Here is Dr. Klotman’s Week 184 video update. The main points are:
- The current COVID wave of EG.5 and other Omega variants appears to have crested in the US. Wastewater viral loads are decreasing as are ICU admissions.
- There isn’t much RSV activity yet, and Influenza hasn’t made a big splash yet either.
- The US government is providing 4 free COVID tests for any citizen. Use this link to order yours.
- At the same web site, you can find out whether tests that you already have on hand are still usable. The expiration dates on some tests are inaccurate, and the tests are actually good for longer.
- COVID vaccine appears to decrease the risk and severity of Long COVID.
- Recent studies suggest that Long COVID is associated with certain immune markers, but those markers are not yet reliable to use in diagnosing Long COVID.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I haven’t yet had my COVID or Influenza vaccines, but I plan to get them this week to better protect Susan as well as myself. Susan is still mostly homebound, but she should be able to get out for vaccinations in a few weeks. In the meantime, by getting vaccinated myself and wearing my mask when I go out, I can protect both of us.