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Making Waves

Waves in the ocean are formed with the interaction of the wind, water, and land. The gravitational pull of the moon on the Earth can influence tides that can impact the formation of waves. The wind transfers energy to the water. The stronger the wind, the more energy is generated to form waves. 

Satellite data tracks surface winds from outer space and this can help predict oceanic weather patterns. Champion and professional surfers will follow this data to determine the best days and geographic areas to find the bigger waves. Some of the best waves are formed after a storm. United States surfer, Carissa Moore, won a gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in women’s shortboard surfing in July, 2021. She was well known in the surfing world as a five-time women’s champion of the World Surf League Championships. Carissa was the youngest surfer to win a world surfing title. She was inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2013, Carissa was named one of the Women of the Year by Glamour magazine. National Geographic awarded her the status of Adventurer of the Year. Carissa’s influence as a champion goes beyond her career as a surfer. 

Surfers refer to the biggest and most dangerous waves as “heavy”. The Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii is a favorite of professional surfers.  The dynamics of this pipeline are driven by the effects of water moving over shallow reefs, which makes it very dangerous. The Banzai Pipeline is considered one of the most dangerous areas to surf in the world and the shallow reefs create a challenging environment.  

The waves of COVID-19 continue around the world and a new storm is coming. Europe and Russia are entering the fifth wave of COVID-19 as the number of cases are increasing after a sharp decline with vaccinations and infections with the delta variant. The United States had started to see a decline in cases in September and October and many experts thought that we were entering an endemic phase of COVID-19. An endemic differs from a pandemic because an endemic is specific to a particular people or country and not affecting as large of a percentage of the population.

 The current prediction is that the United States is potentially entering the fifth wave and that the pandemic is not turning into an endemic. Cases in the United States have increased by forty percent over the last two weeks. There have been some very significant increases in New Mexico, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota.  When analyzing The New York Times tracking data, west central Ohio and northwest Ohio are the current hot spots within the state. The 14-day trend for COVID-19 infection cases has been increasing for Hardin, Allen, Logan, Hancock, and Marion counties. 

Hardin county has had an average of 21 cases per day (represented as 66 cases per 100,000).  Allen county has seen 80 new infections per day (78 per 100,000), while Hancock county has had an average of 48 cases per day (64 per 100,000).  Marion (46 per 100,000) and Logan county (70 per 100,000) has seen cases around 30 per day.  The New York Times data, as reported by state health departments, tracks infections and deaths related to COVID-19 including vaccination status. Based on data from the second week of November 2021, the rate of COVID-19 infections was six times higher in those not vaccinated and deaths were twelve times higher in the unvaccinated.  

A study published by researchers at the University of California provided the best evidence for the benefit of vaccination when individuals test positive for COVID-19. The study evaluated 869 patients both vaccinated and unvaccinated who tested positive for the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in California. The researchers looked at the viral load (the amount of virus circulating in the blood). The results were very interesting in that both the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups had similar viral loads. The higher the viral load, the harder it is for the body to fight off the infection without help (medicine, vaccinations). The viral load was the same but the vaccinated did not end up with severe infections, hospitalizations, or death compared to the unvaccinated group. This highlights that the vaccines can protect from serious consequences with infections. This study showed the ability of the vaccine to protect when the viral load was high enough to cause serious adverse outcomes.  

The COVID-19 storm is still brewing and the waves are still being formed.  

Help us control the continued waves of COVID-19 and talk to your health professional about the COVID-19 science.

ONU HealthWise is offering Pfizer COVID-19 and flu vaccines for children (five years and older).  COVID-19 vaccines for children are by appointment only and can be scheduled at https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.

The ONU HealthWise pharmacy continues to offer Moderna, Pfizer, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) for those individuals 18 years of age or older as well as high-dose flu vaccine for those over the age of 65 years. We will be offering clinics from 4-6 p.m. or by appointment. 

We are here to take calls and provide the best information possible. Please call the pharmacy at 419-772-3784 to get more information on getting vaccinated.

ONU HealthWise Pharmacy
419-772-3784
www.onuhealthwisepharmacy.com

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