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ASHEVILLE, NC – March 30, 2022 – The Buncombe County Department of Health & Human Services held a virtual panel discussion on March 30^th to explain “COVID treatment options”. Buncombe County Medical Director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore moderated the discussion. She was joined by COVID health care providers from Mercy Urgent Care, MAHEC, and Pardee Hospital.

The panel discussed medical therapeutics, vaccination, and public health measures to reduce the risk of getting COVID-19. Serious complications are extremely rare following COVID vaccination and serous side-effects are extremely rare from medical therapeutics. Possible complications from getting COVID are much greater and strongly outweigh the risk of problems from either vaccination or medical therapeutics.

COVID treatment options are for people with a positive test, recent onset of mild-to-moderate symptoms that do not require hospitalization, and at-risk to develop severe illness. People who are at-risk are age 65 or older, obese, immunocompromised or have chronic illness. Some therapeutics come in pills and others can be administered by intravenous infusions. There is a preventive medicine that is administered intramuscularly for very high-risk people who cannot have the vaccine because of medical reasons. These medications are prescribed by health care providers. People can find out how they can get these treatments on the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services website under COVID-19 Treatment Locations, the federal government ‘Test-to-Treat’ website, and locally at Mercy Urgent Care.

The panel recommends:

• Wear a face mask in crowded spaces if at-risk to get COVID
• Grace Barnwell, nurse practitioner from Mercy Urgent Care and Dr. Stephanie Call, Chair of Internal Medicine from MAHEC said “Test early. Treat early.”
• Being up-to-date with vaccinations and boosters reduces the risk of infection, severe illness, hospitalization, death, spreading the virus to others and developing chronic complications from COVID-19. Dr. Chris Parson, Medical Director for Pardee Center for Infectious Diseases said, “Get your vaccine and booster shots.”

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

 

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WASHINGTON, DC – March 25, 2022 – The Biden administration will offer Americans age 50 years and older a second booster of Pfzer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine according to a New York Times article on March 25, 2022. It has been estimated that thousands of lives can be saved and tens of thousands of hospitalizations can be prevented, if an additional booster for high-risk groups can be encouraged prior to the next COVID-19 wave of infections. Coordinating boosters with forecasting the next surge is a big dilemma. Recommending boosters without a surge of infections will waste vaccine and erode public trust in government and public health.

The Food & Drug Administration recently authorized second booster shots for people 50 and older and for some immunocompromised individuals. The CDC has not weighed in yet although it may do so in the near future. CDC, Britain and Israel studies have shown that the booster is less effective after 3 to 6 months. The CDC measured effectiveness against severe illness; Britain and Israel measured effectiveness against symptomatic infection and hospitalization. Early data from Israel indicate that the 2^nd booster raises antibody levels to the level after the first booster and may decrease deaths. Seventy-five percent of deaths in the United States due the COVID virus have been in the at-risk 65 year and over age group. In Buncombe County, 90% of this age group has had their full series of vaccinations and 75% of the vaccinated have had their boosters.

Dr. Peter Hotez, an expert in vaccines from Baylor College of Medicine said, “We are going to have to make this decision on the basis of incomplete information.”

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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ASHEVILLE, NC –  March 29, 2022 – Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard . Data from March 29 indicate:

• There are 80 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 14 days. This is 20% less than last week.
• 66% of the total population have received their full primary vaccination series. This is unchanged from February 22.
• 58% of fully vaccinated people have received boosters. This is unchanged from last week.
• There are fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU patients over the past week.
• The risk level for Buncombe County is low for the week ending March 31 according to the
• Wastewater surveillance may provide an early warning before individual testing shows that COVID-19 is spreading. The 15-day rate of change of viral load for the Metropolitan Sewer District for Buncombe County is rising for the time period of March 9 to March 23^th according to the state website. However, the CDC website reports that the 15-day rate of change of viral load has fallen for the time period of March 13 to March 27^th. This may be predictive of a falling case rate one week later.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

• Get vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
• People with any COVID symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID should get tested
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home and away from other people

Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services. COVID-19 vaccinations are available at the Health Department Immunization Clinic at 40 Coxe Ave.

Save your face masks:

• The risk level may rise with a new variant
• A person at high risk for severe illness should speak with their health care provider
• Mask wearing is recommended for persons with a positive test, having symptoms, or exposure to someone with COVID-19
• Governor Cooper’s executive order requires everyone to wear a mask in “high risk” settings like health care facilities, nursing homes, correctional facilities and homeless shelters.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour