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Gloria Addo-Ayensu, M.D., M.P.H.
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COVID-19: Where are we now? Public health doctor provides new pandemic perspective

Submitted by xlschwa on Thu, 11/10/2022 - 1:48 pm

Dr. Benjamin Schwartz
Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, Director of Epidemiology and Population Health, Fairfax County Health Department

Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, director of epidemiology and population health at the Fairfax County Health Department, provided a COVID-19 update to local community leaders at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center stressing that “balance is key.”

As public health guidance has evolved over the pandemic, changes have given us the sense of getting back to normal; even though the pandemic is not over.

 Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, Director of Epidemiology and Population Health, suggested at a meeting of local community leaders at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, that if we want the benefits that come with more openness, we need to balance that with a stronger focus on what we need to do to keep COVID-19 under control.

“The key concept is balance”, said Dr. Schwartz. “If we want to enjoy the benefits that come from removing restrictions, we need to do a better job with the approaches to controlling disease that still exist because COVID-19 is not over.” In the Fairfax Health District, about 10 people are dying of the illness weekly while on a national level, it is over 2,500 people. And unlike other viral respiratory illnesses where one usually is only sick for a short time, with COVID-19 adults and children may continue to experience illness for months – a condition that has been called “long-COVID.”

“We can balance the economic, education and other needs of our society – getting back to normal – with the need to control spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Schwartz. “There are two critical actions people can take to achieve this balance: stay-up-to date on vaccinations and stay home and away from others if you are sick.” He adds, “Getting vaccinated is easy with hundreds of locations in Fairfax County where vaccines are given. Yet, only one in five children ages six months to four years are vaccinated against the disease in the Fairfax Health District, and only one in eight of people who are eligible have opted to receive the most recent booster. This does not give us the balance we need.” 

Boosters refresh immunity and help control disease spread

“Booster shots refresh your immunity against COVID-19. They are necessary because protection received from original doses goes down over time. The new boosters not only update that protection, but also add a new shield against the omicron variants which are currently in our community,” Dr. Schwartz said.

The CDC recommends everyone stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, which includes getting the most recent booster dose recommended for you. Some individuals, such as those who are immunocompromised, have different recommendations. Use the CDC’s Booster Tool to determine when you need to get a booster.

“Only one in eight eligible people have been boosted. That means that protection against COVID-19 for our entire community is decreasing. This gives the disease the chance to spread – particularly with winter and the holidays approaching when people get together indoors. The best thing we all can do is to stay up-to-date with our shots to keep COVID-19 at bay,” said Dr. Schwartz.

Vaccination for more younger children still encouraged

“While it is true that children tend to not have as severe COVID-19 illness as adults, serious illness is possible. In fact, one in every 25 children will experience symptoms of Long COVID. Vaccination not only protects kids from getting COVID-19, it also helps shield them from the severe and long-term effects of COVID-19, and keeps them from spreading illness to others,” Dr. Schwartz said.

“With only one in five children ages six months to five years old vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Fairfax Health District, I am concerned that the protection against COVID-19 in this age group is lower than it should be – and therefore the kids are more vulnerable to acquiring and spreading illness,” he said.

Dr. Schwartz encourages parents to talk to their pediatricians about vaccination.

Have the sniffles? Stay home.

Staying home and away from others if you have COVID-19 symptoms is another important way to stop disease spread.

“Failure to stay home when you are ill means you are opening the door for COVID-19 to spread even more in our community,” Dr. Schwartz said.

“This year, we have more respiratory illnesses circulating right now than we did for the past 2 years. While people might be more apt to dismiss mild symptoms as a common cold and go about their day, please, do not do so. The only way to know for certain if your symptoms are due to COVID or not is to get tested. And, if you test positive, it is necessary – for the sake of the health of those around you – to self-isolate.”

More information on where to get a COVID-19 booster or vaccine dose is here.

SOURCE: Data in this article is from the Fairfax Health District COVID-19 case data dashboard

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