RESIDENTS THAT VACCINATIONS ARE BE ING OFFERED FOR FREE AT THE SENIOR CENTER. JESSICA: WELL, YOU KNOW COVID NUMBERS ARE CERTAINLY HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AGAIN. THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WHIT BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS WHO ARE HOSPITALIZED IS AT AALN L-METI HIGH NEARLY 400 PEOPLE. BEN HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QU: ESTIONS IS DR. ALI RAJA, THE EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIR FOR EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT SSMA GENERAL. GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. DR. RUSSIA — DR. ROGER –R. D RAJA: THANKS, BEN. THEN:- – BEN: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THESE CASES AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COVID VACCIS?NE DR. RA:AJ THE THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS WHILE THE NUMBER OF INFECTIONS ARE GOING UP, WE HAVE AT LSTEA 39% OF THE POPULATION WITH AT LEAST ONE VACCINE. REMEMBER THATHE T BREAKTHROUGH CASES ARE FOR THE MOST PART DOING WELL AND GOING HOME FROM THE HOSTAPIL. JESSICA: I GOT TO ASK YOU AUTBO THIS BECAUSE THIS IS A BIG CONCN.ER OUR HOSPITALS ARE FILLING UP AGAIN. WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD HELP THEM HANDLE THE SUERG OF PATIENTS THIS COMING WINTER? DR. RAJA: MOSTLY WHAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS WE NEED PATIENTS TO GET TESTED EARLY AND THEN STAY HOME SO TH DEYON’T SPREAD IT. MY WIFE AND KIDS’ SCHOOL HAVE A GREAT TESTING PROGRAM AND A LOT OF WORKPLACES DO, BUT THE MORE TESTING WE CAN DO TO IDENTIFY CA SES EARLY AND THEN TREAT THEM AND ISOLATE THEM,HE T BETTER WE WILL DO ABOUT STOPPING THE SPREAD. BEN: YOU WORK IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM. HOW ARE THE ER’S GETTING READY FOR THE OMICRON VARIANT? DR. RAJA: I’VE GOT TO TELL YOU, WE’VE GOT THIS DOWN. WE’VE BEEPRN ACTICING THIS FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. DURING MY SHIFT YESTERDAY I STL ILDID ALL THE STUFF, THE FACE SHIELD ANDHE T MASK AND THE GLOVES AND THE GOWN, AND WE ARE GOOD AT IT. I’M CONFIDENT THAT IFE W KEEP DOING THE BASS,IC THE STUFF WE KNOW THAT WORKS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO TECH OURSELVES AND OUR PATIENTS. JESSICA: YOU MENTION FLU SEASON, AND OF GOT TO ASK YOU — WHAT IS YOUR LEVEL OF CONCERN ABOUT THE TWIN-DEMIC OF THE FLU AND COVID? AS WE ARE IN BOTH SEASONS AT THE MOMENT. .DR RAJA: YOU ARE RIGHT, AND I’M NOT SEUR WE HAVE BEEN EMPHASIZING THE FLU VACCINE ENOUGH. WE’VE GOT PEOPLE INDOORS, ANDE W ARE NOT WEARING MASKS AS RELIGIOUSLY AS WE WERE LAST YEAR BECAUSE WE EAR ALL VACCINATED, SO WERE A GOING TO SEE A LOT OF OTHER VIRUS — VIRAL ILLNESSES, SO IF YOU FEEL AT ALL SICK, STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL, STAY HOME FROM WORK, EVEN IF YOUR CIDOV TEST IS NE

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Hospitals are filling up, what can be done about the COVID-19 surge?

Updated: 6:21 PM EST Dec 3, 2021

Dr. Ali Raja, the executive vice chair for emergency medicine at Mass General Hospital, says patients with COVID-19 symptoms should get tested early and stay home to avoid spreading the virus. “The more testing that we can do to identify cases early and then treat them and isolate them, the better we’ll do in stopping the spread.”

BOSTON —

Dr. Ali Raja, the executive vice chair for emergency medicine at Mass General Hospital, says patients with COVID-19 symptoms should get tested early and stay home to avoid spreading the virus. “The more testing that we can do to identify cases early and then treat them and isolate them, the better we’ll do in stopping the spread.”

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