I was in the ER during the first few waves of COVID, and especially during the first one, I witnessed the struggle to accurately and quickly diagnose COVID in patients. Unfortunately, COVID is here to stay, as we have clearly seen with the recent spikes in multiple new variants. It is important to inform ourselves and our communities with the most current information from medical experts and health organizations. Here’s what you need to know about COVID now – and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss Have you ever had COVID? These symptoms may “never go away.”
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Infections with the Omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5 continue to increase in the US. According to the CDC, more than 1 in 5 COVID-19 infections may contribute to the new variants. Although we are still in the early stages of understanding these variants, it appears that it may cause symptoms such as the wet cough that can be seen with more significant lung infections.
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Likewise, with these new variants, we are again seeing re-infections in people who are vaccinated and/or have already contracted COVID-19 and therefore should have some natural immunity. These variants may also indicate that immunity to vaccine and Covid-19 infection is beginning to wane, a potentially worrying factor as we head into autumn. As we have seen with the previous options, neither vaccination nor previous infection with COVID-19 prevents someone from becoming infected. As long as people don’t get seriously ill and end up in the intensive care unit or worse from infection, the vaccines are doing their job. The long-term concern is how well immunity, from vaccination and/or previous infection, continues to protect people over time and the emergence of new variants.
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Many people still test positive after the CDC’s recommended five-day isolation period. If you are completely symptom-free and still show a positive rapid test result, I would recommend rechecking your results with a PCR test at your local health care facility. If it is negative, isolation is no longer necessary, but it is recommended to wear a mask until day 10.
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Recently, medical professionals have noticed strange increases in respiratory viruses such as influenza, rhinovirus and adenovirus – all of which are commonly known to have increases during the winter months. Many researchers believe that these increases are caused by the introduction and continued infection of COVID-19 and its many sub-variants. However, there is an additional reason for these diagnoses: many doctors and hospitals are running “multiplex” tests that look for more than just Covid and are finding positive results for viruses they didn’t suspect over the summer and ones we may have simply missed before. because we never looked.
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Last week, the Biden administration, along with the CDC, removed the requirement that air travelers provide a negative COVID-19 test before re-entering the country. However, if you are planning to take a cruise – you must still provide proof of vaccination and a negative test result. And to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of them 35 places where you are most likely to catch COVID.
Dr. Michael Bleivas is the Chief Medical Officer at Anavasi Diagnostics.
Dr. Michael Bleivas
Dr. Michael Bleivas is the Chief Medical Officer at Anavasi Diagnostics. Read more
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