Hello, I’m Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, the well being officer for Anne Arundel County. Welcome to our Weekly Well being Replace. The COVID vaccines are secure and efficient, they usually’re our path out of this pandemic. Quite a bit has modified over the previous week. Let’s evaluation.
What’s the up to date CDC steering?
The brand new CDC pointers replicate a transition from treating COVID as a pandemic to treating it as an endemic sickness. Endemic doesn’t imply that COVID is gone. It signifies that COVID will proceed circulating at some degree inside our group, with occasional outbreaks. Over the approaching months we’ll study what that degree is whereas being vigilant for outbreaks and surges.
What does this imply for us?
Primarily based on this replace, we’re now within the lowest of three classes of group degree of COVID. That is primarily based on case price and hospitalizations. We’re additionally doing very nicely with vaccinations, which offer extra group degree safety. We do have to recollect kids 4 and youthful can’t get vaccinated and there’s no remedy possibility for youngsters 11 and youthful. Moreover, there are individuals with power well being situations who may have a better danger. So whereas we’re doing nicely as a group, there are teams and people who’ve some extra or greater danger.
What ought to I do?
There are 4 issues you must do:
- Keep updated in your COVID vaccine. They’re efficient at stopping the extreme penalties of COVID.
- Preserve at house checks in your medication cupboard. Use them you probably have COVID signs or in case you’ve been uncovered to somebody with COVID, two to 3 days after publicity. You’ll be able to at all times get a PCR check as nicely.
- Preserve a stack of masks available, KN95 or surgical masks. The chance is decrease now, and masks should not really useful at this degree for most of the people. Nonetheless, COVID continues to be current, even when at decrease ranges. There are particular person causes to proceed carrying masks, together with having a power well being situation, stopping transmission to household or mates who’re at greater danger, or as one other layer of safety. Some occupations or workplaces, like well being care, might have extra masking necessities.
- If you happen to check constructive for COVID, discuss to a physician about remedy. In case you have any well being situations that put you in danger for extra extreme COVID outcomes, you’re eligible for remedy with oral or IV drugs. The earlier you get handled, the higher.
Keep secure and be form to your self and others. We’ll see you subsequent week.