TO SEE YOU DR. SEIDNER. ALL RIGHT, LET’S GET INTO IT. WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE UK? IS IT STILL THE DELTA VARIANT OR IS IT OMICRON THAT WE’RE SEEING MORE OFTEN AT THIS POINT? YOU KW,NO IT’S REALLY THE COMBINATION OF THE TWO THERE REWE A LARGE WAVES OF CASES BOTH IN THE US AND THE UK DUE TO THE DELTA VARIANT EVEN BEFORE THE OMICRON VARYING EMERGED NOW, WE HAVE THIS NEW VARIANT APPEARS TO BE ABOUT THREE TIMES MORE CONTAGIOUS THAN DELTA AND IT’S REALLY JUST ADDING INSULT TO INJURY. OKAY. I KNOW SO DR. SEIDNER, ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE UK AND KIND OF SEEING OUR FUTURE IN ETH US WE’RE SEEING CASES REALLY SKYROCKET IN A NUMBER OF CITIES INCLUDING OUR OWN. WHAT CAN WE EXPTEC IN THE WEEKS AHEAD DO YOU THINK? YEAH, I MEAN I THINK IN TERMS OF THINGS GOING FROM BAD TO WORST DEFINITELY THERE ARE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES HERE INHE T UNITED STATES FOR ONE THING A VACCINATION RATES ARE ACTUALLY A MUCH LOWER HERE THAN THEY ARE IN THE UK AND WE’VE ALREADY SEEN OUR HOSPITALS FILL UP. WE HAVE 1500 PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS IN HOSPITALS DUE TO COVID THAT’S THE MOST WE’VE SEEN SINCE FEBRUARY. SO OBAMACON IS THREE TIMES MORE CONTAGIOUS, EVEN IF IT’S A BIT LESS SEVERE. I THINK WE’LL BE BUTIRSNG AT THE SEAMS IF WE DON’T. IF PEOEPL VACCINATED AND BOOSTED QUICKLY, OKAY,OU Y JUST MENTIONED VACCINATED AND BOOSTED THE CDC DIRECTOR SAID TODAY. SHE’S SEEING OMIONCR INFECTIONS PEOPLE WHO ARE BOOSTED. DOES THAT MEAN THAT BOOSTER SHOTS AREN’T WOINRKG. WELL, I THINK IT’S REALLY CLEAR TO MAKE THIS DISTINCTION. IT IS TRUE THAT THE VACCINES AND THE BOOSTERS DON’T PROTECT PEOPLE FROM MDIL INFECTIONS AGAINST OMICRON AS THEY DID FOR PR IOR VARIANTS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WE HAVE SNEE DATA THAT SHOWS THAT BOOSTERS PROTECT US FROM OMICRON SIMILARLY TO HAVING TWO SHOTS THE PRIOR VARIANCE AND MAYBE MORE IMPORTANTLY IN SOUTH AFRICA. WE’VE JUST SEEN DATA THAT SHOWS THAT THESE VACCINES EVEN TWO DOSES OF THE VACCINES REDUCE HOSPITALIZATIONS BY 70% SOHE T MESSAGE I THINK REAYLL REMAINS CLEAR THESE VACCINES IN THESE BOOTS ARE THE BEST TOOLS WE TO SAVE PEOPLE’S LIVES. YEAH, AND TO PREVENT OVERCROWDING THE HOSPITALS. SO AS YOU KNOW PEOPLE TY’H’RE RELUCTANT TO CHANGE HOLIDAY PLANS OR SAY NO TO INVITATIONS, BUT KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW, DO YOU THINK THEY SHOULD EVEN IF THEY’RE BOOSTED? YOU KNOW AS ALWAYS WE REALLY URGE PEOPLE TO MAKE SMART DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES. NO TWO FAMILIES ARE THE SAME. SO IT’S HARD TO GENERALIZE BUT FOR THOSE AT HIGH SKRI AND WITH OLDER PEOPLE IN THEIR FAMILIES, IT’S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE EAR VACCINATED THAT THEY ARE BOOSTED IF POSSIBLE FOREO PPLE TO GET TESTED BEFORE THEYOI JN LARGE GATHERINGS. AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE REALLY UNABLE TO DO THOSE THINGS REALLY THINK TWICE BEFORE PUTTING THEIR LOVED ONES AT RISK. ALL RIGHT, DR. MARK STEINER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. AND FOR YOUR INSIGHT, WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. ANYTIME MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU DOCTOR. SO WE KNOW A LOT OF YOU HAVE QUESTION AS LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT STAYING SAFE AND HEALTHY AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE HOLIDAYS EMAIL US YOUR QUESTIONS AND ASK AT WCVB.COM. WE WILL GET OUR EXPERTS TO ANSWER AS

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COVID-19 vaccines, boosters ‘are the best tools we have’ to save lives

Updated: 6:43 PM EST Dec 17, 2021

“If omicron is 3-times more contagious, even if it’s a bit less severe, we’re going to be bursting at the seams if we don’t get people vaccinated and boosted quickly,” said Dr. Mark Siedner.

BOSTON —

“If omicron is 3-times more contagious, even if it’s a bit less severe, we’re going to be bursting at the seams if we don’t get people vaccinated and boosted quickly,” said Dr. Mark Siedner.

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