What You Need to Know-Week of September 27th
The most important weekly updates for you to keep your community healthy
In this Update:
1. Urgent Updates: COVID-19 Metrics
2. Information You Need: Myocarditis among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals
3. All Things Vaccine: Are you eligible to receive a booster?
1. Urgent Updates: COVID-19 Metrics
Updated as of: 09-27-2021
Weekly case, death, and hospitalization counts
| In the past week, there has been an average of: | |
| Cases per day | 2,509 |
| Deaths per day | 43 |
| Compared to two weeks ago: | |
| Cases per day | Decreased by 3% ↓ |
| Deaths per day | Increased by 58% ↑ |
| Hospitalizations per day | Decreased by 12% ↓ |
View all data related to covid19 in arizona state
Hospital Capacity Metrics:
| Percent of Arizona hospital beds currently in use | 93% |
|---|---|
| Percent of Arizona hospital beds currently in use by COVID-19 patients | 30% |
Vaccine Information:
| Number of Arizonans | Percentage of Arizonans | Percentage in United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizonans who are fully vaccinated | 3,682,685 | 51% | 55% |
| Arizonans who have received at least one dose (of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine) |
4,162,161 |
59% |
64% |
7,654,829 total COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Arizona
See breakdown of vaccination by Arizona counties
See updated vaccine information and data in Arizona
Important note on variants: Last month in Arizona, over 98.35% of the positive SARS-CoV-2 tests that were sequenced were caused by the Delta variant.
See Arizona COVID-19 Sequencing Dashboard for more information
2. Information You Need: What we know so far about myocarditis and COVID-19
There have been a number of reports of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, among COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. We are still learning more about the relationship between myocarditis and the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Keep reading to find out more about what we know so far!
What is myocarditis?
- Myocarditis is a term used to describe inflammation of the heart. A term often used in conjunction with myocarditis is pericarditis, or inflammation of the outer lining of the heart. Many causes have been identified for these conditions, including viruses, certain autoimmune disorders (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), and some medications. Between 10 – 20 people per 100,000 are diagnosed with myocarditis each year. For children alone, the risk is reduced to about 1 to 2 cases per 100,000.
What is the risk of developing myocarditis for unvaccinated individuals who develop COVID-19?
- A recent study found that those with a COVID-19 infection are estimated to be nearly 16 times more likely to develop myocarditis compared to those without an infection.
Who is most at risk for developing myocarditis after a COVID-19 infection?
- Study results show that there was the highest risk of developing myocarditis after a COVID-19 infection for those younger than 16 and older than 75. Those between the ages of 25-39 saw the least risk for developing myocarditis after an infection.
Can people who have been vaccinated develop myocarditis?
- A small proportion of fully vaccinated individuals, mainly older adults and vaccine-eligible children (12 – 17 years old) have reported developing myocarditis. Preliminary evidence suggests that mRNA vaccines (e.g., Pfizer and Moderna) have been linked to a very small risk of developing myocarditis. However, it is important to remember that the risk of heart inflammation among unvaccinated individuals who contract COVID-19 is much higher.
- Symptoms for those who did develop myocarditis after vaccination were usually reported in the following several days after individuals received their second mRNA vaccine. Fortunately, the majority of the reported myocarditis cases associated with vaccination were mild and most quickly made a full recovery.
Who is most at risk for developing myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination?
- From the current available data, it appears teenage males (aged 12 – 17) have the highest risk of developing myocarditis after vaccination. Research is still underway to understand exactly why this risk is slightly higher among this group.
What to watch for:
- The main symptoms associated with myocarditis are shortness of breath, pain in the chest, or fast or irregular heartbeat.
- Those who do experience myocarditis, should seek medical care and report it through VAERS, a system developed to capture rare adverse events to vaccinations. You can also report this when you fill out your updates with the CDC messaging system V-Safe.
Final takeaway: For those who are able to get vaccinated, getting the vaccine is a much safer option. The CDC recommends receiving a COVID-19 vaccination, despite the low risk of myocarditis among older adults and children. The risks of myocarditis as well as many other serious health risks, such as long term health consequences, hospitalizations, and death, are drastically increased for unvaccinated individuals who develop COVID-19. Additional research is being conducted on this topic.
Learn about Myocarditis and Pericarditis After mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination
3. All Things Vaccine: Are you eligible to receive a booster?
On September 22, the FDA authorized emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine single booster dose for those who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine at least 6 months prior AND who meet the one of the following criteria:
| FDA Criteria | Potential Examples of people who fit each criteria* |
|---|---|
| Individuals 65 years of age and older | Anyone over the age of 65 |
| Individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 | Those who are immunosuppressed Those with certain medical conditions (e.g., cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, etc.) |
| Individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19 including severe COVID-19. | Healthcare workers, Teachers, Those with regular contact with the public (e.g., public transit employees, grocery store workers, etc.) |
*who is eligible is likely to change over time as more scientific information is produced
Currently, a third booster dose is only available for those who were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. However, clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of booster shots for those who received Moderna or the J&J vaccine are currently underway and the early results look promising for a good immune response! Those who are not eligible for a booster at this time should be assured that as a fully vaccinated individual you still have very good protection from severe illness and death due to COVID-19. In fact, there is ongoing debate in the scientific community about the benefits of boosters for younger healthy individuals. But the benefits of getting those initial doses is incredibly clear, so if you or your loved ones still haven’t been fully vaccinated, the AZCOVIDTXT team fully advocates that you get them!
visit the FDA’s 09-22 news release for more information
The next update will cover information about whether vaccinated individuals can spread SARS-CoV-2. If you would like to learn more about this and other topics related to COVID-19 in Arizona, please complete next week’s AZCOVIDTXT survey that you will receive via text in about a week.