Still, vaccination is king
The whole concept of boosting immunity against infectious disease is well established. Do you remember the shots that were given to our kids when they were young? The shots at 2, 4, & 6 months of age, then we give the booster shot at age 4, then we boost again at age 12.
Then we get booster shot for measles, mumps, and rubella before we go to college. We also get booster shot for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis to every woman who’s pregnant. We boost all the time.
So, it’s the same concept of boosting immunity for COVID-19. Booster shots improve immunity. Remember – the goal of a vaccine is to prevent a serious disease, hospitalization, and death. (Elvy Barroso, PhD)
By Marivir Montebon
New York – The surge of Covid-19 cases in the last quarter of 2021 prompted us to hold an interview with a public health expert. The discussion with Dr. Elvy G. Barroso, PhD, MD, MSc, MPH, MS, BSN, RN, was on the Issues & Inspiration digital show on January 18, 2022.
In sum, she said that vaccinations, boosting, and wearing of masks are the preemptive health measures. But knowledge of basic home care is also key to getting out of the virus.
Dr. Barroso is a Nursing professor and researcher at the NYU and the Department of Health. She is a medical doctor and registered nurse who holds a doctoral degree in Nursing and master’s degree in Public Health.
Excerpts of our interview:
How can COVID spread when you don’t feel sick?
Once the person has the virus in the body whether that person show symptoms or not can spread the virus to somebody who is in close contact with that person that is infected with the virus.
One in five people infected with the virus will experience no symptoms. They can spread the virus to people more than those with symptoms. Because those with symptoms will be cautious about their condition while those without symptoms will not be cautious since they don’t think they are sick.
According to a study, asymptomatic carrier or those who are infected but do not show symptoms seems to clear the virus in their throat faster and are infectious for a shorter period. In addition, their immune system might be able to neutralize the virus more rapidly than those that show symptoms.
Do we expect another variant after Omicron? How do variants develop?
The virus mutates naturally, as a result new variants emerge. Other variants disappear while others persist. The First variant Identified in India is Delta. It spread easily than other variants. May cause severe illness & death than other variants. The vaccine is effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, & death. And it responds to monoclonal antibody treatments.
The second variant identified came from South Africa. It spread more easily than other variants. It can cause severe illness among unvaccinated but causes breakthrough infections with mild symptoms among vaccinated. The vaccines are expected to be effective against severe illness, hospitalizations, & deaths. Some monoclonal antibody treatments may not be as effective against infection with Omicron.
Other variants, like the one identified in France is not a concern according to the WHO.
Research done by the Oregon Health & Science University published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study suggests that individuals who are vaccinated and then exposed to a breakthrough infection developed a super immunity. But this research needs further study to support their findings.
Is there a Deltacron virus?
Deltacron is a mutation that combines both delta and omicron variants. According to the WHO, Deltacron is not real and is likely due to sequencing artifact. According to another doctor, it’s likely due to contamination of Omicron fragments in a delta specimen.
Didn’t the opening of schools pave the spread of Omicron?
There are pros and cons of opening schools. If strict precautionary measures are not implemented in schools, it becomes the source of Omicron spread. But opening schools made it easier access to test kids and vaccinate those that are eligible.
What can we do to manage COVID-19 symptoms at home?
Anybody who show symptoms and tested positive for COVID -19 should isolate from the rest of the members of the family at home. With our situation in NYC, we don’t have extra room for isolation, so our best defense is to use the mask at home.
With the Omicron variant that is more infectious than other variants, we need to wear high quality mask like the N95 mask. The KN95 is also good, not as good as the N95 but better than the regular surgical mask.
So, you use the mask whenever you come out of your room. When you use the bathroom and you take off the mask, after using the bathroom, make sure to open the window to air out the virus and should clean the surfaces of the bathroom that was used before leaving the bathroom.
If you don’t have windows, make sure to wait at least an hour or more before using the bathroom and make sure to wear a mask while inside the bathroom. If possible, eat in the room and use disposable utensils or if you need to clean utensils use gloves and clean the utensils with hot water. Then throw the gloves away. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.
To manage symptoms of COVID at home:
Monitor your symptoms carefully, if your symptoms get worse, call your healthcare provider immediately. Since among the symptoms of COVID, the one that we are concerned about is the dry cough.
What do we do to loosen the dry cough, drink plenty of fluids, do steam inhalation, deep breathing exercises, drink ginger water with lemon, avoid lying down, sit up straight. When you sleep avoid lying on your back, instead lie on your side or on your stomach.
If you start having difficulty of breathing call 911. While waiting for help, do a purse lip breathing to keep your airways open. It moves oxygen into your lungs and take out the carbon dioxide that is trapped in your lungs, it relieves shortness of breath.
How to do it, inhale or breathe in slowly through your nose with your mouth closed, then exhale or blow the air slowly with your mouth purse, that’s why it’s called purse lip breathing, so it’s like you’re going to whistle or blow the flame of a candle slowly. Purse lip breathing also helps relieve if the person is anxious.
If you have pulse oximeter at home, you can use it and it will tell you the level of oxygen in your blood. Monitor your readings and if you see it’s going down to less then 95, call your HCP, anything less than 92, you should call 911.
When it comes to taking vitamins, there’s no specific recommendation from the National Institute of Health. However, we believe the following are beneficial to overall health and immune system. We have to be careful in taking the right dose since you might end up causing more harm than good. The cocktail of vitamins you can take to boost your immune system while you have COVID symptoms are Zinc 40 to 50 mg daily, Vit C 500 mg two to three times a day, and Vit D3 1000 or 2000 IU daily.
What are the symptoms of Delta as opposed to Omicron variant?
Symptoms of Delta variant is like the original symptoms of Corona virus which are sore throat, fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, loss of smell or taste and loss of appetite. Omicron which is twice as contagious as delta and four times as contagious as the original version of the coronavirus does not show loss of smell and taste, but dizziness, nausea, and diarrhea are common symptoms.
Those vaccinated show mild symptoms like flu like symptoms, that include dizziness and some gastrointestinal symptoms. Omicron has a shorter incubation period than the other variants, after the person is exposed, it takes as few as three days for them to develop symptoms, become contagious and test positive compared to four to six days with Delta and the original coronavirus infection. According to research, Omicron may cause less damage to the lungs than Delta and the original Corona virus infection.
I tested negative but still having some dry cough. Does that mean I’m still contagious? Why do I have symptoms and yet test negative?
With Omicron variant, according to research when you get exposed, you may still be asymptomatic on second day but infectiousness starts. Symptoms may start to appear on the 4th day and test becomes positive. The best time to test is on the 6th day.
Infectiousness may end on the 9th day and symptoms usually resolve unless you develop some complications. So, you may already test negative because the viral load is no longer enough to be detected by the test and may not be enough to infect others. However, you may still show lingering symptoms because the virus can stay in the body for 90 days.
Is a yearly vaccine something we must consider?
The whole concept of boosting immunity against infectious disease is well established. Do you remember the shots that were given to our kids when they were young? The shots at 2, 4, & 6 months of age, then we give the booster shot at age 4, then we boost again at age 12.
Then we get booster shot for measles, mumps, and rubella before we go to college. We also get booster shot for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis to every woman who’s pregnant. We boost all the time.
So, it’s the same concept of boosting immunity for COVID-19. Booster shots improve immunity. Remember – the goal of a vaccine is to prevent serious disease, hospitalization, and death. A booster shot should be given at least 5 months after the second dose of mRNA vaccine.
Because of the highly infectious Omicron variant, other countries like Germany changed its recommendation for booster shot from 6 months to 3 months. In the US, it was changed from 6 to 5 months.
Third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for people with weakened immune system. People with weakened immune systems might not develop enough immunity after vaccination with two doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, therefore, an additional dose might improve their protection against COVID-19
The third dose should be given 28 days after the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Israel would be the first country in the world to offer the fourth Pfizer vaccine doses to age over 60 & those with compromised immune systems and health care workers.
Fourth dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is also starting in US and it’s recommended for immunocompromised (active treatment for cancer, received organ transplant within the past 2 years, moderate or severe immunodeficiency, advanced or untreated HIV, active treatment with high dose of corticosteroid). It will be given 5 months after the third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
The same brand is recommended but if it’s not available, either brand of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can be given as third & fourth dose
Are there any programs to help those who have survived the virus? And those suffering from mental illness?
There is financial assistance for food, housing, and bills. You can visit the USA.GOV or call 1844-872-4681. There are also programs and services that support mental health problems. Counseling & support are available from the Disaster Distress Helpline and you can call 1800985-5990. Or you can just call 311 for any resources. #
ADS
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