Covid updates and when to expect a new vaccine
As the coronavirus is on the rise in the U.S., people have to decide when is the right time to get the newest vaccine and/or booster.
A Desert Care Network representative says the new vaccine formula has not yet come out. They say that in late September or early October, we should expect a new vaccine. "Hospitalizations due to COVID have remained in the single digits for us," says Richard Ramhoff.
People will be faced with the decision: Should I get a booster? Or should I be waiting for the newest vaccine that's coming out?
"The booster will be coming out in mid to late September," Dr. Shunling Tsang, Riverside County deputy public health officer. "That's only two/three weeks away. My recommendation is to get the booster when it does come out. That'll give you protection for hopefully into the fall and winter when we anticipate viruses will start you know, rearing its ugly head all over the place. Right? So we do think that, you know, getting that booster in the next few weeks when it does come out will be the most beneficial.
There are 85 new local cases of covid 19. There have been no new deaths from covid 19 this week. Last week, there were 107 covid-19 cases.
A Riverside County health official says numbers are not being updated the same way since most people are using home tests.
Should people feel alarmed or scared of the new variant of COVID-19? What is your personal experience or thought process on that?
"There's lots of variants that come out; we've actually seen many, many variants that have come through, but they don't become huge, you know, issues for us," says Dr. Tsang. "Viruses mutate all the time. COVID is in the news a lot because it is one of the ones that we just, we just came out of a, you know, a worldwide pandemic, right, and we're still recovering. So, you know, as we think about viruses, you know, that virus is mutating. The things that we can do to protect ourselves is, again, all those things that we take precautions, wash hands and stay home if you're sick, and get vaccinated. If you do test positive, we know that the medications still work for the current mutations that are out there. So if you test positive, please call your primary care provider to see if you qualify for medications. If you don't have a primary care provider, or if you're not sure where to go, you know, you can go to our website at https://www.ruhealth.org/."
Tune in at 10 pm and 11 pm to hear from a Riverside County Health professional for updates on the new variant and the best ways to protect yourself.
Symptoms of COVID-19:
