Unlike influenza, RSV and other common respiratory illnesses, COVID-19 does not stop circulating over the summer.
Many parts of the U.S. are seeing an increase in COVID cases, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults 65 and older have been particularly affected by the summer surge in infections. Hospitalization rate In this age group, the risk was about 14 times higher than in adults under 50.
COVID continues to spread through the summer; Highly infectious variantsInfectious disease experts say there are several things older people can do to protect themselves from infection.
There’s still time for a COVID vaccine
If you last received a COVID vaccination shot last fall, you may be eligible to get it again this summer.
The CDC in February recommended that all adults 65 and older get one dose of the vaccine. Additional doses of vaccine This was updated and put into place in September. (People with weakened immune systems were already eligible to receive booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines.) And if you didn’t take advantage of this recommendation in the spring, it’s not too late, says William Schaffner, MD, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
“Protection weakens over time,” Schaffner said. “And [older people]People who are frail, have chronic underlying conditions, or are immunocompromised already have weakened defenses. [shot] Now, and later this fall, we will also be able to administer the updated vaccine.”
In fact, vaccine makers are working on new versions of coronavirus vaccines for 2024-2025 that target the variants of the virus that are currently circulating in the United States and accounting for a large percentage of infections. The updated vaccines would: Annual influenza vaccination It will be available.
COVID-19 Vaccine Available Now The vaccine being sold in pharmacies and clinics targets coronavirus variants that are no longer in widespread circulation. Still, the vaccine is “pretty effective at preventing severe disease,” Schaffner said. “The good news is that these variants are all part of the Omicron family,” he added, meaning they have similar characteristics. Omicron appeared suddenly in late 2021, and its descendants have been in circulation ever since.
Not sure whether to get vaccinated now or wait until fall? Talk to your doctor, who can help assess your personal risk. If you’re under 65 and worried about complications from COVID, you should also talk to your doctor.
