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SALT LAKE CITY — As the coronavirus continues to evolve and cases continue to rise, Utah doctors say recent progress in the fight against COVID-19 is encouraging. Says.
“COVID-19 continues to evolve, and the last three years have proven that it is a dynamic virus that continues to change,” Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of the U.S. Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, said Friday as a member of the committee. Stated. University of Utah health experts discussed upcoming COVID-19 vaccines and the new subvariants they aim to address.
Pavia said the three Omicron subvariants are on the rise, but the latest vaccines were tested in recently infected people and found to be successful in neutralizing the virus. A vaccine is expected to be available as early as next week.
One of the subvariants, eris, has more than 30 mutations, which means it “could cause even more problems,” Pavia said. However, Pavia said the virus did not spread as quickly as other variants and was found to be sufficiently neutralized by the latest boosters.
Dr. Russell Vinik, chief medical affairs officer, said 25 people tested positive for COVID-19 at the University of Utah Health facility during the first week of June. However, the first week of September saw 200 positive tests and an increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19.
Importantly, there are very few hospitalizations for patients who have been fully vaccinated or boosted, Vinik said. “The good news is…the vaccine remains effective and we are hopeful that this new booster will be even more effective at preventing infections and hospitalizations,” he said.
Kavish Chaudhary, chief pharmacy officer at University Health, said there will not be large-scale vaccination clinics like in the past, but the vaccine will be available at regular pharmacies and clinics.
Chaudhary said boosters are available to anyone over six months of age. Chaudhary recommended that people who get their annual flu shot also get a new booster shot.
Pavia said the latest vaccine being introduced Monday has the same side effects as past vaccinations, including sore arms and flu-like symptoms. Pavia emphasized that recent data shows that the risk of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, that was occurring when the vaccine first appeared in 2020 has been significantly reduced.
What about herd immunity?
“If we can vaccinate 90% of the population, we will dramatically reduce community spread,” Pavia said. “That’s what the models are showing. That’s not going to happen. But we think the more people who get vaccinated, the less impact we’ll have from a wave of disease like this.”
The panel discussion ended with the announcement that an RSV vaccine is also being developed specifically for newborns and people over 60 years of age. There is no exact expected date for it to be rolled out yet, but Pavia said, “We expect it to be here.” immediately. ”
Doctors hope that the RSV vaccine will prevent children from getting RSV and being hospitalized. Pavia said pregnant women are encouraged to receive it before birth to protect their babies.