A Message from Our Chief Medical Officer: Novel Coronavirus Update

Dear New York Tech Students, Faculty, and Staff:

As of October 21, 2021, more than 45 million cases of COVID-19 and 728,125 cumulative total deaths have been reported in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the start of the pandemic. The good news is that new cases and new deaths continue to decrease nationally. Over the past seven-day period, the state reporting the highest number of cases per 100,000 people is Montana (523.9); California reported the least (60.7). For comparison, New York State has 208.1 cases per 100,000 people and New York City has 103.5 cases per 100,000 people.

The vaccine rollout continues, with more than 410 million doses administered in the U.S. As of October 20, 2021, 66.1 percent of the population has received at least one dose and 57.1 percent is now fully vaccinated. In New York State, as of October 20, 2021, 73.1 percent of the population has received at least one dose and 65.6 percent is fully vaccinated.

As the nation mourns the passing of General Colin Powell due to COVID-19 complications, many have raised questions regarding vaccine effectiveness. General Powell was vaccinated against COVID-19, but reportedly also had a form of leukemia called multiple myeloma. This disease is caused by the proliferation and dysfunction of plasma cells that make antibodies (B-cells). Patients with multiple myeloma experience poor antibody production, which is further exacerbated by disease treatment that seeks to reduce plasma cell overgrowth. Since vaccine effectiveness is based on the production of antibodies, it becomes clear how multiple myeloma would significantly reduce COVID-19 vaccine efficacy. When infected with SARS-CoV-2, multiple myeloma patients are found to have a high mortality rate of 33 percent.

On October 20, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized booster vaccines for recipients of the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. Boosters are being promoted because both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines began showing some loss of effectiveness against infection over the summer. However, they remained effective against hospitalization and death. The FDA has also now authorized a “mix and match” approach (technically known as a heterologous prime-boost), which means that regardless of which manufacturer produced a patient’s initial COVID-19 vaccine that person can now receive any FDA-authorized booster. Combining two different COVID-19 vaccines provides protection on par with that of mRNA vaccines—including protection against the Delta variant. The next steps are endorsement and final approval by the CDC.

Finally, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on Oct. 26 to discuss emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for children ages five to eleven. The committee’s decision would then be followed by final FDA authorization and CDC approval.

The CDC continues to monitor variants of SARS Cov-2. The Delta variant remains the predominant variant in all states and is the only current Variant of Concern (VOC); all other variants are simply being monitored but have not been elevated to VOC status.

As a reminder, all New York Tech students, faculty, and staff are required to be vaccinated and upload proof of vaccination by today, October 22, 2021. More information about our vaccination and testing policies and how to upload proof of vaccination can be found here. It is important to upload your proof of vaccination so that we have a record for our Health Screen database!

In an effort to reduce the likelihood of any on-campus transmission, it remains important for employees and students to wear their masks on campus and remain at home when ill. Vaccinated individuals can still carry the virus, therefore please stay at home if you have any flu-like symptoms.

As always, those who may feel anxious or uneasy can reach out to Counseling and Wellness Services at our campuses in Long Island (516.686.7683) or New York City (212.261.1773) to talk or make a virtual appointment.

Sincerely,

Brian L. Harper M.D., M.P.H.
Chief Medical Officer, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine
Vice President, Equity and Inclusion