Vaxiversary
One year ago the first COVID-19 vaccines were administered, and the game was changed
When the first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine went into the arms of Beaumont personnel on Dec. 15, 2020, it was an emotional day.
Dr. Chadi Ibrahim said at the time he felt like he won the lottery.
Saaja Rayford, R.N., was “super excited” to have protection.
Dr. Nick Gilpin, along with many others, thought the vaccine was going to be the ticket to the other side of the whole pandemic experience.
One year later, the vaccines have proven their worth even if the expectations might have been high on that first day when tears of joy were shed at the Beaumont Service Center in Southfield. Of these three healthcare workers, who were interviewed again this week, only one has contracted COVID and it was a mild case.
“I think the vaccine has certainly helped, but we’re also coming to the realization that this is not going to be a quick journey. Getting a vaccine is certainly helpful and it’s protecting us, but we’re going to be living in this space for a little while longer yet,’’ said Gilpin, system medical director for infection prevention for Beaumont Health.
Pfizer was the first vaccine approved for Emergency Use Authorization followed shortly by Moderna along with Johnson & Johnson.
“Remember if you go back to that time the preliminary data we had at that time regarding how effective the vaccine was, numbers were in the 90-percent range. The vaccine was 90-percent effective in preventing COVID so with those numbers in mind we were all incredibly optimistic that this vaccine was going to be a gamechanger,’’ Gilpin said. “As time wore on and we gathered more data we found that that 90 percent was more like 70 or 75 percent which is still good.’’
While there was a moving of the goal posts in the first few months, the message did not change.
“The vaccine as we know still is very effective in keeping people out of hospitals and keeping people from getting COVID,’’ Gilpin said. “It’s still the appropriate thing to do even now a year on, still the best thing, in my opinion, that people can do to keep themselves safe from COVID in addi
tion to the other stuff that we’re always talking about like masks and social distancing and staying home when you’re sick.’’
In January and February in 2020 when the vaccine was rolling out, it was rare for a vaccinated COVID patient to be hospitalized. Now breakthrough cases are more common but still the majority of those hospitalized with COVID are unvaccinated.
“You have to look at population dynamics a little bit. In the first six months those who were vaccinated had a very high level of immunity because they didn’t need the booster yet. Those were very well protected,’’ said Ibrahim who oversees the COVID units at Beaumont. “But also they weren’t the majority of the population so the pool of people who can get sick of those who were vaccinated was smaller than those who were unvaccinated. We really didn’t see many vaccinated people being hospitalized. But as things shifted, now with the majority of people being vaccinated and the minority not and still seeing two-thirds of hospitalization from those who are unvaccinated I think that’s pretty significant.’’
While 61.9 percent of Michiganders ages 5 and older have had at least one shot of the COVID vaccine, that leaves millions unprotected. The hesitancy of many to get the shot is perhaps the biggest issue since the arrival of the vaccine which has proven that it saves lives.
Gilpin said a year ago he thought the vaccine might be a bit of a tough sell
“I was optimistic that people would embrace the vaccine and the majority have. Like with anything right now, it’s difficult to get everyone to agree on anything including even something like a vaccine,’’ Gilpin said.
About two-thirds of those hospitalized with COVID are unvaccinated. The other third often have other comorbidities, but still fare better than those without the vaccine protection.
“Unfortunately there is a segment of the population that is dead-set in their thinking. Unfortunately they are misinformed and whatever source of information they’re getting that from they believe it. I can tell you what makes this surge so difficult for those of us who work in the hospital is that we are seeing a level of resistance that we haven’t seen before,’’ Ibrahim said.
The doctor said in previous surges most people were really appreciative, happy that we’re there to help them and try to get them through this difficult time with only the occasional case here and there where people were skeptical of what we were trying to do for them.
It’s different now not for everyone, but for many of the unvaccinated.
“Now some of those (unvaccinated) people are ending up in the hospital and you can only imagine the misinformation and the skepticism that we’re encountering on a daily basis now,’’ Ibrahim said.
He sees the same pattern of misinformation over and over with patients demanding Ivermectin and not wanting Remdesivir because they think it will damage their kidneys which is not the case.
“All of this is huge misinformation. It’s so strange, it’s almost like they’re getting their information from the same place but we don’t know where. It’s all wrong,’’ Ibrahim said. “Some people are regretful that they didn’t get the vaccine when they’re very sick and some are steadfast even in their dying hours that ‘No, I’m glad I didn’t get the vaccine and I won’t get the vaccine.’
It’s amazing we still see that kind of resistance even when someone is very ill.’’
It’s tough on all healthcare workers who are weary after nearly two years working on the frontlines of the pandemic.
“It’s very frustrating for me, it’s frustrating for the physicians taking care of patients with COVID, it’s frustrating for the staff and the nurses and respiratory therapists who are seeing predominantly unvaccinated people coming into the hospital with severe COVID,’’ Gilpin said. “There’s this overarching sense — we just wish people would understand that there are benefits to getting the vaccine. If you do the risk assessment, getting vaccinated is far, far safer. … There is virtually no downside to it,’’ Gilpin added.
Rayford is a surgical nurse now, but was on the front lines in the COVID areas a year ago.
“At the end of the day I’m a nurse, so I signed up to help people regardless of — we’re not always going to be on the same page, see eye to eye,’’ said Rayford, a nurse at Troy Beaumont. “All I can do is give my education, what I know when it comes to anything medical. I can’t force anyone to do anything they don’t feel comfortable with. Is it frustrating? Absolutely.’’
She uses herself as an example. It’s her first year living with her fiance, they’re getting married next year and were super excited about spending Thanksgiving with their family.
Then she tested positive for COVID after noticing her allergy medication was not making her sniffles disappear and she began to have body aches. So instead of Thanksgiving dinner she was quarantined.
“I was locked in my room for 10 days. My fiance was amazing, and brought me food. It is frustrating, I get vaccinated, I wear a mask, I do what I’m supposed to do, and I go to work and take care of sick patients then it hits home and I get it,’’ Rayford said. “And yes it’s frustrating because you’re like, geez I just wish everybody could do the right thing — wear a mask and try to protect everybody. It does get frustrating in that sense, but I never look at a patient and say i’m not going to take care of you because of the choices you made.’’
After her mild case of COVID, which did not require hospitalization, she returned to work on Monday. She was scheduled for the booster last week but now will have to wait three months.
Ibrahim and Gilpin never tested positive for COVID.
“Personally, I probably feel stronger than I did at the time when I told you I felt I won the lottery. Two weeks after that I got exposed to COVID within my family and I know how things tend to go for me usually. I don’t have the best immune system. I feel like I catch everything else that someone else around me catches,’’ Ibrahim said. “My wife came down with it, several family members came down with it. For certain I would have had it and I didn’t. I felt very fortunate that I was one of the early people to get the vaccine. That really helped me, it helped me a lot. I know there were a couple of other times that I was exposed after that within the past year and really feel fortunate that I didn’t get COVID, so yes I do feel like I won the lottery. It was great for me personally.
Gilpin has also escaped, although he knocks on wood when asked about it.
“I have not had COVID in the almost two years I’ve been caring for COVID patients. I do feel like the vaccine is a big part of that,’’ Gilpin said. “I’ve certainly had my share of what I’ll call COVID stress tests — when you find out someone you were in relatively close proximity to was COVID positive.
“It certainly has given me peace of mind in that regard, I still feel comfortable knowing that I could very well get COVID, it’s certainly not difficult to do in this current situation we’re in. I feel fairly confident as a vaccinated and boosted person that if I do get COVID I’m not going to get the very severe version,’’ Gilpin said.
Michigan remains one of the states with the highest transmission rates. As of Friday, Michigan was second in the nation with a 589.1 average seven-day case rate per 100,000. It’s been at or near the top of the CDC chart for several weeks. Michigan hit a record this week with 4,463 hospitalizations statewide for COVID.
“We’re sort of stuck in high gear right now. Our COVID hospitalizations in the Beaumont Health system have been in the 600 range for the past week or week and a half and the community numbers are still very high, really indicating widespread transmission,’’ Gilpin said. “We don’t think that’s going to come down anytime in the near future. We suspect with the holidays — we know people are out there gathering. We think we’re going to continue to see more hospitalizations and more cases and so we’re just here to weather that storm as best we can.’’