♪ >>> THE CDC SAYS COVID CASES ON THE RISE ACROSS THE U. S. WITH ALMOST EVERY STATE REPORTING A SPIKE IN NEW INFECTIONS AS WE HEAD INTO ANOTHER HOLIDAY TRAVEL WEEKEND. AT LEAST 22 STATES ARE REPORTING VERY HIGH COVID-19 WASTEWATER LEVELS, MOST OF THE STATES ARE IN THE MIDWEST, MID- ATLANTIC AND NEW ENGLAND. DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER JOINS US NOW, A PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT VANDERBILT MEDICAL CENTER. HE ALWAYS HELPS US NAVIGATE THE FICTION FROM THE FACTS. WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US, DR. SCHAFFNER. THERE IS A NEW CORONAVIRUS STRAIN THAT HAS EMERGED IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, JN.1. THE CDC HAS CALLED IT A VARIANT OF INTEREST. HOW CONCERNED SHOULD WE ACTUALLY BE AND WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT YOU? >> WELL, LANA, IT IS GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. IT IS INDEED WINTER RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON. COVID IS OUT THERE, CERTAINLY, AS YOU WERE JUST SAYING, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE NEW STRAIN, WHICH IS A SUB-VARIANT OF OMICRON, YOU CAN THINK OF IT AS A GRANDCHILD OF OMICRON, SHARES SOME CHARACTERISTICS WITH OMICRON. IT IS VERY HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS. IT SEEMS TO BE OUT RUNNING SOME OF THE OTHER VARIANTS AND BECOMING DOMINANT. THERE ARE TWO GOOD THINGS ABOUT IT. ONE, IT IS NOT PRODUCING MORE SEVERE DISEASE. NUMBER TWO, THE LABORATORY STUDIES INDICATE THAT OUR CURRENTLY UPDATED COVID VACCINE DOES PROVIDE PROTECTION AGAINST SEVERE DISEASE CAUSED BY THIS VARIANT. THAT IS VERY, VERY GOOD. THESE VACCINES WILL NOT PROVIDE EXCELLENT PROTECTION AGAINST MILDER DISEASE. BY MILDER, WHAT WE MEAN IS NOT NEEDING HOSPITALIZATION, WHICH MAKES YOU KIND OF MISERABLE FOR THREE OR FOUR DAYS. PROTECTION AGAINST HOSPITALIZATION, INTENSIVE CARE ADMISSION, PROTECTION AGAINST DYING. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? >> IT SOUNDS LIKE THINGS PEOPLE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO. THE COUNTRY IS NO LONGER UNDER COVID EMERGENCY, DR. SCHAFFNER, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALLY FEEL THAT CONCERNED ABOUT IT. THEY ARE VIEWING IT MORE LIKE THE COMMON COLD OR THE FLU. IS THAT AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE? REMIND US HOW LONG THOSE BOOSTERS ACTUALLY LAST, PEOPLE ARE SORT OF WONDERING IF THEY NEED TO GET BOOSTED AGAIN. >> WELL, REMEMBER, LANA, I TALKED ABOUT RESPIRATORY VIRUSES. WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS RESPECT THESE VIRUSES. INFLUENZA, WHICH IS ALSO SURGING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AT THE MOMENT AND WE UTILIZE THAT VACCINE, COVID IS INCREASING AND RSV HAS INCREASED AND, FORTUNATELY, MAYBE PLATEAUING IN PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. THESE VIRUSES ARE OUT AND ABOUT. WE HAVE VACCINES AVAILABLE AGAINST ALL THREE OF THEM. WE WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM. RESPECT THEM. THESE VIRUSES, HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS, CAN PUT EVEN HEALTHY PEOPLE IN AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT WITHIN 48 HOURS. WE NEED TO RESPECT THEM. WE WANT TO MAKE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE FOR OURSELVES, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR NEIGHBORS. THIS IS THE BEST PRESENT YOU CAN GIVE THEM. THESE VACCINES, PARTICULARLY THE COVID VACCINE, WILL PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR THE NEXT FOUR TO SIX MONTHS OR LONGER. THE YOUNGER AND HEALTHIER YOU ARE, THE LONGER PROTECTION YOU GET. >> YOU MENTIONED FLU AND RSV. RSV, IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE SEEN SURGING. WHAT ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT INFECTIONS AND WHAT SHOULD YOU BE LOOKING OUT FOR, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STANDARD WINTER AND YOU GET SICK AND WHAT WE ACTUALLY NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT? >> WELL, IT IS VERY HARD TO DISTINGUISH THESE VIRUSES. DOCTORS CAN OFTEN NOT DO THAT. PEOPLE ARE AT INCREASED RISK OF SERIOUS INFECTIONS. OLDER PERSONS, PEOPLE WITH UNDERLYING ILLNESSES, HEART DISEASE, LUNG DISEASE, DIABETES, ANY KIND OF CHRONIC ILLNESS, PERSONS WHO ARE PREGNANT, PERSONS WHO ARE IMMUNE COMPROMISED. IF YOU GET SICK, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER AND GET TESTED. PARTICULARLY FOR FLU AND FOR COVID, WE HAVE MEDICATIONS THAT CAN MAKE THE ILLNESS LESS SERIOUS. ALL OF US, IN ADDITION TO GETTING VACCINATED, AVOID CROWDS INDOORS AND GET YOUR MASK OUT AGAIN. IT PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL LAYER
