Saudade: News from and for the Brazilian community/Notícias de e para a comunidade brasileira

Restaurant workers eligible to take COVID-19 vaccines.

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A tradução deste artigo se encontra no nosso site: mvtimes.com/category/portuguese—translation.

I have started to hear from some Brazilian folks who have taken the COVID-19 vaccine at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. It brings me so much joy to listen about their plans for when things start to resemble what we used to experience, the reasons they have chosen to take the vaccine, and how emotional some of them get when they finally get the first shot or are fully vaccinated. I have heard from people who have taken the shot despite having gotten COVID and from those who lost someone to COVID in Brazil, which always makes me so emotional because Brazil’s current health crisis is heart-wrenching.

This week, restaurant or cafe workers, food, meatpacking, beverage, agriculture, consumer goods, retail, or food service workers, grocery and convenience store workers, food pantry workers or volunteers, transit/transportation workers, public works, water, wastewater, or utility workers, sanitation workers, and people age 60 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and a lot of the Brazilian Islanders are in the restaurant industry. You can schedule your appointment online every Saturday at 8 am and on Mondays at 5 pm. I have selected five points that I think it is important to highlight in this week’s column.

Is B.1.1.7 the new dominant strain in the U.S.? Is it more lethal or just more contagious?

CDC estimates that B.1.1.7 will become the dominant virus by the end of March. So far, the variant seems to be more transmissible, and some data from the UK suggests it’s more lethal too. However, all three of the vaccines approved in the United States (Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen) have proven to provide sufficient neutralizing antibodies to protect you from severe outcomes should an individual become infected.

Does the vaccine give you more immunity than getting actual COVID?

Yes, and according to early data, even against the variants.

Has any place reached herd immunity?

No place has achieved herd immunity yet. Herd immunity is achieved through mass vaccination.

Which vaccine should I take?

All three approved vaccines in the U.S. are safe and effective. As the saying goes: the best COVID-19 vaccine is the one that’s immediately available to you when it becomes your turn to get vaccinated.

And, lastly, I would like to share this fantastic resource regarding information about COVID-19 vaccines. It is in Spanish, and given the similarities between Portuguese and Spanish; it’s worth checking out: spanish.getvaccineanswers.org.