Welcome back to Wednesday's with Dr. Haas! This is a segment where you can ask questions about your top COVID-19 health concerns and Dr. Haas, our resident health expert (and a world-renowned Infectious Disease Doctor) answers them! Today, we are answering some Summer 2022 most asked COVID-19-related questions.
Question: Can we have a COVID-19 Case and Hospitalization Update?
Answer: In the image below, we are providing a Snapshot of COVID-19 in the Denver Community from Denver Public Health and Environment. We should continue to remember that the CDPHE dashboard is not the best indicator of the COVID-19 situation as many people have access to home testing and are not reporting their results (hospitalizations are a better indicator). These current variants are not causing COVID-19 complications like the variants before did. Hospitalizations in June were at 107.1% change versus the 20.7% change we see starting into August. There still seems to be some community immunity as well as COVID-19 treatment available for patients.
Question: If you get an infusion of monoclonal antibodies do you not need to get a booster?
Answer: It is safe to get your booster after an infusion of monoclonal antibodies. You may not necessarily need it right after getting the infusion as the antibodies stay in your body for a couple of weeks, but it is still recommended to get the booster.
Question: Are there discussions around boosters for children under 5 years of age?
Answer: There is some talk about boosters for children under 5 years of age, but nothing certain.
Question: Is J&J still being used? Someone thought it was being discontinued because it caused reactions.
Answer: J&J can still be used. If you have access to Pfizer or Moderna, it has been recommended you get these vaccines over J&J. This vaccine has been shown to be less effective with the new variants.