CLOSE TO HOME. YEAH, AND WE’LL TALK ABOUT THAT. OKAY. WE’RE ABOUT 20 SECONDS AWAY.
>> SHE’S AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE
SPECIALIST FROM UT HEALTH, SAN
ANTONIO. AND WE’RE VERY PLEASED
TO HAVE HER ON A REGULAR BASIS.
DOCTOR RUTH BURGER AND JOINS
US IN THIS KSAT Q AND A DOCTOR.
BERGER, WE’VE BEEN GETTING A
LOT OF QUESTIONS AS IT SEEMS AS
IF THE CASES START TO RISE.
WE GET MORE PEOPLE ASKING
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT’S GOING
ON WITH COVID AND PARTICULAR
DRUGS THAT THEY OR SOMEONE THEY
KNOW OR SOMETHING THEY’VE READ
ON THE INTERNET AND ONE OF THEM
IS PAXLOVID. THERE’VE BEEN
PEOPLE WHO WORK. WE’RE
CONCERNED THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY
TAKE IT AND THEN IT DOESN’T IT.
WHEN THEY GET OFF, THEY STILL
HAVE COVID. I MADE IT CLEAR UP
SOME OF THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS
HERE WHEN IT COMES TO THAT
PARTICULAR DRUG PAXLOVID.
>> SURE. ABSOLUTELY. I’VE BEEN
PRESCRIBING IT QUITE A BIT
THESE DAYS BECAUSE THERE’S A
LOT OF COVID CIRCULATING IN
THE COMMUNITY. AND I WANT TO
REMIND EVERYBODY THAT THE
EFFICACY OF THIS DRUG IS REALLY
IMPRESSIVE. IF YOU TAKE
PAXLOVID WITHIN THE FIRST 5
DAYS OF GETTING COVID SYMPTOMS.
AND THAT’S AN IMPORTANT POINT.
YOU GOT TO TAKE IT OR LEAVE.
GOT TO TAKE IT WITHIN THE FIRST
5 DAYS. IF YOU DO THAT, YOU
HAVE AN 89% REDUCTION IN YOUR
RISK OF GOING TO THE HOSPITAL
OR YOU RISK OF DYING. SO THAT
IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT OVER WHAT
WE HAD BEFORE. NOW, WHAT
HAPPENS? YOU GET YOU GET YOUR
SYMPTOMS, YOU GET YOUR TEST.
YOU TEST POSITIVE. YOU START
YOUR PAXLOVID WITHIN 5 DAYS.
YOU DON’T WAIT TOO LONG AFTER
5 DAYS OF TAKING PAXLOVID, I
YOU’RE GOING TO FEEL PERFECT.
WELL, YOU MIGHT NOT JUST AS
WITH THE COMMON COLD. REMEMBER
THE DAYS WHEN WE USED TO GET
COMMON COLD, BUT IT WOULD BE
PRETTY. AND FOR PEOPLE TO
CONTINUE TO HAVE SOME COUGH
THAT NIGHT TIME IRRITATING
COUGH THAT CAN LINGER ON FOR
WEEKS. THAT IF THAT HAPPENS
AFTER PAXLOVID FOR SOMEONE WITH
COVID, THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT
THE PAXLOVID DIDN’T WORK.
IT MEANS THAT YOUR BODY IS
STILL WORKING TO RECOVER FROM
THE INSULTING THE INFORMATION
THAT THE INITIAL VIRAL
INFECTION CAUSED. SO IT’S VERY
UNLIKELY THAT THESE PEOPLE THAT
ARE CALLING IN AND SAYING I
STILL HAVE COVID. IT’S UNLIKELY
THAT THEY STILL HAVE THE
DISEASE COVID-19. THEY PROBABLY
HAVE POST VIRAL BRONCHITIS.
ALTERNATIVELY, THESE COULD BE
PEOPLE WHO WAITED TOO LONG AND
THEY DIDN’T GET THE PACKS OF IT
UTIL BEYOND 5 DAYS. SO, YOU
KNOW, WE’RE NOT IN THE MIDDLE
OF A SURGE, CERTAINLY, BUT
CASES ARE INCREASING HERE
LOCALLY. IN LAST TIME WE TALKED
TO YOU, THE POSITIVITY RATE
WAS UP SO.
>> GIVE US A PICTURE OF WHERE
WE ARE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF
THE SPREAD OF COVID AT THE
MOMENT.
>> RIGHT. I THINK THE LAST TIME
I SPOKE TO YOU ALL, WE WERE AT
ABOUT 5.2%. WE’VE GONE UP TO
9.7 OR ALMOST ABOVE THAT 10%
COMMUNITY CAUSATIVE THE RATE
WHICH IS NOT A REAL GREAT.
IT’S A PLACE TO BE IN. AND WHAT
THAT MEANS BELIEVE PEOPLE
SHOULD BE PUTTING THEIR MASKS
ON WHEN THEY GO TO CROWDED
INDOOR PLACES. WHEN YOU GO TO
THE GROCERY STORE WHEN YOU GO
TO HOUSES OF WORSHIP, IF YOU’RE
GOING TO CONCERTS, IF YOU’RE
GOING TO MEETINGS AT WORK, WEAR
YOUR MASK WHERE GOOD SURGICAL
MASK BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH COVID
ISN’T FILLING UP, OUR HOSPITALS
ISN’T KILLING PEOPLE LIKE IT
WAS BEFORE. IT’S NO FUN TO GET
COVID. SO WE REALLY NEED TO
DOUBLE DOWN ON THE HAND WASHING
MASKING AND STAYING 6 FEET
APART FROM OTHER PEOPLE.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE WE NEED
TO DOUBLE DOWN ON. WE NEED TO
DOUBLE DOWN ON GETTING BOOSTED.
SO THERE’S A WHOLE LOT OF SAN
ANTONIANS THAT DID NOT GET
THEIR BOOSTER SHOT TO BEGIN
WITH. AND WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF
PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 50.
>> ARE DUE FOR A 4TH SHOT AND
NOW IS A REALLY GOOD TIME TO GO
OUT AND GET THAT 4TH SHOT.
IF YOU ARE OVER THE AGE OF 50.
>> THAT LEADS TO MY NEXT
QUESTION WHICH COMES FROM MY
OWN HOUSE AND ACTUALLY MY WIFE
AND I HAD THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT
WIND TO GET BOOSTED AND SHOULD
YOU STRETCH IT LIKE INSTEAD
OF THE 4 MONTHS IT’S
RECOMMENDED. SHOULD YOU WAIT
AN EXTRA MONTH OR 2 TO SEE IF
YOU CAN GET MORE, YOU KNOW,
EFFECTIVENESS AS IT HEADS INTO
THE WINTER TIME.
>> WELL, THAT IS A AN IDEA THAT
I DIDN’T THINK WAS SUCH A BAD
IDEA.
>> A MONTH OR SO OVER IN THE
FIRST BOOSTING RECOMMENDATIONS
CAME OUT. BUT AT THAT TIME, IF
YOU RECALL STEVE, OUR COMMUNITY
POSITIVITY RATES WERE SUPER
SUPER LOVE AND NOW WE SEEN THEM
FIRST, THEY DOUBLED AND THEN
THEY DOUBLED AGAIN. SO I DON’T
RECOMMEND STRETCHING IT OUT.
I RECOMMEND THAT IF YOU ARE
IN THE ELIGIBLE GROUP TO GET
EITHER YOUR 3RD SHOT FOR YOUR
4TH SHOT. I WOULDN’T STRETCH IT
OUT. I GO AHEAD AND GET IT.
MEMORIAL DAY IS COMING UP.
PEOPLE WANT TO GET TOGETHER.
THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING UP.
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANT TO
TRAVEL. SO GOING GET YOUR
BOOSTER BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
BECAUSE IT COULD REALLY SPARE
YOU AND UNPLEASANT EPISODE OF
COVID-19.
>> SO WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE
NOT IN THAT RECOMMENDED GROUP?
IF YOU’RE UNDER 50, ESPECIALLY
NOW WE KNOW THAT KIDS 5 TO 11
CAN GET A BOOSTER WIND. SHOULD
THAT GROUP THAT IS NOT ALREADY
BEING GIVEN THE RECOMMENDATION,
CONSIDER A BOOSTER SHOT.
>> WELL, INCLUDING THE 5 AND
UPS CAN GET A 3RD SHOT WHAT WE
ARE CALLING IT A BOOSTER SHOT.
THEY WEREN’T IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
THAT BOOSTER SHOT CAN HAPPEN AS
SOON AS 5 MONTHS AFTER YOUR
PRIMARY SERIES. AND SO THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT JUST CAME OUT
TODAY.
>> CDC, I THINK.
>> ROCHELLE WALLENSKY HASN’T
YET SIGNED OFF ON IT. BUT THE
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON
IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES IS
RECOMMENDING THAT CHILDREN OVER
5 CAN BE BOOSTED 5 MONTHS AFTER
THEIR PRIMARY SERIES.
>> GREAT ADVICE THERE BECAUSE I
KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PARENTS
OUT THERE THAT ARE WONDERING
ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING. ARE WE
SEEING ANY OF THE SUB VARIANTS
THAT WE’VE BEEN TALKING IN
DIFFERENT PLACES? I IS IT
MAINLY OMICRON AND SUBVARIANTS?
THERE’S NOT ANYTHING ELSE THAT
WE NEED TO NECESSARILY WORRY
ABOUT.
>> SO FAR AS WE KNOW, THAT IS
THE CASE, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS
SMALL THAT WE’VE HAD STEVE AND
MYRA, THERE HAVEN’T BEEN SUPER
REGULAR MEETINGS TO TALK ABOUT
THE VERY LATEST PERCENTAGES
OF THIS SUBVARIANT. AND THAT’S
A VARIANT. BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN
HEARING IN OUR INFECTIOUS
DISEASE CIRCLES ABOUT ANYTHING
OTHER THAN OMICRON. AND, YOU
KNOW, WE WILL EXPECT THE
SUBVARIANT OF OMICRON THAT
WE’VE HEARD ABOUT ELSEWHERE
THE BEFORE THE BA 5 WE WILL
EXPECT THEM TO GRADUALLY THE
PRESIDENT. BUT WE HAVEN’T HEARD
ABOUT ANYTHING BEYOND THOSE
AND WE AREN’T SEEING MORE
LETHAL DISEASE. WE’RE SEEING
MORE INFECTIOUS MORE EASILY
TRANSMISSIBLE INFECTIONS, BUT
WE’RE NOT SEEING PEOPLE HAVING
MORE SEVERE CASES.
>> BUT OF COURSE, WE ARE
APPROACHING THAT 10% POSITIVITY
RATE, WHICH MAY NOT BE TOP OF
MIND FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
SO THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND.
OF COURSE, AS YOU MENTIONED,
WITH THE MASKING HAND WASHING
SOCIAL DISTANCING. WE KNOW THE
DRILL. DOCTOR BERGGREN, THANKS