127 – COVID Update for Aging Adults (2.24.22 Edition)

Better Health While Aging

In This Episode:

Dr. K discusses the ebbing of the Omicron surge, what to know about the “stealth” Omicron BA.2 (it has taken over in Denmark and is growing here), how to “live with COVID” safely, and more.

She covers:

• Why current COVID numbers are better but still not low enough
• What we’ve learned about vaccines & boosters during the Omicron surge
• What we can learn from Denmark lifting all COVID restrictions
• How to compare US COVID data to that of other countries, and why our outcomes are worse
• What to know about the Omicron sister variant BA.2
• What it would mean for COVID to be “endemic”
• The ideal approach to living with COVID
• Wastewater & other ways to monitor COVID in your local area
• What older adults can do to keep themselves and their families safer

Note: The CDC released updated guidance re COVID and assessing local COVID-19 community levels on 2/25/22. Dr. K has posted written comments regarding this on her 2022 COVID article: COVID & Aging Adults: 2022 Updates.

Related Episodes:

126 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (1.6.22 Edition)

Related Resources:

• BHWA:
  • COVID & Aging Adults: 2022 Updates
  • COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do
• To track COVID data:
  • NY Times COVID Tracker
  • OurWorldInData.org Coronavirus Data Explorer
  • CDC Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard
  • CDC Wastewater Surveillance
  • CDC COVID cases and deaths by vaccine status
• CDC:
  • COVID variant proportion tracker
• FDA: Paxlovid EUA Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers
• Twitter threads referenced in update:
  • Kristian Andersen on Danish COVID outcomes since restrictions were lifted
  • Bob Wachter on estimating the COVID risk of attending a party
    • Photo summarizing his math here
• From medical journals and research groups:
  • UK Health Security Agency COVID-19 vaccine weekly surveillance reports
    • Effectiveness of 3 doses of COVID-19 vaccines against symptomatic COVID-19 and hospitalisation in adults aged 65 years and older (UK HSA)
  • Effectiveness of mRNA-1273 against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variants
  • Immunogenicity of a BNT162b2 Vaccine Booster Against SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variants in Older People
  • 4th Dose COVID mRNA Vaccines’ Immunogenicity & Efficacy Against Omicron VOC
  • Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VOC subvariants BA.1 and BA.2: Evidence from Danish Households
  • Reinfection with different subtypes of Omicron is possible
  • Covid-19: Even mild infections can cause long term heart problems, large study finds
• From news and other media:
  • What does endemic mean? Experts answer your questions about the future of covid. (Washington Post)
  • U.S. Covid Death Toll Surpasses 900,000 as Omicron’s Spread Slows
  • More contagious version of omicron spreads in U.S., fueling worries (NPR)
• Twitter sources that helped with this update:
  • Dr. Eric Topol (good for all kinds of COVID data and info)
    • Graphic for PCR and rapid tests here
  • Zeynep Tufecki (smart takes on COVID & more)
  • Dr. Ashish Jha (good for pithy common-sense takes on COVID)

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