RHONDELLA: THANK YOU, KELLY ANN. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT CHRISTMAS IS NEXT SATURDAY AND WHILE THERE IS PLENTY OF JOY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, THERE IS ALSO GROWING CONCERN AS THE PANDEMIC SURGES BACK WITH A VENGEANCE. WE ARE JOINED NOW WITH DR. EMILY LEHY, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST WITH MGH. THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. DR. HYLE: GOOD MORNING. RHONDELLA: WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE NUMBERS. MORE THAN 6300 NEW COVID CASES WERE CONFIRMED IN MASSACHUSETTS YESTERDAY. ARE WE STARTING TO SEE THE IMPACT OF THE OMICRON VARIANT? DR. HYLE: WE ARE CONCERNED ALSO. THE RISE HAS BEEN VERY STEEP OVER THE PAST WEEK. I THINK IT IS TOO SOON TO KNOW FOR SURE WHAT IS CAUSING IT. DOES IT REFLECT POST-THANKSGIVING GATHERINGS AND TRAVEL OR HOLIDAY GATHERINGS THAT HAVE OCCURRED EARLIER IN THE MONTH OR IS THIS OMICRON? PEOPLE IN LABS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND WITHIN THE STATE ARE WORKG INON IDENTIFYING IT. I THINK WE WILL HAVE ANSWERS SOON. TH E RISE IS VERY CONCERNING TO US. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE OMICRON. RHONDELLA: MANY OF US HAVE AGGRESSIVE SOCIAL CALENDARSND A WITH CHRISTMAS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, IT SEEMS LIKE THE SURGE FO TRHE DEMAND OF THE COVID TESTING, THERE ARE SO MANY LONG LINES AT THOSE TESTING CENTERS. WHAT IS THE BEST STRATEGY IF YOU ARE GATHERING THIS YEAR? DR. LEHY: THE NUMBER ONE MOST EFFECTIVE THING IS TO BE VACCINAT.ED THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. TO HAVE YOUR FIRST AND SECOND DOSEF O PFIZER OR MODERNA OR A DOSE OF J&J. ON TOP OF THAT, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL STRONG BENEFITS FMRO A BOOSTER SIX MONTHS AFTER YOUR MRNA OR TWO MONTHS AFTER YOUR J&J. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH. THE BENEFITS OF BOOSTERS OCCUR VERY QUICKLY. IFOU Y WERE TO BE BOOSTED TODAY, TOMORROW, THE NEXT DAY, YOU WOULD HAVE THAT BENITEF WITHIN A FEW DAYS. THE BIGGEST BENITEF IS THAT FIRST DOSE AND SECOND DOSE OF VACCINATION. RHONDELLA: I HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR. THE EVIDENCE CLEARLY APPRS TOEA SHOW THAT THE OMICRON IS SO MUCH MORE TRANSMISSIBLE. WHAT IS THE LATEST SCIENCE? HOW MUCH PROTECTION DO YOU HAVE IF YOU HAVE GOTTEN TTHA BOOSTER? DR. HYLE: IT IS HARD TO. SAY WE ARE SEEING THAT THERE IS GOOD BENEFIT FROM A BOOSTER, ESPECIALLY AGAINST SYMPTOMATIC DISEASE SO WE ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDING THAT. I DO WANT TO SAY WITOMH ICRON BEING MORE TRANSMISSIBLE, IT DOES CHANGE HOW WE ARE COUNSELING PEOPLE ABOUT GAERTHING BECAUSE THERE IS A HIGHER CHANCE OF TRANSMITTING TO OTHERS UNKNOWINGLY BECAUSE IT IS MORE TRANSMISSIBLE. MASKING, SMAERLL GATHERINGS IF YOU HAVE TO GATHER, AND TESTING BEFORE YOU GATHER ARE ALL REALLY IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY IN A SETTING OF WHAT WE THINK WILL BE OMICRON, IF NOT NOW, TNHE VERY SHORTLY. RHONDELLA: WE ARE FEELING DEJA VU AT THIS POINT AND WE ARE GETTING HIT WITH SOME UNNERVING HEADLINES. WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING FOR IN THE COMING WEEKS? NOW? DR. HY:LE I AM FOCUSED ON LEARNING MORE ABOUT OMICRON FROM OUR COLLEAGUES AROUND THE WORLD WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THE WAVE AHEAD OF US. WE WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT SEVERITY AND THE BENEFITS OF VACCINATION. WHAT WE ARE SEEING SO FAR IS THAT VACCINATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO CONTINUE MASKING TO REDUCE THOSE CHANCES OF TRANSMISSION AND TO STAYEOM H IF THEY HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS WHATSOEVER. I WOD ULSAY IT IS A VERY DYNAMIC TIME IN TERMS OF LEARNING MORE LITERALLY EVERY DAY. BEING AWARETHA T YOU MAY CHOOSE TO CHANGE HER PLANS BECAUSE OF RISKS TO YOUR LOVED ONES IF YOU GATHER, I THINK IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TOTAY S FLEXIBLE AND UP-TO-DATE AND UP-TO-THE-MINUTE INFORMATION. RHONDELLA: THAT IS IMPORTANT. THANK YOU DR. EMILY HYLE, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST

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Video: Boston doctor concerned about steep rise of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts

Updated: 10:55 AM EST Dec 18, 2021

Anchor/Reporter

Infectious disease experts are still trying to figure out what is causing the rapid spike: holiday gatherings and travel or the omicron coronavirus variant.

BOSTON —

Infectious disease experts are still trying to figure out what is causing the rapid spike: holiday gatherings and travel or the omicron coronavirus variant.

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