Q&A: Cutting Through COVID Confusion

 From National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation

More than 900,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and while new cases have declined in the past week, deaths increased. As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19, questions remain about the future of the virus and what endemic means. Here’s the latest news on common concerns: 

Q: When can children under five get vaccinated?
A: Infants as young as six months could be vaccinated in the next few weeks, depending on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) review of Pfizer-BioNTech’s application for authorization of the vaccine for this age group. 

Q: What do we know about the new variant?
A: The emerging BA.2 sub-variant of omicron has replaced the original strain in many countries and is detected in more than half of the states. BA.2 does not appear to cause greater disease severity but a study from Denmark found it to be 33% more likely to infect others compared to BA.1.

Q: How effective are boosters? 
A: Fully vaccinated people are 14 times less likely to die from COVID-19 than unvaccinated individuals. People with boosters are 97 times less likely to die of the virus. Yet, 51% of eligible Americans have not received their booster dose. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that booster doses are most beneficial to older adults.

Q: Is omicron really that bad?
A: Even though omicron cases are often milder than earlier variants and there is less risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit than during previous waves, the high volume of hospital admissions is straining the health care system. Additionally, many hospitalized patients come in for other reasons and incidentally test positive for COVID. Omicron is not as mild for people with underlying conditions and may cause 50,000 to 300,000 more deaths by mid-March. Some people are deliberately trying to get omicron but learn the reasons why experts say that is a bad idea. 

Q: What have we learned about Long COVID?
A: New research on factors that may increase the risk for Long COVID includes one study that suggests four biological factors, such as type 2 diabetes or certain autoimmune conditions, could be identified early in a person’s COVID-19 infection. Another study hints that a blood test may be able to predict Long COVID.

Q: What’s the latest on COVID-19 treatments?
A: There are several therapeutic options for people who have gotten COVID-19. However, there are not enough of these drugs, and some patients are left untreated. Learn more about the challenges of Remdesivir and the federal contract for Paxlovid.