133 – COVID Summer 2023 News Update for Aging Adults

Dr. K covers the latest on COVID in the US now, how to follow COVID levels, updates on COVID boosters, how to know if you still should take precautions, tips on staying safe for the summer, and more.

Dr. K discusses the latest COVID news for Summer 2023, including the current COVID situation in the US, how to get COVID data now that the public health emergency has ended, updates on COVID boosters, how to know if you still should take precautions, and more.

In this episode:

What’s changed since February
Updates on the COVID bivalent booster
What’s happening now with COVID
How to decide if you should worry about COVID
What are the risks of catching COVID now?
How to avoid catching COVID this summer
COVID booster FAQs
COVID symptoms now
What to do if you catch COVID & how to get Paxlovid

Note: For the masks Dr. K recommends, you can get 3M Aura here https://amzn.to/3PJJyRO, the 3M V-flex here https://amzn.to/3OxrsRY, and the Powecom KN95 here https://amzn.to/3W9frXf

These are Amazon affiliate links, so any purchases will help support Better Health While Aging, thank you!

Related Episodes:

132 – COVID 2023 News Update for Aging Adults (2.23.23 Edition)

Related Resources:

BHWA:

COVID & Aging Adults: 2023 & 2022 Updates

COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do

To track COVID data:

CDC Covid Data Tracker
CDC Weekly hospitalizations
CDC Weekly deaths
CDC Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard

Wastewater:

CDC Wastewater Surveillance

Biobot.io wastewater tracker

CDC & FDA information referenced in this update:

FDA: PAXLOVID Patient Eligibility Screening Checklist Tool for Prescribers

CDC: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Presentation Slides: April 19, 2023 Meeting

COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness updates

CDC COVID-19 Mortality Update — United States, 2022

From medical journals and research groups:

NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines: Molnupiravir

Molnupiravir plus usual care versus usual care alone as early treatment for adults with COVID-19 at increased risk of adverse outcomes (PANORAMIC): an open-label, platform-adaptive randomised controlled trial (12/22/22)

Lancet: Past SARS-CoV-2 infection protection against re-infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2/16/23)

Cochrane: Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses (1/30/23)

See related commentary: Multiple studies show that face masks reduce the spread of COVID-19; a Cochrane review doesn’t demonstrate otherwise

Paxlovid Associated with Decreased Hospitalization Rate Among Adults with COVID-19 — United States, April–September 2022 12/2/22

From news and other media:

Your Local Epidemiologist: End of Public Health Emergency: A shift in data

For masking, ventilation COVID transmission information:

Masks Dr. K uses:

3M V-flex N95

3M Aura N95

Powecom KN95

Project N95

Twitter resources

@joeyfox85

@masknerd