So how did you do over the holidays? Were any plans canceled due to illness? Did any holiday gatherings turn into super spreader events? If the past few winters and holiday get-togethers were any precedent, there was every likelihood that COVID-19 infection rates would climb over the holidays and hospitalizations would rise as a result, with the ongoing concern that healthcare systems could be once again overwhelmed. The good news is that this winter, our healthcare system seems to be able to handle the level of infection spreading through the country. The bad news is that COVID-19 continues to be around and people are still getting seriously ill, becoming hospitalized and even dying as a result.

As The Washington Post noted, The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that nearly 10,000 people died in December as holiday gatherings fueled the spread of the virus. It’s hard to get precise numbers at this point, given that many countries no longer report their data to the WHO, and in the United States, far fewer individual positive test results are reported given the use of in-home tests. Using wastewater analysis now, it does appear that the number of infections may be higher again, as we’ve seen in previous winters, but with fewer hospitalizations than this time last year. Right now, the most common variant of COVID that’s circulating is the JN.1, which appears to be much more capable than earlier variants in infecting those who have been vaccinated or previously infected with COVID. Infection rates have climbed enough so that in several states, under certain circumstances mask mandates have been reinstituted (there’s also continued concern about flu and RSV still circulating) and infections continue to be high and even rising in the South and Midwest regions of the United States. The CDC reports that the most up-to-date vaccine is effective against the new JN.1 variant (remember, vaccines don’t prevent infection per se but rather limit the likelihood of serious illness and hospitalizations), and current home testing kits can detect the new variant.

So what happens if you become infected today or in the coming weeks? Depending upon your vaccination history (and you can and should get the latest vaccine if you have not already done so and have not recently had COVID), along with your immune system and any underlying condition you may have, you can still be at risk for significant illness if you don’t take care. While the current at-home tests can detect the presence of new COVID variants, it appears they may take a bit longer than previously, or than PCR tests. So, for example, even if you begin to have symptoms, your at-home test may not register you as positive until several days (perhaps 4) into your illness. If you begin to have symptoms, you should begin testing, but the advice from the CDC is to keep retesting every 48 hours if you are testing negative. If you eventually test positive, you should isolate and take precautions such as masking. For a useful list of what you may experience and what you should do once you’ve been exposed, grab your tissue box and read here. For information on how to determine whether the expired boxes of home test kits you have can still be used, click here. If you’d like to learn more about the home test kits and how to get more for free, click here.  If you want to find a free testing site for a PCR test, look here.

And one other word of advice? As we’ve previously discussed, there is an effective medication now on the market – Paxlovid– that if taken within a few days of infection can drastically reduce the likelihood of hospitalization, especially for those at serious risk. Unfortunately, doctors have been slow to prescribe the drug, even though the risk of side effects is low, and in most cases, it can be obtained without charge. A recent study by the National Institute of Health found that of the small number of patients who took Paxlovid (estimates are that only 15% of those at severe risk have taken it), the medication lowered the risk of death by 73%. So it’s something you should consider if you are early enough in the course of your infection and at any risk for severe illness.

Finally, many have wondered why their spouse/child/co-worker, etc. didn’t get sick if a loved one in the house became infected. There’s no easy answer as to why some don’t get sick when they are exposed to the infection, but it has to do with the level of virus in the environment, the time frame of contagiousness, and the immune defenses of those who’ve been exposed. To find out more, grab a mask and read here.