Why are COVID-19 cases rising? Mass. doctor explains

ARSON, CAUSING BODILY INJURY. WE TURN TO FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH TONIGHT AND AS SHOCKING AS THIS MAY SOUND LIKE WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT COVID BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE KNOWS SOMEONE WITH COVID 19 RIGHT NOW. AS YOU CAN SEE, DOCTOR T IS CASE NUMBERS ARE RISING NOT ONLY IN MASSACHUSETTS, NOT ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE OLYMPICS AS WELL. IT’S TRUE. SO THE NUMBERS ARE INCREASING. AND IN OUR NEWSROOM AS WELL. WE’RE NOT EXEMPT FROM THAT. IMMUNE FROM THAT. DOCTOR TODD ALLEN IS WITH US, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. SO SO QUESTION ONE. OTHER THAN SAYING WE’RE STILL TALKING ABOUT COVID, LET’S START WITH THE DATA. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? ALL RIGHT. THERE’S THIS NEW VARIANT CALLED KP 311. THE BOTTOM LINE IS YOU KNOW COVID LIKES TO MUTATE. SO WE’RE SEEING INCREASE IN CASES IN THE UNITED STATES IN IN OUR STATE IN OUR HOSPITAL, WE’VE HAD ABOUT 10 OR 11 INPATIENTS OVER THE PAST MONTH HASN’T REALLY INCREASED OR DECREASED. IT’S PRETTY STEADY. BUT LIKE YOU SAID, THERE’S EVEN 40 ATHLETES AT THE OLYMPICS WITH COVID RIGHT NOW. SO IT’S IT’S SURGING IN ABOUT 84 COUNTRIES. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, WHILE THERE’S MORE CASES, DOESN’T SEEM TO BE A MORE SEVERE. THAT’S WHERE I WAS GOING. I MEAN IT’S NOT KNOCKING YOU DOWN KNOCKING I’VE SEEN SOME PEOPLE THOUGH HONESTLY PEOPLE IN MY AGE WHO HAVE SAID, YEAH, IT REALLY KNOCKED ME OUT FOR 40 HOURS OR SO. RIGHT? I THINK FOR THE INDIVIDUAL, IT CAN RANGE FROM ASYMPTOMATIC TO IT CAN STILL PUT YOU IN THE HOSPITAL OCCASIONALLY IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, ALTHOUGH THAT’S LESS FREQUENTLY AS WE HAVE MORE POPULATION IMMUNITY. WE DON’T HAVE TO GO. DO WE HAVE TO? SHOULD WE GO TO, YOU KNOW, MASKS AND PAXLOVID AND THE WHOLE NINE YARDS ISOLATION AGAIN OR NO. RIGHT. DEFINITELY NOT. MASKS FOR EVERYONE. MASKS STILL WORK FOR INDIVIDUALS CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING IT RIGHT IN CLOSE SETTINGS. PAXLOVID? ABSOLUTELY. IF YOU’RE AT HIGH RISK AND GET COVID. GOT IT. BUT NOT FOR THE STANDARD PERSON. NOT FOR MOST PEOPLE, RIGHT? SO WE WERE LEARNING TO AND HAVE TO LIVE WITH COVID, RIGHT? SO WHEN DO YOU THINK INFECTIONS WILL WILL DROP AND THE NUMBER WILL COME DOWN? WELL, WE ARE STARTING TO SEE WASTEWATER DECREASE. SO THAT MAKES US THINK THAT HOPEFULLY THE PEAK HAS OCCURRED AND IT’S GOING TO START TO GO DOWN SOON. AND THAT’S GOOD NEWS. BUT REMEMBER WHAT WE’VE SEEN OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS IS TWO PEAKS WITH COVID. THE CLASSIC WINTER PEAK THAT WE SEE WITH RESPIRATORY VIRUSES LIKE THE FLU, BUT ALSO A SUMMER PEAK, WHICH IS WHAT’S UNIQUE TO COVID. LET’S FACE THE FACTS. YOU KNOW, COVID HAS NOT TAKEN A BREAK THIS SUMMER. IT’S IT’S AND AND IT’S JUST SHOWN THAT IT CAN SPREAD IN MORE THAN ONE SEASON, WHICH IS UNIQUE FOR RESPIRATORY VIRUSES. I CAN’T BELIEVE ALL THESE YEARS WE’RE STILL TALKING ABOUT COVID, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT. I DO WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT VACCINES AGAIN. I THINK ESPECIALLY FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE AT HIGH RISK, RIGHT. CHRONIC LUNG, HEART, KIDNEY, DIABETES, IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, THOSE PATIENTS? ABSOLUTELY. NOT ONLY NEED TO GET IT ONCE A YEAR, BUT THE CDC IS EVEN RECOMMENDING IT TWICE A YEAR. AND GENERALLY SPEAKING, IF YOU GET COVID, WE USUALLY SAY YOU WANT TO WAIT ABOUT 3 TO 4 MONTHS BEFORE YOU GET YOUR NEXT VACCINE. IF YOU’VE GOTTEN YOUR VACCINE AGAIN, YOU WANT TO WAIT AT LEAST FOUR. THIS IS HOW YOU’RE ADVISING YOUR PATIENTS. THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE TELLING YOUR PATIENTS TO DO. THAT’S RIGHT. ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE IN THAT RISK CATEGORY. YEAH, I MEAN, IF YOU’RE STANDARD RISK, IF YOU’RE HEALTHY, IF YOU’RE YOUNG, I GET THE FACT IF YOU’RE YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN’T GETTING THEIR BOOSTERS RIGHT. BUT I DO THINK THAT FOR THE HIGHEST RISK PEOPLE, IT’S STILL SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT DOESN’T PREVENT COVID, IT PREVENTS SEVERE ILLNESS. AND THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE’RE NOT SEEING INCREASES SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN HOSPITAL, EVEN. AND I’M NOT SURPRISED. BUT EVEN TOUCHING THE THE OLYMPIC POPULATION OVER IN PARIS, WHAT DO WE HAVE? WE HAVE CONGREGATE. EXACTLY RIGHT. EXACTLY. ALL THOSE PEOPLE. IT’S NOT THAT WE’RE SEEING INCREASE IN SEVERE ILLNESS, BUT WE EXPECT THIS, RIGHT? IT’S HAPPENIN

Why are COVID-19 cases rising? Mass. doctor explains

Updated: 5:04 PM EDT Aug 6, 2024

COVID-19 cases are surging in dozens of counties around the world. Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, explains the latest infection data.

NEEDHAM, Mass. —

COVID-19 cases are surging in dozens of counties around the world. Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, explains the latest infection data.