It’s been several months since we published any posts focused on Covid. Some may interpret that as a sign that concern about Covid infections is no longer an important issue. In some ways, it is cause for celebration that infections, hospitalizations, and deaths due to Covid have all declined. The World Health Organization has now declared an end to its Covid Emergency Declaration as has the United States, and today, May 11th, the United States Covid Public Health Emergency declaration will expire. Certainly, around the country, many if not most citizens have returned to a state of “normalcy” as masks are off, gatherings are up, and frankly, either through vaccinations or exposure, most Americans have at least some antibodies to Covid in their immune system. 

Yet, in reality, the state of play regarding Covid is still of concern, and often a deep concern, depending upon where in the world you live, your age, your underlying health conditions, and the strength of your immune system. In the United States, Covid-related deaths still are in the range of 1,000 deaths every week and each week, roughly 100,000 Americans become infected with Covid. Older adults and those who are immune compromised remain at risk, and in fact, the FDA just approved a second Bivalent booster for adults 65 and over, along with those who are immune compromised. We now have solid research reports demonstrating that the Bivalent booster is not only safe but extremely effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk older adults. Yet we also have recent survey results showing that only 42.4% of older adults have received a first Bivalent booster and that health and safety misinformation continues to leave many older adults hesitant to receive a booster, let alone a second booster as just recommended by the FDA.

That hesitancy is a problem, as by no means is Covid disappearing. As the Director General of the World Health Organization said, “This virus is here to stay. It is still killing and it’s still changing.” While conditions may not be as dire as they once were, that doesn’t mean it’s wise to let your guard down or your vigilance cease. With a combination of continuing virus mutation and potentially short-lived immunity to the virus, it’s essential that we not lose sight of the fact that this pandemic is not really over. In fact, a recent article in Nature predicted that the future of Covid was like mini and ongoing waves of infection, caused by a regular churn of new variants. And even if your risk of severe illness from Covid has waned, it is still possible to become afflicted with “long Covid,” even with a mild viral infection, which, as experts make clear, “is something you want to avoid.”

And something else you want to avoid if possible is contracting RSV. While it’s considered primarily a disease of younger people and is usually associated with relatively mild, cold-like symptoms, RSV can be of serious concern in older adults, and it’s thought to lead to 6,000-10,000 deaths each year among those 65 and older. RSV is the most common cause of hospitalizations for children under age 1, and for adults with underlying heart or lung disease or weakened immune systems, it can be a cause of severe disease. Given the possible lethality of RSV in certain patient populations, it’s good news that a long-sought vaccine for RSV has just been approved by the FDA and will likely obtain CDC approval at a June meeting of a CDC advisory panel. With this timeline, the vaccine, known as Arexvy, should be available this coming fall, when RSV infections will likely pick up again. For more on this important new vaccine, roll up your sleeve and read here.