“Asia”: Israeli Academy Awards Winner and the Inevitability of the End: Toronto 2021 Jewish Film Festival

After several years of reviewing Israeli films there is nothing second rate about them. Sure I have seen a few clunkers but such are very rare! No more than in the North American film industry.

If one pays attention to the introduction of the film on the TJFF website one might be left with the impression the film is going to be about teenage parent struggles and for the first thirty minutes that was where I thought it was heading. I was saying to myself I have seen this so many times before but after the first 30 minutes the film took a cruel and nasty turn as the film explores the inevitable and what it can do to shape realtionships.

Asia (Alena Vis) is a Russian Jew who emigrated to Israel bringing her daughter Vika (Shira Hass). Asia, a single mother, works in a hospital in Jerusalem as a nurse. She likes a good drink, dancing and is having an affair with doctor at the hospital. But she has a strained and distant relationship with Vika, at least before the inevitable is known. Vika is no different than many a Canadian teen sneaking a drink or smoking dope and that is enough to aggravate many a parent concerned about the well being of their child.

Well matters change when teenager Vika is diagnosed with a “neurological disease” but watching her deterioration I would surmise it is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) a nasty disease that kills usually within months. I had a friend who died of ALS and he beat all odds by surviving for over a decade. I remember going out for lunch regularly with him until the last time he had difficulty eating and was confined to a wheelchair. Eventually in the last stage of the diseases he suffocated to death. “Asia” brought back those memories so the film had a special meaning for me.

Given the fatal nature of the disease the mother daughter relationship warms up and the mutual love between the two finally surfaces in a tender and heartbreaking way.

The film is really not one of those teen angst films but rather the courage and love needed by both the victim of the inevitable but of its witnesses, particularly family members.

You may be a bit taken aback by the ending and you might call it a very brave act by mother and daughter.

A stellar performance by Vis and Hass. Hass won best actress at the 30^th Israeli Academy Awards and Vis best supporting actress while the film was voted the best film.

This 2020 85-minute film is in both Russian and Hebrew with English subtitles and is directed by Ruthy Pribar.

It is showing at TJFF from June 3-13.

You can see the trailer here https://tjff.com/films/asia/

You can purchase tickets at the TJFF website (tjff.com) but note the film is geoblocked to Ontario.

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 64 “Zenon Escapes the Venus Flytrap”

The whistle of the referee pierced the humid air and the two teams assembled for match instructions. The match see sawed back and forth with the final roll being awarded to the Palm Spring Spinsters. All eyes were on the ball as it rolled down the pitch knocking out a Thunderbird’s ball. The referee declared the Spinsters the winners. The Thunderbirds disagreed claiming the ball had been illegal greased. A melee ensued leaving a few with split lips, shiners and bloody noses.

An infuriated Zenon marched up to the referee and demanded another roll but was refused. Zenon pushed the referee to the ground. The referee retaliated by throwing a ball at Zenon’s head infuriated Zenon who stormed towards the referee creaming, “Revenge will be mine mommy.” The referee moved aside sticking his leg out tripping Zenon sending him crashing into the fence writhing in pain muttering “Mother” while a curious crowd of onlookers watched the spectacle. Dr. Zodiac rushed over and jabbed Zenon with some Valium who unsteadily arose.

The animosity of the Spinsters and Thunderbirds seemed to have been forgotten in a haze of cannabis smoke and as the munchies set in both teams headed into the clubhouse for pink lemonade spiked with gin and cucumber sandwiches. Dr. Zodiac spoke to Zenon and asked him if he remembered what had just happened. Zenon had no idea about his fit of anger saying, “I am sorry I acted the way you have described to me. I get upset when we lose these tight contests. “

“Come off it Zenon. I know something about your medical history. I must warn you if you do not tell me more about the attacks you have you may just find yourself in a gas chamber. For your own good you must tell me more about these violent attacks. Not only are they dangerous for you but they may be fatal to others. The worst thing about these attacks is that your mind goes blank and you may not remember what you have done.”

“Well doc these attacks I think have been happening for some time. I think they have something to do with the brutal murder of my mother which I witnessed as a young lad. By my calculations I think I have had ten or so of these attacks in the last 10 months. I wake up in the weirdest places. Once I woke up in my shower and several times in Wino Alley downtown. And you know the worst thing about these attacks is the bloody pen knife I find in my pocket. I feel that I need some treatment but after the death of my mother I had unpleasant experiences being confined to institutions so the last thing I want is to be interned again. All I want to do is live out my life and not be bothered by assholes. I feel if I submitted myself for treatment they would open a can of worms and smear it in my face.”

“You are right there. Institutionalized care rarely cures as it only aggravates existing conditions or results in overmedication stupefying the patient. I have a rather unpalatable story to tell you and sipping pink lemonade and eating cucumber sandwiches in this clubhouse is not the best place to tell you that story. Let’s go to my hotel room and have some chilled vodka and chat.”

Once comfortably ensconced in Dr. Zodiac’s suite with an ice bucket, glasses and a bottle of Tito’s Vodka Dr. Zodiac related the theory of confused oedipal revenge complex. Zenon was almost relieved suspecting as much but never having the courage to admit it. He was trembling in fear thinking Dr. Zodiac might hand him over to the authorities but Dr. Zodiac stated, “Zenon you mustn’t fear. I will not turn you in. The murders I have told about you are finished and done. If I turned you in society would be hungry for retribution and you’d get the gas chamber or life in prison. What good would that do? It would satisfy the victim’s family and a few law-and-order politicians. Society would feel avenged and life would continue as normal. What about the murderers in your American corporations that pillage, plunder, poison and contaminate in the name of free enterprise? They are heroes to the blind! Institutions will mess with your head particularly prison. You are psychologically ill and you need help but not from them. I know a group in Montreal called the United Mutations. I will pack up and drive you to your place where you can pack up and we’ll take the first Air Canada flight to Montreal out of here tomorrow.”

So off the two flew to Montreal leaving San Francisco to its smog and Rice a Roni. A gradual peace descended upon the citizens of San Francisco as the serial killings mysteriously stopped. Dr. Zodiac had done the city a great deed but for Zenon an even greater one.

“Hors Normes” (The Specials): The 2021 Toronto Jewish Film Festival

“Hors Normes” leaves you a bit dazed when it begins but let it run and the pieces fit in very nicely. While in many senses it is a sort of tragedy about how the most difficult mentally challenged youth and young adults in France have no place to go for treatment. And treatment in the “accredited institutions” means confinement, isolation and over medication. These poor victims of a medical system that simply can’t offer them any hope, love or encouragement are society’s leftovers.

The film is not asking for your pity but support for “unaccredited institutions” in France offering care for mentally challenged children and young adults. It is also based on real figures that inspired the creation of the film. Inspiration is what they offer what society has rejected. If I tell you the emotional highpoint of the film is a severely autistic child wearing a helmet because he likes to self inflict harm petting a horse you might say you are looking for something more exciting but understand the film and the “patients” and their caregivers it is an exciting moment.

Bruno Haroche (Vincent Cassel) is Jew who wears a yarmulke but never do we see the spiritual side of the man. Bruno has been running an unaccredited facility, The Voice of the Righteous, for mentally challenged youth and young adults in Paris for some 15 years and has a positive can-do attitude. Always trying to find solutions and answers with a huge compassionate heart and against all odds he keeps on facing seemingly insurmountable hurdles. Hospitals throughout Paris know his success in dealing with “special cases” and he has a waiting list of over 50.

Yet the Ministry of Health is on the verge of closing him down as the inspectors are finding many faults in his programme. They conclude their inspection facing a quietly enraged Bruno who throws pictures of some of the residents saying the established medical establishment could never handle them. “You take them.” He then walks out of the office. Does the Ministry of Health close Voice of the Righteous?

His pal Malik (Reda Kateb) also runs a similar institution called “The Hatch”. Malik is a Muslim and as a matter of religion both Jew and Muslim work as a team Get the message of possibilities?

The more films I review, which are mostly foreign and independent, I am getting very adept at judging great acting performances and trash. I mean I reviewed a very professionally written American screenplayed film but it was ruined by actors portraying stoners who gave a laughable performance of smoking cannabis throughout the movie which quickly destroyed its credibility. Really all they had to do was look at Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in “Easy Rider” to play the role. There are no such flubs here as Vincent Cassel is a damn fine and experienced actor that anchors what might be considered an oddball film. This is a highly polished and professional film as most French films are.

Unfortunately this Toronto Jewish Film Festival Film is geoblocked to Ontario but I am sure dear readers you may be able to find it elsewhere.

Although this is a closing film for the Festival you can order it at www.tjff.com and once you order you order it you can view for 48 hours. The Toronto Jewish Film Festival runs from June 3-13.

This French 2019 film is co-directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledana and is 114 minutes in French if you wish or with English subtitles.

Ontario’s Long Term Care Front Line Heroes May be Subject to Vaccine Re-Education Camps: State Propaganda in Ontario

Ontario Mandates Immunization Policies for Long-term Care Homes

Policies will focus on educating staff and monitoring staff immunization rates

May 31, 2021

Long-Term Care

TORONTO — Ontario is taking further action to protect long-term care home residents by becoming the first province in Canada to make it mandatory for homes to have COVID-19 immunization policies for staff and to set out the minimum requirements that need to be included in these policies.

“Widespread vaccination within long-term care homes is the best way to protect residents, staff and their families,” said Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care. “We want to build on the success of our long-term care vaccination campaign to date. That’s why we’re leading the way with new measures to promote full immunization among long-term care staff.”

Under the immunization policies to be put in place at all long-term care homes in the province, each staff member must do one of the following:

Provide proof of vaccination of each dose;
Provide a documented medical reason for not being vaccinated; or
Participate in an educational program about the benefits of vaccination and the risks of not being vaccinated.

Homes will be required to track and report on the implementation of their policies, including overall staff immunization rates. The immunization status of individual staff members will not be shared with the province.

By encouraging more workers to get vaccinated, the likelihood of infections and outbreaks is reduced — which allows for additional easing of restrictions in homes and more opportunities for residents to enjoy activities that support their wellbeing and quality of life.

This time it is to Celebrate What? Why Not This Moment? Some French Crémants

Often we pop open some Champagne to celebrate an occasion. You may say there is nothing to celebrate in these COVID times. So many deaths, suicides, episodes of mental illness and deprivation of personal liberty. Go ahead and take the negative track. However being a student and practitioner of mindfulness why not celebrate the moment as that is the only moment we are in. And the present moment sees the effects of vaccines as case counts decline. So why not celebrate our road back to the “new normal”?

We start with a Crémant de Bordeaux “Celene” made with Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes and made in the “Traditional Method” which is the same way Champagne is made.

Golden coloured and there are not a myriad of bubbles competing to escape to the top of the glass. A nose of Bosc pear, apple, pear, guava, pineapple and fresh baked croissant. On the palate sharp and crisp. Notes of ginger, lemon meringue pie, peach and a hint of tangerine. The finish is short.

A good Crémant to be enjoyed in the moment you are in. Why not toast the end of COVID and look forward to better moments?

(Celene Améthyste Brut, Crémant de Bordeaux, Blanc de Noirs AOP Crémant de Bordeaux, Celine, France, $17.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 19031, 12%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 90/100).

This time we try a Crémant from Alsace called Domaine Allimant-Laugner. Golden coloured with again a lack of a bubble attack. On the nose a great deal of peach and apricot. But there is also some honeysuckle and pineapple. On the palate sharp and crisp. Simple and clean with some pear and toasted almonds. Pour a glass of this and I am sure 98% of those of your friends will simply call it Champagne even if they see the word Crémant on the label which begs the question why bother with Champagne when you can purchase a Crémant. Quite often there is little quality difference. And when made the same way Champagne is made who really can tell the difference? Why not purchase a bottle of this and Champagne cover them both in a paper bag and do a taste test. Ask which one is better and you might get a surprise.

If you are still in a funk induced by COVID remember today’s moment is the only one in you are in and because so many yesterday moments were worrisome and possibly frightening this does not mean tomorrow’s and the next will be the same.

A mindfulness cheer to y’all.

(Crémant D’Alsace Domaine Allimant-Laugner, AC Crémant D’Alsace , Hubert Laugner, Orschwiller, France, $24.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 30593. 750 mL, 12.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 90/100)

“Being Thunder”: Sometimes Interesting But Mostly Meandering: 2021 Inside Out Film Festival

The 2021 Inside Out Toronto LGBTQ Film Festival features many “LGBTQ” films one of which is “Being Thunder”.

The promo material indicates the documentary is about Sherenté Harris, a two-sprit genderqueer teenager from the Narragansett tribe in Rhode Island in the United States as she “boldly challenges the status quo of what it means to be a queer indigenous person”.

It is not surprising that indigenous people are just as prejudicial against their LGBTQ members as the larger North American society they live in. The documentary does not offer any stupendous breakthroughs in that regard.

The promo material leaves the impression that Harris faces all sorts of bias in competing in traditional dance contests. Yes there is bias but in the context of her dance contests there is not much there as it lacks footage or probing into the bias. There is more emphasis on the support she receives from certain members of the indigenous community particularly her family. And we should applaud that.

I am going to venture to say this is more a documentary about support and caring than prejudice and bias.

Then the sound goes wonky at one point in the film almost echoish. That demeans the quality of the filmmaking and in over a decade of reviewing films I have never encountered such poor sound quality.

What do Harris’ parent’s renewal vows have anything to do with bias and prejudice?

Well I’ll get to the point this documentary meanders and the sound quality issues rather cheapen it.

What we can take away for this film:

Harris is a determined fighter deservedly wanting to be recognized and accepted in her community as a “queer”
Indigenous communities are really not that different than the North American larger society they exist in
Two-Spirit person is more sophisticated and eloquent than “queer”. Harris has both the spirit of a man and a woman therefore she is two-spirited
Apparently some indigenous communities recognize the two-sprit concept which is more likely in tribes that have been more recently colonized and have not had their culture decimated like the East Coast tribes who were the first to be colonized
American indigenous people also faced the ravages of residential schools
A small group of indigenous people are trying to “educate” their communities as to two-spirited people
If this film accomplishes anything it might be an exposure that two-spirited people face a rough ride in their communities.

While I can’t sugar-coat this documentary I admire Harris for chugging ahead looking for acceptance and dignity. That is truly inspiring but it all gets a bit jumbled in this sloppy documentary. The poor sound quality in a small part of the film indicates many were asleep at the wheel as this documentary hits the shoals. There is enough in the film to have me say don’t jump into the lifeboats. Stick it through.

You can see the documentary from May 27-June 6 virtually. To book tickets and peruse available films https://imagesfestival.com/

It is directed by Stéphanie Lamorré and is 85 minutes in length.

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 63 “Dr. Zodiac Visits The Thunderbird Lawn Bowling Club”

Dr. Zodiac took the report to the office of Dr. Willbringer and said, “Dr. Willbringer I really must thank you for extending me the courtesy of reviewing some of your medical records. Your Institute has a fascinating way of treating some of its patients. One of the cases I saw reminds me of one we had in Salonika. I would be eternally grateful if you might be able to answer certain questions I have on it?”

Dr. Willbringer replied, “Sure thing buddy. Nothing beats the power of international medical co-operation.”

“Well for example I see that you ae not afraid to use shock therapy or a Kennedy Lobotomy. How has your success been with these two methods? All European countries, except the communist ones, have banned such treatments and as a result we are dropping the word “Shock” in our institute’s name. In our experience we have learnt that a lobotomy destroys the mind and shock therapy only temporarily solves the patient’s problem and not only that it may even return with increased vigor. All that is needed is stress or shock to rekindle the problem and we are back to square one.”

“Yes Dr. Zodiac we here in America are phasing out shock therapy except in the rarest cases. Remember like thalidomide it was once in vogue. Too many people were caught up in its newness so it was used liberally and it was cheap which in a capitalist society is appreciated because it increased profits. Now this case you mention Zenon Girov I can not say I was directly involved with his treatment but perhaps this is a case where shock therapy was effective as he is now a successful lawn bowling pro at the Thunderbird Lawn Bowling Club. My mother is a member there and tells me Zenon is honest, compassionate and caring with his lawn bowling members.”

“Well you may be right. I may just drop by and check him out. Where is this Thunderbird Club?”

“Head up three blocks to Interstate 12, head west and exit on Puny Street and you’ll see the Thunderbird just beside Hannibal Lecter’s Burgers.“ By the way why not come over to my place for dinner and tomorrow you can visit the Thunderbird. My wife and I were in Greece last year and had a wonderful time. Perhaps you can see some of our slides.”

Dr. Zodiac accepted the invitation and they were off. After a dinner of steak so large they look like cuts from a brontosaurus and awful California red wine poor Dr. Zodiac was forced to listen to Dr. Willbringer berate proposed Medicare plans that would eliminate individual choice and plunge the country into creeping socialism. I would be a terrible blow to the insurance industry. As if listening to this rubbish wasn’t bad enough watching the Greece trip slides and playing bridge with Jean Carbuncle a stout widow and next-door neighbour Dr. Zodiac feigned exhaustion from a long day and a tiring transatlantic flight and made his getaway thanking the doctor and headed back to his hotel.

First thing in the morning he grabbed breakfast at the hotel, hopped in his rented Edsel and headed out to the Thunderbird Lawn Bowling Club. Dr. Zodiac was not to be disappointed as he saw Zenon on the bowling pitch applying fertilizer. Shortly thereafter a rather aged crowd of Thunderbirds appeared on the green tossing some warmup rolls. Under the guidance of Zenon they went through some warm up exercises. At the average age of 82 the warmups were essential to avoid injury.

Zenon was not of impressive build being slightly over five feet and very gaunt and almost comical with his size 15 lawn bowling shoes. He had a pointed and acne scarred face with a scraggly beard But this ugliness and awkwardness vanished into true artistic beauty as he wound up and let the balls glide. It was if some magical power had seized him and transformed him into an Isadora Duncan. He displayed a gentle touch with the members never losing his temper or composure. Dr. Zodiac decided it was time to speak with Zenon but two mini buses arrived carrying The Palm Spring Spinsters Lawn Bowling team. It looked as if this was going to be a competitive match. So the conversation with Zenon would have to be put aside for the moment. In the meantime, the lawn bowlers were throwing practice lobs and swigging from silver flasks and smoking joints

“Mutantism on The March” Chapter 62 “Dr. Zodiac Further Investigates at The Juvenile Mind Repair Institute”

Dr. Zodiac was beginning to think Zenon Girov may be somehow linked up to the Zodiac killings. The theory of “confused oedipal revenge complex” stated the condition was latent and at the earliest did not manifest itself until the onset of puberty and that was about the point of life that Zenon attacked Pastor Bones. The fact that he had yelled “Mother” during that attack was stronger evidence to Dr. Zodiac, Zenon might be implicated in the Zodiac killings.

After departing the orphanage Dr. Zodiac headed up and down the hills of San Francisco singing a jingle he had heard on television “Rice a Roni The San Francisco Treat”.

He arrived at the Institute and showing more fake ID presented himself to the director of the institute as Dr. Andreas Papagallo chief diagnostic officer of the Salonika Institute of Shock Therapy. The director then escorted Dr. Zodiac to the office of the Chief Mind Repairer Dr. Harvey Willbringer who was quite flattered such a distinguished international figure should be expressing interest in his work. After a cup of tea and a pleasant chat Dr. Zodiac came to the point, “Dr. Willbringer the psychiatric community in Greece is impressed with your method of treating mentally disturbed individuals. For the sake of our colleagues internationally I am working on a new ground-breaking theory and access to your patient files would be invaluable.

The good American doctor who eagerly espoused international medical collaboration and the hope he might be mentioned in Papagallo’s research paper took him to the medical records room and said, “Help yourself and take all the time you need. If you need any further clarification, I am just down the hall in room B-666.”

He quickly uncovered what he wanted was the release report for Zenin Girov:

Release Report Of Zenon Girov Patient #3666999

Zenon Girov was admitted as a pubic aggressor after he had attacked a pastor who was visiting his orphanage. When admitted the patient was exhibiting signs of severe anxiety and had a bad case of lose stools. Treatment initially was difficult as he feared sessions with male physicians. Heavy sedation was administered to calm the patient down. After three weeks of therapy the patient finally relaxed until only small doses of benzos were administered. In fact the patient became animated and lucid and had reached a point where we considered that he had recovered from whatever sparked the attack on Pastor Bones. No longer did he attack patients and staff while screaming “Mother”.

We diagnosed condition as “basic oedipal”. At a tender age Girov watched his mother being dismembered by an axe murderer which ingrained certain latent traumas. We conclude that this massive stress and trauma at times turned him into a steamroller of aggression against certain male figures. Under hypnosis and through the use of experimental hallucinogenic mushrooms the patient admitted that he had a strong desire to “avenge the killers of “mommy”. He had been seriously affected by the trauma of witnessing the murder of his mother and when under stress he thought that it was all males that had killed his mother. On the night before his release he attacked an orderly giving him a severe concussion. Upon queries Zenon expressed his remorse advising staff he did not “know what had gotten into him”. He told the attending physician he had hallucinated the orderly was carrying a bloodstained axe. The patient then lost his voice for five days. Our view was that current therapy had been unsuccessful and after debating whether a Kennedy Lobotomy or shock therapy was appropriate a panel of our physicians indicated shock therapy was the best treatment option. Four shock therapy sessions were administered with positive results as again the patient assumed a calm demeanour and for the next few weeks was socially animated and exhibited no violent tendencies. He even spoke with the director of our Institute complaining of the violence in television shows seen at the patient holding pen and how that might affect certain patients. So we believe that the shock therapy was a success and stopped the violent revenge behaviour of the patient. He was released after 8 months of treatment back to the orphanage.

Doctors Pitwerd, Truna, Flizzie and Gooberstein

THE CONTENTS OF THIS REPORT ARE CONFIDENTIAL: ACCCES TO THESE REPORTS ARE REQUIRED TO HVE APPROVAL OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE

Property of the State Juvenile Mind Repair Institute San Francisco

Curcumin vs. ibuprofen for Knee osteoarthritis

Randomized Controlled Trial Clin Interv Aging

. 2014 Mar 20;9:451-8. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S58535. eCollection 2014.

Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts compared with ibuprofen in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a multicenter study

Vilai Kuptniratsaikul¹, Piyapat Dajpratham¹, Wirat Taechaarpornkul², Montana Buntragulpoontawee³, Pranee Lukkanapichonchut⁴, Chirawan Chootip⁵, Jittima Saengsuwan⁶, Kesthamrong Tantayakom⁷, Supphalak Laongpech⁸Affiliations expand

PMID: 24672232
PMCID: PMC3964021
DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S58535

Free PMC article

Abstract

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts in pain reduction and functional improvement.

Methods: 367 primary knee osteoarthritis patients with a pain score of 5 or higher were randomized to receive ibuprofen 1,200 mg/day or C. domestica extracts 1,500 mg/day for 4 weeks. The main outcomes were Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) total, WOMAC pain, WOMAC stiffness, and WOMAC function scores. Adverse events (AEs) were also recorded.

Results: 185 and 182 patients were randomly assigned into C. domestica extracts and ibuprofen groups, respectively. The baseline characteristics were no different between groups. The mean of all WOMAC scores at weeks 0, 2, and 4 showed significant improvement when compared with the baseline in both groups. After using the noninferiority test, the mean difference (95% confidence interval) of WOMAC total, WOMAC pain, and WOMAC function scores at week 4 adjusted by values at week 0 of C. domestica extracts were noninferior to those for the ibuprofen group (P=0.010, P=0.018, and P=0.010, respectively), except for the WOMAC stiffness subscale, which showed a trend toward significance (P=0.060). The number of patients who developed AEs was no different between groups. However, the number of events of abdominal pain/discomfort was significantly higher in the ibuprofen group than that in the C. domestica extracts group (P=0.046). Most subjects (96%-97%) were satisfied with the treatment, and two-thirds rated themselves as improved in a global assessment.

Conclusion: C. domestica extracts are as effective as ibuprofen for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The side effect profile was similar but with fewer gastrointestinal AE reports in the C. domestica extracts group.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00792818.

Keywords: Curcuma domestica; curcumin; efficacy; ibuprofen; knee osteoarthritis; safety.

Figures

Previously infected with COVID: What’s better natural immunity of a vaccine?

Why COVID-19 Vaccines Offer Better Protection Than Infection

Vaccination offers longer, stronger immunity, says virologist Sabra Klein.

INTERVIEW BY BRIAN W. SIMPSON | MAY 28, 2021

Misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines abound. Some common ones: If you’ve had COVID-19, you don’t need the vaccine. Wrong. It’s better get naturally infected than to get vaccinated. Wrong.

Virologist Sabra Klein, PhD ‘98, MS, MA, says an immense amount of data collected in a short time have made clear the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and the limited immunity that comes from being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Klein is co-director of a new National Cancer Institute Center of Excellence that seeks to understand more about the diversity of immune responses and how sex, age, and other factors lead some people to have longer lasting immunity than others.

In the following Q&A, the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology professor explains the nitty gritty of vaccines, coronavirus infections, and how to best protect yourself. Spoiler alert: Klein is a big vaccine fan.

If someone has had COVID-19, why should they get vaccinated? Don’t they already have immunity?

If you’ve been infected, you have some protection. But that immunity has limits. The biggest limit is that it doesn’t last as long as we would like it to.

Studies have shown that people who have been infected can benefit significantly from vaccination. It gives them a strong, lasting immunity boost. After receiving the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, they have immunity levels comparable to those of uninfected people who have received their second dose.

We’re still trying to better understand why immunity lasts longer for some people than others. Underlying factors like obesity or age appear to play a role in how long immunity lasts.

How long does immunity last from being infected? From vaccination?

Immunity from natural infection starts to decline after 6 to 8 months. We know that fully vaccinated people still have good immunity after a year—and probably longer.

Why is it that the vaccine leads to better immunity than natural infection?

The honest truth is, we don’t know. The immune system of people who have been infected has been trained to target all these different parts of the virus called antigens. You’d think that would provide strongest immunity, but it doesn’t. The Pfizer or Moderna vaccines target just the spike protein—the part of the virus that is essential for invading cells. It’s like a big red button sitting on the surface of the virus. It’s really sticking out there, and it’s what our immune system sees most easily. By focusing on this one big antigen, it’s like you’re making our immune system put blinders on and only be able to see that one piece of the virus.

Does the severity of infection make a difference in immunity? If I had a terrible case of COVID-19 infection, will I have stronger immunity?

Absolutely. My lab here at the Bloomberg School and others have shown that people who were hospitalized, who were really sick with COVID, in many cases are believed to have greater immunity than people with less severe disease. But again, that immunity may be declining. So, even if you had a more severe case, you still should plan to get vaccinated.

Let’s talk about variants of the coronavirus. Do vaccines also provide better protection against them?

The good news is that the current vaccines recognize these variant viruses and induce excellent immunity against them. For people who were previously infected and have high immunity, they have will have pretty good recognition of these variants, but you don’t really know your level of immunity against a specific variant or how degraded your immune response may be. You might actually be susceptible to reinfection with one of these variants. You just can’t predict it.

So, rather than flipping a coin, get vaccinated.

Some people say they would rather be infected naturally than get vaccinated. Others say they’re worried about vaccine side effects. What would you tell them?

Vaccines are tested for their safety in ways that we could never do with a natural viral infection. A lot of what’s referred to as side effects are the precise things that we experience to a greater degree when we are infected: fever, headache, malaise, gastrointestinal issues, etc. With infection, you don’t know how bad it’s going to be. By not getting vaccinated, you’re rolling the dice. You may become severely ill. You may have to be hospitalized. You may die.

There’s also the risk of long COVID. I know a teenage girl who got COVID before the vaccines were available. She didn’t have a lot of symptoms, but now she has all of the symptoms of long COVID. A year later, she is trying to maintain a somewhat normal teenage life with profound fatigue. She has never recovered fully from having COVID.

What about vaccines if you’re pregnant?

At this stage, there is no reason for a pregnant woman not to get vaccinated. We know that pregnant women are at increased risk for more severe outcomes from COVID-19. They’re more likely to be hospitalized than nonpregnant women. And we know the vaccines are safe. They’re effective. And they can, at least, reduce the severity of disease among pregnant women, resulting in improved or normal pregnancy outcomes. This idea that someone who’s pregnant should roll the dice and risk getting infected rather than getting vaccinated is not a good decision.

Brian W. Simpson, MPH ’13, is editor-in-chief of Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine and Global Health NOW and director of editorial at the Bloomberg School.