133 – COVID Summer 2023 News Update for Aging Adults

Dr. K discusses the latest COVID news for Summer 2023, including the current COVID situation in the US, how to get COVID data now that the public health emergency has ended, updates on COVID boosters, how to know if you still should take precautions, and more.

In this episode:

• What’s changed since February
• Updates on the COVID bivalent booster
• What’s happening now with COVID
• How to decide if you should worry about COVID
• What are the risks of catching COVID now?
• How to avoid catching COVID this summer
• COVID booster FAQs
• COVID symptoms now
• What to do if you catch COVID & how to get Paxlovid

Note: For the masks Dr. K recommends, you can get 3M Aura here https://amzn.to/3PJJyRO, the 3M V-flex here https://amzn.to/3OxrsRY, and the Powecom KN95 here https://amzn.to/3W9frXf

These are Amazon affiliate links, so any purchases will help support Better Health While Aging, thank you!

Related Episodes:

132 – COVID 2023 News Update for Aging Adults (2.23.23 Edition)

Related Resources:

• BHWA:
  • COVID & Aging Adults: 2023 & 2022 Updates
  • COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do
• To track COVID data:
  • CDC Covid Data Tracker
  • CDC Weekly hospitalizations
  • CDC Weekly deaths
  • CDC Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard
  • Wastewater:
    • CDC Wastewater Surveillance
    • Biobot.io wastewater tracker
• CDC & FDA information referenced in this update:
  • FDA: PAXLOVID Patient Eligibility Screening Checklist Tool for Prescribers
  • CDC: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Presentation Slides: April 19, 2023 Meeting
    • COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness updates
  • CDC COVID-19 Mortality Update — United States, 2022
• From medical journals and research groups:
  • NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines: Molnupiravir
  • Molnupiravir plus usual care versus usual care alone as early treatment for adults with COVID-19 at increased risk of adverse outcomes (PANORAMIC): an open-label, platform-adaptive randomised controlled trial (12/22/22)
  • Lancet: Past SARS-CoV-2 infection protection against re-infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2/16/23)
  • Cochrane: Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses (1/30/23)
    • See related commentary: Multiple studies show that face masks reduce the spread of COVID-19; a Cochrane review doesn’t demonstrate otherwise
  • Paxlovid Associated with Decreased Hospitalization Rate Among Adults with COVID-19 — United States, April–September 2022 12/2/22
• From news and other media:
  • Your Local Epidemiologist: End of Public Health Emergency: A shift in data
  • For masking, ventilation COVID transmission information:
    • • Masks Dr. K uses:
        • • 3M V-flex N95
        • • 3M Aura N95
        • • Powecom KN95

    • • Project N95
    • • Twitter resources
        • • @joeyfox85
        • • @masknerd