May 14, 2021
Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
New cases and hospitalizations are continuing to plateau locally and in most places in the U.S. There are still a few hot spots, but we have not seen another surge here. Globally, there are still multiple countries experiencing extremely high numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Getting people vaccinated globally is the key to stopping the pandemic.
Great news this week with the Pfizer vaccine receiving emergency use authorization from the FDA for children ages 12 and older. In this week’s video, I discuss the impact vaccinating kids will have on reaching herd immunity as well as a hopeful timeline for getting approval for COVID vaccines for use in kids under 12.
I also discuss the continuing issue of vaccine hesitancy in this country. It is interesting to see how this breaks down geographically and what some of the most common reasons are for vaccine hesitancy. There is data showing that vaccine hesitancy does seem to be declining but we still need to get a lot more people vaccinated to reach our national goal of 70%. Lily has a special message this week on the importance on getting vaccinated, and you will want to watch to the end to see the closing credits.
Next week, I will discuss the breaking news from the CDC regarding their decision to lift masking requirements for those fully vaccinated and the impact that has on resuming pre-pandemic activities.
Take care, stay safe and enjoy the weekend.
Paul Klotman, M.D.
President & CEO
Executive Dean
