It’s the holiday season, and although the American people are weary of Covid as we head into the pandemic’s fifth year, the unfortunate reality is that another Covid wave could soon be upon us. It’s important that people respond to the rising numbers with appropriate caution.
The unfortunate reality is that another Covid wave could soon be upon us.
There are several indications of a difficult winter ahead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. are climbing once again. Such hospitalizations are also increasing in England, and during this pandemic, what’s happening in England has often presaged what happens here. Another concern is the acceleration of a new and highly transmissible Covid variant in both the United States and England, known as JN.1. It’s highly contagious and may have the ability to partially escape the virus-neutralizing antibodies and other forms of immunity from the first Covid immunizations in 2021-22.
The good news is that the new annual immunization that became available to most Americans in September, which targets a variant known as XBB, is likely to protect against the Covid variants circulating this winter. The bad news is only about 18% of eligible Americans (as of Dec. 9) have so far taken this new XBB vaccine, leaving much of the population susceptible to symptomatic or even serious illness.
The single most impactful thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to get vaccinated with this newly available XBB vaccine. That’s true even if you have had a previous infection with one of the omicron variants. There are studies to indicate that natural infection does not provide durable or long-lasting immunity.
However, conversations I’ve had with friends, family and colleagues this holiday season let me know that many Americans are unaware that this new vaccine is available and unaware of why it’s different from previous Covid immunizations. They don’t…
Read the full article here