Submitted by Stephanie Claytor
(Source: Florida Courier)
COVID-19 and influenza cases across Florida are expected to rise in November and doctors are urging people to get the new COVID booster shot and the flu vaccine as soon as possible.
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the federal government is handing out four free at-home COVID-19 tests to any household who requests them, saving them around $40.
Dr. Rose Stiffin, who leads the Health and Natural Sciences Department at Florida Memorial University, said a booster shot should always be considered as an option to protect oneself from covid infection.
She recommends anyone over 65 years old and “any person with a severely compromised immune system, should definitely get a booster shot.”
“People need to know that viruses mutate and that both the flu and COVID-19 are now part of our lives, worldwide. It is best to be immunized at least yearly for both viruses,” said Rose Stiffin, Ph.D.
Stiffin said people should test for COVID-19 any time they exhibit any of the symptoms, such as fever, loss of taste or smell, and fatigue.
Long COVID symptoms
Dr. Kathleen Haggerty, a physician who specializes in internal medicine and has been working for Watson Clinic in Lakeland since 1988, said she has seen more than a thousand patients from across the country who suffer from long COVID since 2020.
Her post-COVID-19 clinic still sees about five to 10 new patients a week. She expects COVID-19 infection rates to rise in November and stay elevated through the middle of February.
“Right now, the numbers are a bit down in Florida, but we had a rather rough summer especially with people who took lovely vacations. Cruises are the most risky,” Haggerty noted.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) defines long COVID as a chronic condition that is present for three months and occurs after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Many of Haggerty’s long COVID patients have extreme cases and recover within a year, mostly by modifying their lifestyles considerably.
“I have had many people who have become disabled due to an inability to drive, loss of cognitive abilities to do their job, and some with severe fatigue to the point where they can’t leave their house without feeling worse the next day. There have been people who have developed autonomic nervous system disturbances that are severe,” Haggerty explained.
“People who have never had migraines or may have had a few can get daily migraines which can be extremely disruptive. Depression and anxiety are very common and can be severe in many cases and can be missed by the patient and their usual doctor in the flood of other symptoms. I have even seen psychosis from this though it was treatable and improved over time,’’ she added. Dr. Dwayne Gordon of AdventHealth Orlando is also running a new post COVID clinic, which opened on March 30, 2022. According to a news re- lease, many of the patients seen at his clinic arrived with behavioral health problems and issues that affect the brain and cognitive abilities, such as anxiety, depression, and brain fog.
Gordon has even witnessed young adults with signs of severe forgetfulness and brain fog that mimic early-onset dementia.
“Definitely, people are more isolated because of COVID. And then they become further isolated when they have Long-Haul COVID symptoms that keep them from seeing friends, working out, just normal daily activities. Some people have lost loved ones, their jobs, even their homes because of COVID and the economic aftermath,’’ Gordon said in a news release prepared by Advent- Health. “And what we’re seeing is a convergence between Long-Haul COVID symptoms such as anxiety, depression, even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as well as the pandemic at large.”
Who should get vaccine?
It’s the reason Haggerty believes practically everyone should get the COVID-19 booster shot, to prevent from contracting an infection that could land them in the hospital, dead, or with a case of long COVID. Haggerty said she has seen cases of long COVID drop dramatically since COVID-19 vaccines became available.
“Everyone over 6 months old, this is the view of the CDC and I subscribe to that. If you have not ever been vaccinated and have been considering it, I would highly recommend it,” Haggerty said. “If you are under 65 years (old), an annual shot should suffice, but if you are 65 (years old) or older, or are immunosuppressed, I would suggest (getting the shot) every six months to keep the antibodies high.”
Haggerty said the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t prevent infection but makes death or hospitalization after contracting the virus much less likely. She said deaths are low in Florida at this time, but “rather high” in states like Vermont, accounting for 8 percent of all deaths she said.
Haggerty also encourages pregnant women to get the COVID-19 booster shot, but to consult with their physician before receiving it.
For patients who’ve been infected with COVID-19, she typically only prescribes Paxlovid, a popular medication to treat the infection, to people over 50 years old or if they are younger and have weight issues, diabetes, asthma, coronary artery disease, or issues with the immune system.
To prevent the spread of infection, Haggerty recommends masking as well, especially in crowded indoor venues.
“I would say airports are the worst and long plane flights have been implicated… Churches would be a great place to mask because singing is a great way to spread virus. But masking among people you know is viewed as socially unacceptable. And, unfortunately, people are really bad at recognizing that they might be infectious. So, we are pretty stuck on that. At least at the airport, no one knows you,” Haggerty said.
Stiffin believes if you feel the urge to mask, follow your instinct.
“Masks should be worn by any individual who feels the need to wear one. We know more about the virus, so the wearing of a mask may be totally up to the individual, but no one should not wear a mask if he or she feels the need to,” Stiffin said.
Flu ‘is not some trifling cold’
In fact, according to NPR, researchers believe masking may have knocked the influenza B/Yamagata flu strain out of existence.
“Flu has gotten a little strange since COVID came around and it is not strictly a winter thing anymore. We can see it in the summer too. That may settle back into its usual pattern, but wearing masks was extremely effective against Influenza. COVID is more infectious than Influenza,” Haggerty said.
Haggerty also believes everyone over six months of age should get the flu shot.
“The influenza is not some little trifling cold. It is responsible for 5,000 to 51,000 deaths a year in the US, according to data from the CDC ranging from 2010 to 2023. In my experience, it usually hits fairly suddenly, and you feel very sick within a day and can get extremely tried to almost helpless. You often have fever, headache, muscle aches, and feel just terrible,” Haggerty said.
“Influenza is a pretty dangerous virus, especially for (people) 50 years (old) and up, asthmatics or anyone with a chronic lung problem, troubled by obesity, and diabetics. Anyone with a cardiovascular, kidney, liver, neurologic or blood disorder is at higher risk too. Children ages 6 months through 4 years of age are at high risk…Also, if you take care of or live with kids or high-risk people, you should get one too. If we all get flu shots, we all protect each other.’’
Haggerty said people can take Tamiflu to decrease symptoms and can return to work 24 hours after they stop having a fever.
Haggerty also wanted to dispel the myth that you can get influenza from taking the flu shot.
“You cannot get the flu from the flu shot. The viruses are all killed. You may have been in the path of the flu recently and caught it just before getting the shot or you may have a great immune system that is giving you a little taste of what it is like when your immune system gets revved up,” Haggerty said.
According to Haggerty, it takes about two weeks for the flu shot to be in your system before it provides the added protection.
Similar to the COVID-19 vaccine, Haggerty said the flu shot won’t prevent you from contracting the illness.
“Vaccines don’t prevent infection, they prevent disease. So, if you get influenza and you have been vaccinated against that strain, you should have a mild case, not one that would kill you or get you in the hospital. Ideally, your immune system should do such a great job that you don’t even know you are sick, but we don’t live in an ideal world. Our attempts to prevent disease are not perfect but they are better than nothing,” Haggerty added.
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