Have you noticed all the Covid?
Many respiratory illnesses peak during the winter, but Covid doesn’t like to follow that trend. New variants and decreasing immunity from previous infections and/or vaccinations help to drive these waves. According to wastewater monitoring, Oregon is coming off the peak of the largest wave of Covid infections since February 2023.
What should we do about it?
The CDC’s respiratory virus guidance was updated recently with steps you can take to protect yourself and others from Covid this summer.
These “Core prevention strategies” are surely familiar by now. So let’s instead spend a moment on the use of vaccines and tests.
Booster now or booster later?
An updated Covid vaccine for 2024 is still awaiting approval, and we don’t expect to get it for at least another month. Once it’s available, it will still take a couple weeks to convey its full protective benefit. For that reason, if you have never been vaccinated, or feel you need additional protection now and are eligible for another dose, you might consider getting the currently available 2023 vaccine.
If you do choose to get a dose of the current vaccine now, you will need to wait 4 months for another booster dose. That could result in a delay if you’re eager to get the newest formulation, which is better tailored to the variants circulating now.
Those who might benefit from additional doses of vaccine this summer include:
• people 65 years of age and older
• those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised or have underlying medical conditions,
• people living in long-term care facilities,
• people of any age who have not received any doses of Covid vaccine,
• pregnant individuals, especially those in late pregnancy.
Talk with your provider if you have any questions about if this is right for you.
What are the experts saying now about testing and isolation?
An estimated 98% or more of the population has some immunity to Covid. So the CDC is no longer treating Covid like it did in 2020 – a time when the virus had free reign to attack naive immune systems, the medical establishment had few tools to treat the condition, and little was known about the course of the disease. Today, Covid is considered similar to other respiratory illnesses.
Additionally, the days of using testing as the green light to return to normal activities have passed. Studies have shown that some people may continue to test positive well past the time they are infectious. Still others may spread the virus while never testing positive. For these reasons, the CDC’s guidance is to use symptoms as your guide, returning to normal activities with caution (such as wearing masks) once they subside. And if your normal activities put you in close contact with people who are at high risk of serious illness, it’s reasonable to consider testing as an added precaution.
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This is often the place where we leave you with something fun. And today is no exception! Babs Dalbey is a superb Pilates instructor to many of our doctors and patients (and longtime friend of the Clinic). She operates BABS Body And Balance Studio, and has graciously recorded this Creative Core exercise series for you. We debut the first one here, and our next newsletter will feature follow up videos as well as a focus on strength and physical health. Enjoy!