127 COVID Update for Aging Adults (2.24.22 Edition)

Dr. K's latest COVID update covers the ebbing of the Omicron surge, what to know about the stealth Omicron BA.2, what might come next, how to live with COVID safely, and more.
The post 127 COVID Update for Aging Adults (2.24.22 Edition) appeared first on Better Health While Aging.

 In This Episode:

Dr. K discusses the ebbing of the Omicron surge, what to know about the stealth Omicron BA.2 (it has taken over in Denmark and is growing here), how to live with COVID safely, and more.

She covers:

Why current COVID numbers are better but still not low enough
What we ve learned about vaccines & boosters during the Omicron surge
What we can learn from Denmark lifting all COVID restrictions
How to compare US COVID data to that of other countries, and why our outcomes are worse
What to know about the Omicron sister variant BA.2
What it would mean for COVID to be “endemic”
The ideal approach to living with COVID
Wastewater & other ways to monitor COVID in your local area
What older adults can do to keep themselves and their families safer

Note: The CDC released updated guidance re COVID and assessing local COVID-19 community levels on 2/25/22. Dr. K has posted written comments regarding this on her 2022 COVID article: COVID & Aging Adults: 2022 Updates.

 

Related Episodes:

126 Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (1.6.22 Edition)

Related Resources:

BHWA:

COVID & Aging Adults: 2022 Updates
COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do

To track COVID data:

NY Times COVID Tracker
OurWorldInData.org Coronavirus Data Explorer
CDC Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard
CDC Wastewater Surveillance
CDC COVID cases and deaths by vaccine status

 CDC:

COVID variant proportion tracker

FDA: Paxlovid EUA Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers
Twitter threads referenced in update:

Kristian Andersen on Danish COVID outcomes since restrictions were lifted
Bob Wachter on estimating the COVID risk of attending a party

Photo summarizing his math here

From medical journals and research groups:

UK Health Security Agency COVID-19 vaccine weekly surveillance reports

Effectiveness of 3 doses of COVID-19 vaccines against symptomatic COVID-19 and hospitalisation in adults aged 65 years and older (UK HSA)

Effectiveness of mRNA-1273 against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variants
Immunogenicity of a BNT162b2 Vaccine Booster Against SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variants in Older People
4th Dose COVID mRNA Vaccines Immunogenicity & Efficacy Against Omicron VOC
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VOC subvariants BA.1 and BA.2: Evidence from Danish Households
Reinfection with different subtypes of Omicron is possible
Covid-19: Even mild infections can cause long term heart problems, large study finds

From news and other media:

What does endemic mean? Experts answer your questions about the future of covid. (Washington Post)
U.S. Covid Death Toll Surpasses 900,000 as Omicron s Spread Slows
More contagious version of omicron spreads in U.S., fueling worries (NPR)

Twitter sources that helped with this update:

Dr. Eric Topol (good for all kinds of COVID data and info)

Graphic for PCR and rapid tests here

Zeynep Tufecki (smart takes on COVID & more)
Dr. Ashish Jha (good for pithy common-sense takes on COVID)

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The post 127 COVID Update for Aging Adults (2.24.22 Edition) appeared first on Better Health While Aging.