New COVID-19 booster shots will be rolled out across the state, as new strains of the virus cause more people to get it but not necessarily get seriously ill.
Dr. Hugh Shoff, deputy medical director at UofL Health Hospital in Louisville, said Monday that the holiday season puts other people at higher risk for flu-like illnesses.
“We were all celebrating Halloween, now we’re going to be together for Thanksgiving, and then for Christmas, or for the holidays, whatever,” he said. “We’re all very close together in combination, so the spread is expanding just because of the way we’re all in combination. “
COVID-19 spreads when other people inhale inflamed droplets or move inflamed waste from their hands to their mouth, eyes, or nose. Being in poorly ventilated rooms is a risk factor.
The two most important circulating variants as of Oct. 28 were EG. 5, known as “Eris,” and HV. 1, according to tracking data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Together, those variants account for nearly a portion of all COVID-19 cases in the United States.
For a booster, search by zip code here.
In the meantime, here’s what you want to know about the new vaccines:
People who have recently had a COVID-19 infection wait to get their booster until they no longer have symptoms, Shoff said.
“If you’re out of the window of your symptoms and feeling better, you can go ahead and get the COVID booster at that point,” Shoff said.
The CDC says other people can wait three months after infection to get their booster.
But, Shoff said, the shots are less effective if other people get them sooner.
People who receive the COVID-19 vaccine may experience flu-like symptoms. That’s normal, Shoff said, and it’s “a good thing. “
“You don’t get COVID from the vaccine,” Shoff explained. What happens is that your body reacts. It turns on, you start generating antibodies, your body goes into overdrive mode because the vaccines tell you to do it.
In case of those reactions, he said, drink water and take Tylenol or ibuprofen to relieve body aches and fever.
The short is yes.
“The concept of new vaccines is almost like the flu,” Shoff said. “What they’ve done over the last few years is take a look at the new variants that are out there and formulate the vaccine to allow your body to create the necessary antibodies. to attack the new variants and the new COVID variants exist. “
Doctors and public fitness experts have cited annual flu shots as an example of what the long term will look like when it comes to COVID-19 mitigation.
“Even though I possibly would have gotten the first two (shots),” Shoff said of COVID boosters, “we have some new variants that the first two haven’t addressed. “
He added: “Now that we have changes in the virus, it’s time to transfer vaccines to teach your body to (produce) new antibodies opposed to this new variant. “
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by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern November 6, 2023
New COVID-19 booster shots will be rolled out across the state, as new strains of the virus cause more people to get it but not necessarily get seriously ill.
Dr. Hugh Shoff, deputy medical director at UofL Health Hospital in Louisville, said Monday that the holiday season puts other people at higher risk for flu-like illnesses.
“We were all celebrating Halloween, now we’re going to be together for Thanksgiving, and then for Christmas, or for the holidays, whatever,” he said. “We’re all very close together in combination, so the spread is expanding just because of the way we’re all in combination. “
COVID-19 spreads when other people inhale inflamed droplets or move inflamed waste from their hands to their mouth, eyes, or nose. Being in poorly ventilated rooms is a risk factor.
The two most important circulating variants as of Oct. 28 were EG. 5, known as “Eris,” and HV. 1, according to tracking data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Together, those variants account for nearly a portion of all COVID-19 cases in the United States.
For a booster, search by zip code here.
In the meantime, here’s what you want to know about the new vaccines:
People who have recently had a COVID-19 infection wait to get their booster until they no longer have symptoms, Shoff said.
“If you’re out of the window of your symptoms and feeling better, you can go ahead and get the COVID booster at that point,” Shoff said.
The CDC says other people can wait three months after infection to get their booster.
But, Shoff said, the shots are less effective if other people get them sooner.
People who receive the COVID-19 vaccine may experience flu-like symptoms. That’s normal, Shoff said, and it’s “a good thing. “
“You don’t get COVID from the vaccine,” Shoff explained. What happens is that your body reacts. It turns on, you start generating antibodies, your body goes into overdrive mode because the vaccines tell you to do it.
In case of those reactions, he said, drink water and take Tylenol or ibuprofen to relieve body aches and fever.
The short film is yes.
“The concept of new vaccines is almost like the flu,” Shoff said. “What they’ve done over the last few years is take a look at the new variants that exist and formulate the vaccine to allow the body to create the necessary antibodies. to attack the new variants and the new COVID variants exist. “
Doctors and public fitness experts have cited annual flu shots as an example of what the long term will look like when it comes to COVID-19 mitigation.
“Even though I possibly would have gotten the first two (shots),” Shoff said of COVID boosters, “we have some new variants that the first two haven’t addressed. “
He added: “Now that we have changes in the virus, it’s time to transfer vaccines to teach your body to (produce) new antibodies opposed to this new variant. “
GET YOUR MORNING PAPERS DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a network of grant-backed news bureaus and a coalition of donors as a 501c public charity(3). Kentucky Lantern maintains its editorial independence. Please contact editor Jamie Lucke if you have any questions: info@kentuckylantern. com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.
Sarah Ladd is a journalist based in Louisville, Western Kentucky, who has covered everything from crime to higher education. He spent nearly two years in the Courier Journal’s subway breaking news section. In 2020, she began reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and has been covering fitness ever since. As a fitness reporter for Kentucky Lantern, she focuses on intellectual fitness, LGBTQ issues, child wellness, COVID-19, and more.
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