New Updates!

As everyone knows, we are having a large increase in the number of COVID cases in San Diego due to the BA.5 strain of Omicron, so if you have any symptoms at all, even if you think it’s just allergies, please test for COVID and let us know if you are positive. And remember, masks are STILL REQUIRED in our offices. We’ve had several people that have been here for their appointments, only to start feeling sick and testing positive for COVID the following day. Masks are still important in preventing us all from getting infected.
​

• COVID BOOSTERS: we all know many people who have had 3 or 4 shots of the COVID vaccine and yet have still contracted COVID. However, newer studies are showing that people ages 60 and above or those that have chronic underlying medical conditions do have a decreased risk of hospitalization or death after having the 4th shot. These vaccines are not as effective at preventing you from getting the disease itself, but they are still effective at preventing hospitalization and death. Now, there is new versions of the COVID booster being developed by Pfizer and Moderna that are bivalent vaccines, meaning that they cover both the original strain and the new Omicron strain. This updated vaccine is supposed to be out in September or October. So, if you have not had the 4th shot and are 60 or above or have chronic underlying medical conditions, AND you are going to be in environments that will put you at a high risk of exposure (large groups of people indoors who are not masked), then I would suggest getting your 4th shot now. Otherwise, we expect the updated boosters to come out in the next month or two, and you can get you 4th shot with the new version of the vaccine.

 

• NOVAVAX COVID VACCINE: There are a minority of people who have not been vaccinated with the initial COVID vaccines, some because they were worried that the mRNA technology was considered “new” technology. The newly approved Novavax vaccine was developed using old technology, injecting proteins into the body as opposed to genetic material, the same technology that is used for the tetanus booster and for the hepatitis B vaccine. If you are someone who has not yet had any COVID vaccines and are more comfortable with the older technology that we’ve used for vaccines for many decades, then definitely get the Novavax, which is a series of 2 shots. The studies show that it is 90% effective at preventing symptomatic disease, but these studies were done before the onset of omicron. It is not known how well it protects against omicron, and these studies are ongoing. It is also not approved as a booster shot after receiving other COVID vaccines, but they are currently studying that role as well. Therefore, if you have not yet received any COVID vaccine at this point, please consider getting Novavax.

 

• MONKEY POX: Many people are concerned because monkeypox was recently declared a public health emergency in the US. What is important to remember is that the vast majority of people are NOT at a significant risk for contracting the disease. Almost all the cases are in men who have had multiple sexual partners with other men, as the mode of transmission is mostly through prolonged skin to skin contact. Unless you are in that minority group, you are not considered to be at high risk and do not need to be vaccinated. Right now, vaccines are in very short supply, even for people in the highest risk category. By declaring a public health emergency, it does not signify that everybody is at risk of getting the disease. Instead, declaring a public health emergency frees up funds for testing and research, and it allows emergency use practices such as the proposed splitting of the vaccine doses into smaller amounts so that more people can receive the vaccine.

 

• INFLUENZA: With all the other diseases to think about, we should not forget about influenza, as flu season is coming up again this winter. We had much lower levels of influenza during the COVID pandemic because everybody was masking and staying socially distant. As people have been much more social and are not masking as much now, we expect the cases of influenza to be higher this year. As in years past, I still recommend getting the vaccine around October or November. Next month, I will send out another email notification with details about the best influenza vaccine to get.