ONE ENEMY, THE WHOLE WORLD IS FIGHTING

COVID-19

YOUR COVID-19 RESOURCE and INFORMATION CENTER

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2
The virus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus of 2019)
SARS-Co-V-2 is the name of the virus/bacteria – COVID-19 is the disease/illness
Identified in December 2019
Exact origin is still unknown
One of the deadliest viruses in human history

Alpha- Some mutations in spike protein make it more infectious. Believed to be 30-50% more contagious than original. Also, it is more likely to land infected people in the hospital and deadlier than original.
Beta- Identified at the end of 2020. 50% more contagious than the original coronavirus strain. Evidence suggests that Beta may have been more likely than any other strain to lead to hospitalization and death.
Delta- First identified in late 2020. Caused more than twice as many infections as previous variants. Caused more severe illness due to COVID-19 than other variants in people who weren’t vaccinated. Was
more likely to result in hospitalization in unvaccinated persons.
Omicron and subvariants (BA.5, BQ.1.1, XBB.1.5)- Identified in November 2021. More transmissible than Delta with XBB.1.5 being said to be the most transmissible strain of virus so far.
As of December 2023, a new variant JN.1 accounts for 44% of current cases.

Initial treatment consisted of medications repurposed for COVID-19. Currently, a variety of therapeutic options are available that include antiviral drugs (e.g., molnupiravir, paxlovid, remdesivir), anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (e.g., tocilizumab), anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., dexamethasone), immunomodulator agents (e.g., baricitinib, tocilizumab) are available under FDA issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or being evaluated in the management of COVID-19.
All clinical treatments based on the severity of illness or certain risk factors.

COVID-19 Signs and
Symptoms

Possible symptoms include:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

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Chronic Conditions and Covid-19

Patients with high body mass index (BMI) had higher costs of inpatient care. Compared to adults with healthy BMI (18.5–24.9)
Patients with high BMI had longer hospital stays compared to patients with healthy weight, ranging from 0.20 days longer for those with BMI of 35 to 39.9 to 0.71 days longer for those with BMI of ≥45. 1
Patients who had overweight or obesity had a higher risk of acute complications such as pneumonia (4%–10% higher), respiratory failure (8%– 30% higher), and acute kidney injury (8%–42% higher).1
Patients with type 1 diabetes had a 21% higher risk of being in the intensive care unit or on a mechanical ventilator and a 5% higher risk of death compared to patients without diabetes.4
Among patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 complications, 39.7% had diabetes as an underlying medical condition. The percentage increased to 46.5% for patients aged 50 to 64.5

Diabetes and COVID-19

25% of people with severe Covid-19 infections had diabetes and high blood sugar weakens the immune system and makes it less able to fight off infections. Unvaccinated people with diabetes are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

Heart Disease and COVID-19

COVID-19 increases the risk of heart issues—including clots, inflammation, and arrhythmias—a risk that persists even in relatively healthy people long after the illness has passed.

Obesity and COVID-19

Models estimate that approx. 30.2% of hospitalizations were attributed to obesity. Obesity is linked to impaired immune response. Having obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to a COVID-19 infection.

High Blood Pressure and COVID-19

People infected with SARS-CoV-2 found a significant association between the virus and the development of persistent high blood pressure among those with no prior history of high blood pressure.

The burden of COVID-19 varies by age and underlying conditions status.

COVID-19 burden is currently lower than at previous points in the pandemic, however there are still thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths each week.

The majority of the U.S. populations has some level of immunity due to infection, vaccination, or both.

Vaccine and infection-included immunity wane and new variants have emerged, suggesting that susceptibility remains and may increase over time.

Racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

The COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness. Different COVID-19 vaccines may work in our bodies differently but all provide protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. None of the COVID-19 vaccines can give you COVID-19. Bringing new vaccines to the public involves various steps, all which must be followed to ensure they are safe and effective before they are made available for use.

Learn more

Types of Vaccines Available

Pfizer

mRNA Technology
For ages 6 months and Up
Only 2023-2024 formulations are available
Previous monovalent and bivalent are no longer authorized for use

Moderna

mRNA Technology
For ages 6 months and Up
Only 2023-2024 formulations are available
Previous monovalent and bivalent are no longer authorized for use

Novavax

Protein subunit vaccines
Ages 12 years and up
Not previously vaccinated with any Covid-19 vaccine, two doses should be administered 3 weeks apart

None of the COVID-19 vaccines affect or interact with our DNA

Learn More

Dosing Requirement & Updates

Updated Dosing Requirements March 2022:

Additional booster for eligible individuals

Eligible individuals: Individuals 50 years and older or certain immunocompromised individuals
Johnson and Johnson no longer recommended
Individuals who received Johnson and Johnson are eligible to receive Pfizer and Moderna boosters

Updated Dosing Requirements May 2022:

Booster now available for children 5-11

Ages 5-11 Primary Series
Pfizer - Primary Series at .2 ml medication per dose
Booster dose administered minimum 4-6 months after completion of primary series doses
Booster dose .2 ml medication

Bivalent Boosters - September 2022:
Addresses multiple COVID-19 variants

Complete primary series to be eligible
Available to all individuals 5 years old and up
Pfizer - .3 ml of medication administer 3 months after completion of primary series for ages 12 and up
Pfizer - .2 ml of medication administer 3 months after completion of primary series for ages 5-11
Moderna - .5 ml of medication administer 3 months after completion of primary series for ages 12 and up

Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines - April 2023

Monovalent vaccines no longer authorized for use
1 dose primary series Pfizer ages 5 and up
1 dose primary series Moderna ages 6 and up
Additional dose available for ages 65 and up at least 4 months after last bivalent booster
Special consideration for immunocompromised individuals
Additional doses available as prescribed or recommended by provider

New Updated COVID-19 Vaccines - September 2023- Present

CDC recommends the 2023–2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax
Everyone aged 5 years and older should get 1 dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19.
People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine.
2023-2024 vaccine is the only formulation currently available.