April 9, 2021
Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
The country is doing much better now than in January in the COVID-19 battle, but cases are starting to rise again, particularly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. Vaccinations are going up and hospitalizations are falling nationwide. The U.S. is averaging under 1,000 deaths a day for the first time since early November. It is difficult to think of that as good news, but compared to last fall, it is. Texas looks pretty good – we have not seen another surge and it looks like the numbers are staying about the same. Locally, almost all numbers are improving.
In this week’s video, along with a review of the numbers, I spend some time on the current state of the variants and the vaccines. And, I give some advice. You will see my recommendations on what you can do and what you should not do after you are fully vaccinated. People are considered fully vaccinated if it has been two weeks after their second dose of the two-dose series of vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s. Those who have not met these requirements are not fully vaccinated and should keep taking all precautions.
In closing, congratulations to the Baylor Bears on the men’s NCAA Basketball Championship. We will show you a clip that helps explain their advantage in this contest.
Take care. Stay safe.
Paul Klotman, M.D.
President & CEO
Executive Dean
