on whether vaccines prevent a person from becoming asymptomatically infected. If people are asymptomatically infected, they can still transmit the virus to people that may get very sick. We have to continue to wear masks and follow our public health measures.”
Another complication, an emerging variant strain of the virus has been identified in the United Kingdom — and while there haven’t been any reports of the variant in the U.S., minimizing community transmission of the virus will slow development of any mutations. Tamara Sheffield, MD, medical director of community health and prevention, says more research is needed to help us understand the effects the variant may have on vaccines.
“The new SARS-CoV-2 variant that’s circulating in the U.K. contains 23 mutations that weren’t present in the original virus identified from China in January,” Dr. Sheffield says. “Studies are underway to determine if this variant is more transmissible (more contagious) or causes more severe disease, and to understand how the effectiveness of the vaccines — especially those currently FDA-authorized — could be impacted by these mutations. All viruses are prone to develop mutations, and it’s expected for respiratory illnesses like COVID-19. Most mutations actually weaken viruses but sometimes can make vaccines less effective or cause more severe disease.”
To help prevent spread, Dr. Stenehjem, Dr. Sheffield, and Intermountain’s infectious diseases and Community health teams recommend everyone continue to follow CDC guidance around the holidays and into 2021. This includes limiting social gatherings to your household, opting for virtual get-togethers rather than in-person with those outside your household, and continuing to mask, wear appropriate PPE, and practicing good hand hygiene.
Please learn about and consider vaccination for yourselves when they become available to you. More information and answers to common questions can be found on our public COVID-19 vaccine website and on our caregiver vaccine website. This article gives a timeline for vaccinations at Intermountain facilities.
If you have additional questions, speak with your leader, email covid19@imail.org, or pose your questions on our Intermountain COVID-19 Yammer group.