Where are we in the pandemic? I believe we can safely say we are somewhere in the second half of the pandemic. Certainly the end is in sight, but there is a lot left in this game. 

We are seeing decreasing numbers around the country overall.  Testing at our office is less than half what it was at the peak; currently about 60 tests daily. However in the last two weeks we have  started to see more positive tests than we were, but it may be just a blip rather than a trend. The day I wrote this we had 15 positive Covid patients, which was an increase over several weeks ago.  You just never know with this virus. At the time of this writing there are over 1700 active Covid infections in Ulster County, and this number has been somewhat stable for the last month.

Those who are vaccinated can certainly relax. If you are vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine if you contact a Covid positive person and have no symptoms. You do not need to quarantine if you travel.  There is a theoretical risk of transmission of the virus via a vaccinated individual, so you wouldn’t want to rush out and hug an unvaccinated person after contacting a Covid sick person. Vaccines should be widely available and easily obtained before summertime.

There are some questions that we hear pretty frequently. I’ve said it before; if you have questions ask your primary care provider; don’t refer to Dr. Facebook.  But many people don’t have a provider; we see many of these folks at our office. I thought I would take this opportunity to answer the questions we get frequently.

Should I get vaccinated, and which vaccine?  The answer is yes, absolutely. The science is clear and you should get whatever vaccine is available. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is somewhat less effective, but it is a single dose and it will do what it needs to: keep you from getting extremely ill. The difference in effectiveness means the symptoms you get if you are exposed may be somewhat worse than if you received a different vaccine, but that just means you would have a worse “cold.”  I would take that vaccine in a heartbeat and I would also recommend the Astra Zeneca vaccine without hesitation with a possible exception of women under 50, but even in this demographic the odds of having a problem are astronomically small.

How can I have Covid 19 if I don’t have a fever?  Many patients have minimal symptoms, some have no symptoms. You don’t have to have a fever with Covid. Unfortunately, and for reasons still unclear, some people get extremely ill with Covid 19 and have symptoms that persist for months, perhaps even permanently. 239 people have died from Covid 19 in Ulster County since the beginning of the pandemic.

I was exposed, when is the best time to test? 5-7 days after exposure will give you the most accurate test result. 

How accurate are the rapid tests? There is variability in the test results from the many different companies that produce the rapid tests. While the results are somewhat reliable, a PCR test is really necessary when the results will impact others; for work, school, travel, etc. 

When do you think we won’t have to wear masks anymore?  That’s the hardest question. I would safely say by spring of 2022 but maybe earlier. It seems like with the Covid variants emerging and the somewhat slow speed of vaccinating worldwide, we will likely be masking indoors around non- family members until at least winter of this year. 

Will Covid vaccinations become a yearly thing?  I think they will. They will likely be combined with flu vaccines so it would be one shot for the various seasonal viruses.

Should I trust Dr. Fauci and the CDC?  Yes.  The time of politicizing the pandemic has passed. Dr. Fauci and the CDC present the best advice they have based on current scientific evidence, which continues to evolve. They won’t get it right 100% of the time. They can’t. But they are the best we have, and they are great resources.