THURSDAY. WOW. ALL RIGHT, KELANLYNE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BIG DEVELOPMTSEN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 GOING ON THIS MORNING, AND WE’RE TAKING A CLOSER LOOK ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ONGOING PANDEMIC JOINING US LIVE IS DR. SANDRA. AUSTIN AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT MGH DR. NELN. LET’S START WITH BOOSTERS THIS WEEK THE FDA AND THE CDC AUTHORIZED THOSE SHOTS FOR 16 AND 17 YEAR OLDS. THAT ACTION WAS PRETTY SWIFT WHY THE URGENCY HERE WITH THAT? WELL, YOU KNOW, IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE VACCINES WERE ACTUALLY APPROVED FOR THIS AGE GROUPAC BK IN DECEMBER OF 20. ALMOST F AULL YEAR AGO AND SO MANY INDIVIDUALS IN THE 16 TO 17 YEAR OLD AGE GROUP WERE ACTUALLY VACCINATED WELL OVER SIX MONTHS AGO AND WE KNOW THAT VACCINE IMMUNITY DOES BEGIN TO WANE OVER TIME AND THAT BOOSTEROS DES CAN REALLY OFFSET SOME OF THAT DECLINE IN IMMUNITY. SO THIS IS REALLY ABOUT ALLOWING THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE VACCINATED MEOR THAN SIX MONTHS AGO TO HAVE ACCESS TO BOOSTERS THAT CAN THEN HELP AGAINST SOME OF THESE MORE TRANSMISSIBLE VARIANTS. WE ARE ALSO LEARNING MORE THE DAY ABOUT THE NEW OMICRON VARIANT THE CDC SAID THIS WEEK THAT OF THE 43 KNOWN INFECTIONS IN THE US ALMOST ALL WERE MILD. ARE WE GETTING A CLEARER PICTURE OF THE KIND OF THREAT THAT THIS PARTICULAR VARIANT POSES? YOU KNOW CERTAINLY THISHE T PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE DOES SUGGEST THAT HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS ARE LESS COMMON WITH THE OMICRON VARIANT, BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF REASONS FOR CAUTION AND INTERPRETATION OF THIS FIRST IS THAT THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH THE OMICRON VARIANT ARE GENERALLY HEALTHIER. THEY’RE YOUNGER. THEY’RE WELL ENOUGH TO TRAVE AL FEW OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY OVER THE AGE OF 65. SO THIS IS A GROUP TT’H’S ALREADY GOING TOE B LESS LIKELY TO BE HOSPITALIZED AND I THINK THE OTHER PIECE IS THAT HOSPITALIZATIONS AND REALLY THE COMPLICATIONS TEND TO OCCUR LATER AND WE ARE SO EARLY IN THIS OMICRON PANDEMIC THATE W REALLY DON’T HAVE YET A FULL SENSE OF WHAT THE SPECTRUOFM ILLNESS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE OVER TIME. SO I THINK EARLY REASONS FOR OPTIMISM, BUT I THINK WE STILL NEED TO BE REALLY CAUTIOUS AND INTERPRETATION. OKAY, WE HAVE SEEN CESAS IN HOSPITALIZATION SURGING HERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH IN RECENT DAYS AS I’M SURE YOU KNOW, WE ARE HEADING INTO THE HOLIDAYS WITH ALL OF THE GATHERINGS AND PARTIES THAT COME WHIT IT. SHOULD WE BE TAKING MORE PRECAUTIONS? AT THIS POINT DO YOU THIN K?YOU KNOW, THIS IS SO CHALLENGI BECAUSE I THINK ALL OF USRE A JUST EXHAUSTED WE ARE TIRED OF THIS PANDEMIC. WE WANT IT TO BE OVER BUT I DO AGREE THAT IF WE IGNORE THE THE RISKS ’E’RE REALLY DOING SO AT OUR OWN PERIL, AND I THINK THIS IS TIME FOR ALL OFS U AS INDIVIDUALS TO TAKE STOCKOT N ONLY OF OUR RISKSUR O RISK FACTSOR OUR MEDICAL PREDISPOSITIONS TO ILLNESSUR O VACCINATION STATUS, BUT ALSO OUR COMFORT WITH THAT RISK, WHAT IS THE CONSEQUENCE TO US OF A POSITIVE TEST NOT ONLY ARE PHYSICAL WLNELESS. BUT ALSO THE LOGISTI HCSOW IMPACTFUL WOULD IT BE FOR A TEST TO BE POSITIVE AND I THINK FOR MANY OF US, UNFORTUNATELY, IT DOES MEAN THAT THAT LIKELY WILL TRANSLATE TO FEWER HOLIDAY GATHERINGS OR SMALLER GATHERINGS AND INDOOR MASKING WITH FLU SEONAS AND NEW VARIANTS ALL CONVERGING TOO KNOWING WHICH SYMPTOMS TO WORRY ABOUT IS A BIG CHALLENGE. IT CAN BE VERY TRICKY. IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYBODY HAS A COLD RIGHT NOW. WHAT’S THE BEST PRACTICE WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING TESTED? ,SO YOU KNOW THE EARLY WISDOM AROUND THIS HAS BEEN THE BETTER THE MORE TESTING THE BETTER AND THAT REALLY STILL HOLDS TRUE AND EXACTLY AS YOU INDICATED THAT THERE THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID INFECTION PARTICULARLY EARLY ARE RELATIVELY NON-SPECIFIC AND THEY CAN BE CONFUSED WITH OTHER ILLNESSES IN THEHE T CHALLENGES THAT THAT’S PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO’VE BEEN VACCINATED THAT THESE ELYAR SYMPTOMS MAY BE MDIL AND THAT’S UNFORTUNATELY WHEN WE’RE MOST CONTAGIOUS SO REALLY WE CAN’T USE SYMPTOMS. THE TYPES OF SYMPTOMS OR THE SEVERITY OF SYMPTOMS AS A GUIDE IF WE HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS AT ALL. WE SHOULD REALLY BE AIRGIN ON THE SEID OF TESTING. OKAY. GOOD ADVICE AS ALWAYS DR. SANDRA NELSON ANNF IECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT MGH. THANK YOU S

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Video: Boston doctor explains difficulty in differentiating cold, COVID-19 based on early symptoms

Updated: 11:05 AM EST Dec 11, 2021

The infectious disease expert at Mass General also touches on expanded booster authorization, the omicron variant and precautions for holiday gatherings.

BOSTON —

The infectious disease expert at Mass General also touches on expanded booster authorization, the omicron variant and precautions for holiday gatherings.

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