Video: Has surge of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts peaked?
Updated: 6:23 PM EST Jan 17, 2022
ANNOUNCER: YOU’RE WATCHING WCVB NEWSCENTER 5 AT 5:30. ED: MORE THAN 800,000 AMERICANS ARE NOW TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 EVERY DAY. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. ROBERT DUNCAN, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT LAHEY HOSPALIT AND MEDICAL CENTER. JESSICA: CASE NUMBERS ARE STILL RISING QUICKLY IN MANY PARTS OF THE U.S., BUT THERE ARE EARLY SIGNS THAT INFECTION RATES MAY BE DROPPING HERE IN THE NORTHEAST. DO YOU THINK OUR SURGE HAS PEAKED? >> I THINK THERE ARE PROMISING SIGNS. SOME OF THE STATES AROUND US AND MASSACHUSETTS SEEM TO BE SLOWING DOWN LITTLE BIT. I CAN HOPE THAT WE’RE COMING OFF THE PEAK. I WOULD NOT SAY IT’S OVER. I THINK THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE LETTING UP. ED: WE KNOW SOME LOCAL HOSPITALS ARE STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW WITH BEDS AND STAFFING. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN THE FIELD? >> I THINK THAT’S BEING SEEN ALL OVER THE STATE. THE HOSPITALS ARE BEING CHALLENGED WITH LOTS OF COVID PATIENTS. LOTS OF OERTH PATIENTS ARE COMING COMING IN SICK WITH OTHER PROBLEMS. WE ARE COMMITTED TAKING CARE OF THEM. I THINK WITH THE PUBLIC CAN DO IS GET VACCITENAD AND GET BOOSTED, PREVENT GETTING INFECTED. WEAR A MANSION IN– WEAR A MASK INDOORS AND TAKE THE LOAD OFF THE HOSPITALS. JESSICA: MODERNA ANNOUNCED TODAY, IT WILL HAVE DATA AVAILABLE THIS MARCH ON A VACCINE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE OMICRON VARIANT. DO YOU THINK WE’LL NEED IT? >> WELL, I THINK THAT’S HARD TO KNOW. IT’S UNCLEAR WHETHER OMICRON WILL HAVE CALMED DNOW BY THEN. 0 WHETHER PERHAPS SOME OERTH VARIANT WOULD HAVE MOVED IN. THIS IS UNPREDICTABLE VIRUS. I INK THE VERY PROMISING THING IS HAVING THAT CAPACITY TO MAKE A DESIGNER VACNECI TO COVER NEW VARIANTS IS JUST A HUGE ADVANTAGE THAT WE VEHA TECHNICALLY NOW. ED: LET’S GET TO A QUESTION FROM ONE OF OUR VIEWERS. PATTY WANTS TO KNOW, I GOT COVID AFTER THANKSGIVING AND STILL FEEL TIRED ALL OF THE TIME. HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO FL EEIS WAY BEFORE IT’S CONSIDERED LONG COVID? >> I CAN’T COMMENT ON HER CASE SPECIFICALLY. THIS IS SOMETHING WE’RE HEARING MORE ABOUT. ‘SIT NOT UNFAMILIAR PROBLEM. WE SEE LOTS OF POST-VILRA SYNDROMES WITH FATIGUE AND OTHER SYMPTOMS. WE ALSO SEE DIFFICULT SYMPTOMS AFTER PEOPLE HAVE PNEUMONIA AND THE VIR,US COVID VIRUS IS CAUSING PNEUMONIA. THAT CAN SOMETESIM TAKE, DEPENDING AMOUNT OF DAMAGE, IT CAN TAKE WEEKS OR MONTHS TO RECOVER BACK TO A NORMAL FUNCTION. ED: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR Y
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Video: Has surge of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts peaked?
Updated: 6:23 PM EST Jan 17, 2022
One local infectious disease expert says the surge is not quite over yet, but notes there are some promising signs that it could be soon.
One local infectious disease expert says the surge is not quite over yet, but notes there are some promising signs that it could be soon.
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