Last Updated on 09/09/2024 by Arun jain
Baddies of respiratory viral season are on your doorstep: US Huge rise in Kovid-19 casesAnd flu and RSV season are just a few months away.
More than 200 viruses cause the coughs and sneezes that make many of us miserable every fall and winter. “Respiratory infections are really unavoidable,” says Shira DoronAn infectious disease doctor and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
The good news is that there are now many strategies available to combat them, although after years of battling an ever-changing epidemic, many people are understandably exhausted and confused about how they should protect themselves and others. The bottom line is that you can minimize the effects of respiratory viruses on your life by reducing your exposure to them, priming your immune system to fight them, getting vaccinated and, if you have one, tested for the infection. And can make a treatment plan. Who will benefit?
Here’s how to think about this year’s cold, flu and ongoing Covid-19 season, how to keep yourself healthy and safe, and how to be strategic about testing, vaccines and medications.
Should I treat covid like the flu? Or like the common cold?
The further we get from the OG covid of 2020, the less likely it is that the infection will result in hospitalization, death, or long-term disability. That doesn’t mean the virus doesn’t carry a risk. “Covid is a more dangerous virus than flu, [but] They’re becoming more similar,” Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said at a press briefing in late August.
Last season, the cause was Covid-19 More hospitalizations than flu and RSV combined. However, with each successive wave of Covid, a A small amount of infected people are hospitalized or die as a result. That suggests the virus is less likely to cause serious illness, especially in low-risk people.
Covid-19 infection still carries the risk of persistent symptoms – also called prolonged Covid – but that risk is significantly lower Decreased over timeMostly because of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“We don’t attribute to Covid 2020 the symptoms we did to Covid 2024,” says Doron.
Indeed, an important question when thinking about the Covid threat remains, “Who are you?” says William SchaffnerAn infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. The elderly, immunocompromised, pregnant and frail people should still be “definitely more concerned,” he says, because the consequences of infection are worse for them than for others.
How long should I stay away from other people if I have Covid-19?
Although as of this year there are no longer any strict guidelines on how many days you should isolate if you get infected with Covid-19, The CDC recommends Stay home and away from others if you have respiratory symptoms, whatever the cause. Whether you test positive for Covid or not, do not return to normal activities until your symptoms have generally improved and you have been fever-free (without medications such as Tylenol or ibuprofen) for at least 24 hours.
In conversations among infectious disease experts, Doron says, most advocate that workers with a Covid-19 infection should apply the same rules for returning to work as they do with a flu or cold infection.
That doesn’t mean you should be unconcerned about the dangers of Covid, Doron says. If anything, people should be more careful with other, non-Covid infections. “You should stay away from people who are at high risk or are immunocompromised regardless of the virus you have,” she says.
Doron recommends masking for people with any respiratory symptoms when in close contact with others, and for severely immunocompromised people (for example, those with low levels of infection-fighting cells after chemotherapy) when in public. During periods when a lot of Covid-19 is circulating — like now — Schaffner suggests masking and avoiding crowded public places for all high-risk individuals, including those 65 and older.
Should I be tested for Covid-19 if I am sick?
Because the CDC and other experts say the methods to protect others should be the same for all respiratory infections, the main reason to get tested if you’re sick is to determine whether you should take medications directed at a particular virus.
Tamiflu (brand name for oseltamivir) and other drugs can trigger flu infections less lethal For people at high risk (eg people of all ages with asthma, heart disease, diabetes and other conditions). Paxlovid (brand name of nimatrevir-ritonavir) may have similar effects in elderly and immunocompromised people with covid-19 infection.
These drugs can be lifesaving if people take them for the right infections, but none of them will do much better for other viruses. If you’re sick and you’re among those who would benefit from treatment with one of these drugs, it’s smart to get tested.
The US government will mail once again Free covid-19 tests For Americans who request them starting in late September, you can get a flu test at many pharmacies, urgent care centers, or a health care provider’s office.
What’s the deal with all these different vaccines?
Before the pandemic, the only seasonal vaccine most people needed to think about was the flu shot each fall. Now, around the same time, a Covid-19 booster vaccine is available. In addition, shots to protect children and older people from the pneumonia-causing RSV virus — which were in development years before the pandemic — finally became available to the public in the fall. The toolkit is bigger now than it was a few years ago. That’s a good thing, but it can feel confusing.
US recommendations aim to keep things simple for most people: CDC recommends Everyone over 6 months old gets a Covid-19 booster and flu shot this fall (more on how to schedule your shots below).
When it comes to RSV, three categories of people should get the vaccine: the elderly, pregnant people, and children. For now, it’s a one-and-done shot — people who get it don’t have to worry about annual boosters. If you are 75 or older, 60 or older underlying illnessIf you are pregnant, or have a newborn baby, talk to a health care provider about getting the RSV vaccine.
How often should I get flu and covid vaccines to give myself the best protection?
It’s perfectly fine to get the flu shot and the Covid-19 vaccine at the same time, and you can even get them in the same hand a few inches apart. Any time before the New Year is good protection, although you can be strategic with the timing if you need to.
Experts have landed on Halloween as the best time to get vaccinated, both for the worst of the winter flu season and to avoid whatever Covid may pop up in late winter.
The main benefit of the Covid-19 vaccination is protection against serious infection and hospitalization, not protection against infection altogether. However, there is a brief period after vaccination when antibody levels are so high that infection is unlikely. If you have an important life event planned – say, a big overseas trip or a wedding – it’s not unreasonable to try to time your vaccinations about a month before that event to make it less likely that you’ll get sick during your big period. moment, Doron says.
If you’re at risk of a serious Covid-19 infection, get a Covid booster as soon as you can, Schaffner says. Their reasoning: There’s a lot of covid circulating right now, and in any case, people who need extra protection can get it. Additional dosage Updated mid-winter vaccine.
If you are someone who will benefit from this RSV vaccineThe best time to get it is in late summer or early fall, before the virus starts spreading. Vaccination should be done between September and January especially for pregnant people.
Seriously, do I really need to get another covid vaccine?
“You do the beta,” says Schaffner, echoing the CDC’s broad recommendation. Experts have determined that in the US, the benefits of getting the vaccine outweigh the risks for all age groups.
That said, it’s more crucial for some than others. “The more at-risk you are, the more you’ll benefit from an updated vaccine,” Doron says. This includes older people (65 and older) and those who are severely immunocompromised, such as those actively receiving chemotherapy.
All three Covid-19 vaccines to be offered this fall are safe and effective in preventing hospitalizations. Novavax is Less likely to cause side effects than Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines; In it Latest newsletterEpidemiologist Katelyn Jetlina notes that’s a big reason she’s waiting to get the Novavax booster.
Despite the safety record of vaccines, a recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania suggests False Covid beliefs are on the riseOne in five Americans believe Covid infection is safer than vaccination. “On the one hand the level of messaging has not changed. On the other hand, it changed,” the director Kathleen Hall Jamieson told me “There are less pro-vaccination messages that you’re hearing on a regular basis, and you’re still getting an equal amount of anti-vaccination messages out there.”
Do I need to get the Covid-19 vaccine if I have recently had Covid?
Measurement of waste water suggesting that we are in the midst of a major Covid-19 outbreak across the country, with infections likely continuing to rise in the Midwest and Northeast. That means many Americans have recently been infected with the virus.
there is Not much use To receive the Kovid-19 vaccine within three months after Kovid-19 infection. Doron says holding off longer gives you more of a push for your vaccine and allows the immune system triggered by the Covid-19 infection to mature and strengthen. Studies around the time of the vaccine have borne this out: in one study, for example, antibody levels (which are protective against infection) were 11 times more Among those vaccinated eight months after infection compared to those who waited only three months.
On the other hand, the longer you wait to get vaccinated after a Covid-19 infection, the more likely you are to get infected in the interim. (However, most people don’t get reinfected in the first nine to 12 months after infection, Doron says.)
What else can I do to stay healthy this season?
If you are not sick, several familiar strategies can help you stay healthy: wash your hands before touching your face or preparing food and after touching shared surfaces or using the bathroom; Use masks in crowded places; Ventilate shared spaces by opening windows and turning on fans if possible, and consider using air purifiers when congregating with others.
“During the height of Covid, we forgot to reinforce sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress reduction, how important these things are to strengthen the immune system,” says Doron. Optimizing those factors — while maintaining a healthy weight and managing underlying medical conditions — makes it more likely that you’ll be healthy when you do get a respiratory infection.
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