ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Whether you’re vaccinated and/or have had COVID-19, you might be wondering why we are still telling you about new variants of the coronavirus.
“This is one of those viruses that doesn’t really induce really long-term immunity, or at least to the variants that we’re seeing,” Dr. Michael Teng from USF’s College of Medicine said about coronavirus.
Dr. Teng has been guiding folks in the Tampa Bay area since the start of the pandemic, and he says this summer has brought another uptick in ending up in the hospital after getting infected.
“Here, we don’t really test much anymore, but I think what we’re doing is wastewater surveillance. We're seeing an uptick in the amount of SARS-CoV-2 we see in the wastewater,” Dr. Teng said. “Also, you’re seeing an uptick in the number of people being hospitalized with COVID.”
So, should you go ahead and get a booster?
The CDC director recently said in an interview that, if you can wait for the fall, new shots for flu, RSV, and COVID are all expected to be available.
For the COVID-19 booster, it first has to get the green light on Sept. 12 from a CDC advisory committee.
“Once they come out with their recommendations, then I think those people who are recommended to get the booster should go and get it,” Dr. Teng said. “Their recommendations carry weight with the insurance companies, and that’s who’s going to foot the bill for the booster vaccines now.”
Until then, Dr. Teng says stick to using the tried and true methods to stay safe and limit the spread.
“It’s obviously better if you stay at home if you’re sick…regardless of if it’s COVID or if it’s flu. If you can’t stay away from people, mask up,” he said.
Dr. Teng says the rapid tests at the store should still work with the new variants, but he says you should still test on more than one day to be sure.