COVID-19 January 2022 Update

With so much information available to you, this may be “old news”! 

Upgrade Your Mask

We know without a doubt that masks work. Of course, they are not 100% percent effective, but no intervention is. Cloth masks are out, N-95 or KN-95 are the best and I would encourage use of these over surgical masks. 

Declining Omicron Cases

The number of Omicron variant cases is finally going down throughout the world. We have started to see a decline in the US, and it will continue to drop. Decrease in hospitalizations and deaths will follow, but not for a couple of weeks, as these indicators lag behind reported cases. 

Home Testing

Home testing is now available through the US government. I urge all of you to have home testing kits for testing as this is a valuable way to screen. Please call our office for guidance on when to test after exposures, as testing too soon can lead to false negative results.  The adage “Time, Place, People, Place” continues to ring true, so be aware of where you are going, wear a mask in crowded areas, avoid these areas as much as you can, and limit your time there.  Outdoor activities are better than indoor ones. 

Vaccinations for Children

Vaccines work and they work really well.  In terms of prevention of getting disease, they are less effective against Omicron than other strains, but are unbelievably effective against hospitalization and death.   If you have not been immunized, I cannot emphasize how important it is to get immunized.  I also encourage you to get your booster, and for those kids ages 5-11, please consider immunization.  It is safe and effective.  In fact, almost 9 million doses in this age have been given in the US with minimal if any side effects. Sore arm, slight fever and feeling a bit tired the next day is really all we are seeing.  There is concern about Myocarditis (inflammation of the hear) and Pericarditis (inflammation around the heart) following vaccination of teenagers, but only 12 cases of this in 9 million doses have been seen in the 5-11 age group, and all of these have recovered fully and are being investigated. Certainly, there much less chance of this compared to getting COVID and getting Myocarditis, Pericarditis, Long COVID, Chronic Lung Disease, and increased risk of Diabetes (yes, there is robust data showing that both adults and kids who get COVID are at high risk of developing Type 1 Diabetes).  Please get your kid immunized.  We do have immunization available in the office for the age 5-11 group.  Call for an appointment.

Stay safe, be careful, get immunized, wear a mask, practice physical distancing.  Call us with questions or concerns.