What is Covid-19?

COVID-19 is the respiratory communicable illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The virus emerged in December of 2019 and has caused millions of deaths globally. Fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and fatigue are some of the many possible symptoms of COVID-19.

Positive PCR tests and variance detection can be used to diagnose a patient with COVID-19. To protect yourself and others from contracting the disease, social distancing, wearing masks, practicing proper hand hygiene, avoiding others if you or others feel unwell and vaccinations have been proven as effective methods of preventing the spread of the virus and saving lives.

The COVID-19 Vaccine

Pfizer-BioNTech developed the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine in August of 2020. Shortly after this, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson also released COVID-19 vaccines for distribution. COVID-19 vaccines have been and continue to be administered nationwide at over 80,000 locations, many of which are hospitals, pharmacies, walk-in clinics, and long-term care facilities. Since April of 2021 the vaccine has been approved for those 16 years of age and older and starting May of 2021 the vaccine has been made available for those 12 years of age and older.

In July, the Biden administration, in an effort to save lives, announced vaccination requirements for federal government employees and requested that the private sector encourage their employees to become vaccinated. Since his request, all 50 states have announced new vaccination requirements.

Dose three and booster shots for COVID-19

Pfizer has released a third dose and booster shot in order to maintain immunity from the released vaccine. Moderna’s booster and third dose are in the works and have not yet received FDA approval.

New Yorkers may receive their third Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine dose 28 days after getting the second dose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that if your first dose was the Pfizer vaccine to finish the vaccine series with Pfizer, and if your first dose was Moderna to finish the series using the Moderna vaccine.

The booster is currently being distributed to those who are:

• above the age of 65
• above the age of 18 and have underlying medical conditions as illustrated by the CDC
• Above the age of 18 and work and/or live in high-risk settings as illustrated by the CDC

Immunocompromised patients may also be eligible for a third dose if they meet the following criteria:

• are currently taking medication for active cancer, tumors
• received an organ transplant and are taking anti-rejection medication
• received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years
• have a moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency
• have advanced or untreated HIV infection
• are currently being treated with high-dose corticosteroids, chemotherapy that causes severe immunosuppression, or other medications that may suppress your immune response.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate in New York

Governor Cuomo has urged private businesses to start admission policies that only allow vaccinated individuals to enter their institutions, and school districts to mandate teachers be vaccinated.

It became obvious that without enforcing these policies legally, the number of unvaccinated individuals would remain high and the effort to save lives would be hindered. On August 26th, 2021, the New York State Department of Health's Public Health and Health Planning Council approved emergency regulations to enforce a vaccine mandate for healthcare facilities within New York State. Section 16 orders all public and privately employed hospital and long-term care facility employees to receive their first dose of the vaccine by September 27th, 2021. Minimal exceptions will be made due to religious and medical reasoning. For state employees who remain unvaccinated, weekly COVID testing requirements will be enforced since they are at an increased risk of contracting the virus.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has also taken action to require COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in most healthcare settings that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement. This policy affects hospitals, dialysis centers, ambulatory surgical settings, home health agencies, and many other facilities as they must follow vaccination requirements by the state, nursing facilities, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This policy is inclusive of volunteers and staff who don't have direct patient contact. The New York Times reported that, as the vaccination mandate went into full effect, “92 percent of the state’s more than 650,000 hospital and nursing home workers had received at least one vaccine dose”.

Accreditation Council of Medical Affairs (ACMA) Covid initiative

The ACMA is fulfilling its social responsibility of educating and spreading awareness by providing a free COVID-19 course that offers deeper insights and learning for those interested in understanding the various aspects of the virus and its spread. The ACMA has also convened a COVID-19 task force made up of leaders from the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, academia, and medicine to focus on the burgeoning needs among the medical affairs/MSL community in the COVID-19 “new normal.”

The ACMA has received many requests from companies interested in using this time to Board Certify their medical affairs/MSL teams through the Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist program. During the pandemic, the ACMA will donate a portion of the proceeds received from any organization to help healthcare providers and workers in cities ravaged by COVID-19.