>> The world health organization
this week ended the global
public health emergency and
declared -- it declared three
years ago as covid spread around
the world.
The U.S. Public health emergency
come to an end this coming
Thursday the 11th.
Those are largely symbolic, but
the pandemic is waning.
Government data shows covid was
the fourth leading cause of
death last year, dropping from
third in the previous two years.
U.S. Covid deaths are the lowest
since 2020.
Although it still claims
hundreds of lives each day.
Where does the pandemic stand
and what should we be doing
about it?
An epidemiologist at the
university of Texas and author
of the popular newsletter your
local epidemiologist.
The global health emergency
ending the U.S. Health emergency
ending.
What does it mean, and may be
just as important, what does it
not mean?
>> It is a big week for public
health.
The global public health
emergency ending is basically
administrative and financial.
It is a key mechanism within
global health security.
Officially it means ending the
mobilization of international
coordination.
Funding, advancing vaccines,
etc..
Unofficially, it is one of the
strongest signs the who sees
covid-19 as a threat in our
repertoire of things trying to
kill us every day.
It is really quite a monumental
moment.
It is important to recognize
what it does not mean.
You touched on this a little.
It does not mean covid-19 is
gone.
Sars-cov-2 is mutating about
twice as fast as the flu.
It means we are going to get
future waves.
We may get a big tsunami also
from another variant of concern,
which would be pie.
Like you said, we cannot ignore
the fact covid-19 is a leading
cause of death for Americans and
people around the world.
To me as an epidemiologist, our
work is not done.
But this is a monumental moment.
Some time for reflection, as
well.
>> There is confusion about what
to do.
How to react, how to respond.
A lot of people asked about
vaccine boosters.
Who should be getting a vaccine
booster?
>> This is confusing to a lot of
people, including myself.
If you had one vaccine, you are
considered up-to-date with covid
vaccines in the U.S.
It doesn't matter if you got
previously infected or what
other vaccine series you got.
For those who got the fall
booster, bivalent booster, and
they are over 65 or
immunocompromised, they can get
a spring booster, as well.
It depends on if you have
comorbidities, how old you are,
and how risk-averse you are.
We don't know what the future is
going to hold.
I'm recommending it to my
grandparents, to my parents to
get their spring booster.
It is not available to everyone.
>> Moving forward, how often
should people think about
getting boosters?
>> We have no idea.
It depends what the virus
continues to do.
It is mutating twice this fast
as -- twice as fast as the flu.
We are expecting an annual shot.
If not, a biannual shot.
A really important meeting
coming up June 15.
The fda meeting to really decide
what the fall is going to look
like, what the formula and
vaccines are going to be, what
type of omicron variant.
In about a month, we should have
more clarity on what this fall
will look like.
>> The virus you taking.
There are new variants.
We don't have the same reaction
or concern about these new
variants as we did about
omicron.
Why is that?
>> A couple reasons.
One is we have a tall immunity
wall right now.
From previous infections and
from vaccine coverage.
It is a good sign we are not
seeing these huge waves of
hospitalizations.
That is because our immunity is
working against it.
The sars-cov-2 may have started
finding its path.
It is making incremental
mutations and changes instead of
these huge swing changes we saw
in the first two years of the
pandemic.
That is a good thing.
We want omicron to keep
mutating.
We will be able to predict it
that her.
We can predict and be proactive
about vaccines better around
fall.
>> We asked viewers what
questions they had.
One point was long covid.
Kate says she had long covid for
the last 1.5 years.
The number of incoming patients
at the local long clinic is as
high as ever.
What do you foresee the impact
of long covid on American life?
Has there been any progress in
understanding who is at risk of
getting long covid, how to
prevent it, and treat it?
>> Long covid is a thing.
Debilitating to Americans.
About 6 million Americans are
suffering from long covid.
The more the virus changes and
transmits, the more possibility
to get more people who have long
covid.
We have good news with immunity,
it seems our risk of long covid
is if you get an infection.
Same with treatments, paxlovid
reduces treatment of covid.
Omicron is reducing the risk of
long covid compared to delta.
We are understanding the
patterns.
Females are more likely to get
long covid than males.
Younger people are more likely
to get long covid than older
people.
We really are on the surface of
our understanding of long covid
and have a long way to go.
>> Your local epidemiologist,
thank you very much.
>> Thank you for having me.