Dear Neighbors,
With the COVID-19 summer wave still pounding Orange County shores, I am writing to update you about ways that you can protect yourself and your loved ones.
First: Vaccinate. Most eligible people in the county have now been vaccinated. If you have not, now is the time.
As of this week, there are four different vaccines available in the U.S. (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax). Contact your Hoag primary care provider for information on Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine appointments, or search https://myturn.ca.gov and www.vaccines.gov for other vaccine clinic options.
Next: Get Boosted (If you’re eligible). The FDA recently suggested that people under the age of 50 hold off on their second booster until Pfizer and Moderna issue their reformulated vaccinations in September.
That said, people 50 and over (and people over 12 with certain immune deficiencies) are eligible for a second booster shot and are advised to receive one.
Third: Vaccinate your children. Children 6 months and older are now authorized to receive either Pfizer (3 doses) or Moderna (2 doses), and kids ages 5 to 11 are approved for one booster using Pfizer. Children who have received Moderna are not yet authorized for a booster – and likely would not yet need one, given the timing of their initial doses.
Finally: Bring out those masks. While masking mandates are not in effect, Omicron BA.5 and BA.4 are both highly transmissible and are responsible for an uptick in hospitalizations. So, consider putting that mask back on, dining outdoors, washing your hands plenty and avoiding crowded indoor places.
We are now in our third summer of the pandemic, and it is easy for “COVID fatigue” to set in. Don’t let it. Enjoy all the melt-in-the-sun goodness that summer has to offer; but this year, please top it off with an extra scoop of caution.
Until next time,
Robert T. Braithwaite, President and Chief Executive Officer
Philip A. Robinson, MD, FIDSA, Medical Director of Infection Prevention, Principal Investigator of Infectious Disease Research
By: Stu News Newport
