We’ve come to see you once again. (Cue Simon and Garfunkel.)
The pandemic is behind us, and life has mostly returned to normal, but Covid has not disappeared. Instead, this summer has seen an increase in cases and in such measures as virus detection in wastewater samples.
Thanks to widespread vaccination and the immunity conferred by infection and recovery, we have not seen the huge numbers of hospitalizations and deaths that we did in 2020-21.
Covid is still a serious threat, particularly to the elderly and those with immune deficiency, and it has shown a remarkable ability to mutate into variants to which we are not fully immune. There has been a whole alphabet soup of new variants, and the original vaccinations you received will offer only limited protection to the current virus.
The FDA has recently approved a new vaccine and ordered the old ones taken off the market. The new vaccine is not perfect – the virus mutates too quickly – but should provide better protection and will be widely available in September.
While Covid is not “seasonal” the way influenza is, I expect an increase in infections as we get into colder weather and people congregate indoors.
What should you do?
If you have had a case in the last three to four months, the natural immunity this provides suggests you put off getting vaccinated until later in the fall.
If you have been lucky enough to avoid Covid over the summer, getting the new vaccine as soon as it is available is suggested, particularly if you are over 65.
Also, there is good evidence that wearing a mask in crowded indoor environments is helpful, as well as such commonsense advice as staying home when you are sick and using good hand-washing practice. This will reduce not only Covid, but other respiratory viruses.
Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.
What Does The Doctor Say?
By Dr. Edward Hoffer