It’s been a while
since we’ve had a COVID update, eh, readers?
Well, with the
virus going around lately, and with changes in who is eligible for
vaccine boosters (big changes? or maybe not?), we figured it was time
to check back in with Dr. Candy Stockton, our county health officer,
who was kind enough to catch the Outpost
up earlier this week.
First up: You’ve
probably noticed that the ’rona has been going around lately. Dr.
Stockton said that although the county’s Public Health Division no
longer tracks raw case numbers like it did in the bad old days of the
pandemic, it has definitely noticed that the virus is on the rise.
In fact, Stockton
says, Humboldt County seems to be falling into a coronavirus pattern.
We usually get a smallish spike in the late summer – now – and a
larger spike in January and February.
“So far, the spike
this summer is smaller than last summer’s spike, which is good, but
it’s very definitely impacting people,” Stockton told us. “People
are missing work. Kids are missing school. It’s impacting our
hospitals.”
At least one
Humboldt County person has died of the virus in the last month,
Stockton said.
There’s a newish
variant of the virus going around, one they’re calling the
“XFG” or “Stratus” variant that seems to be quickly on the
rise in the United States, and which is garnering some news
attention. But Stockton is of the same opinion as the people quoted
at the link in the last sentence: From the public’s perspective,
there really isn’t much concerning about XFG. It’s not a
particularly nasty version of the bug, and current vaccines should be
effective against it.
Speaking of
vaccines: This year’s crop of booster shots has been approved by
the FDA, and vials should be reaching Humboldt County outlets within
the next few days or weeks. But you’ve no doubt read about the
Centers for Disease Control’s new guidelines about who should be
receiving the shots – people 65 or older, or those with serious
preexisting conditions. What does that mean for people under 65, or
those who may or may not have those conditions? Can you still get
your shot if you want them, even if you don’t meet those criteria?
And where can you get it? And will your insurance pay for it?
There’s a lot that
still not quite clear about all of this, but Stockton, right now, is
that the coming year is actually not going to be all that different
from years previous. She’s pretty certain that as in years past,
pretty much the only thing you’ll need to get a COVID shot is the
desire to have one.
“Some of the major
pharmacy chains are waiting for a little bit more clarity and
guidance from the states that they work in before they make that
final determination,” she said. “But we do think that, yes,
people probably will be able to walk into the pharmacy, let the
pharmacist know that they’re at high risk or they live with somebody
who’s at high risk, and be able to get the vaccine. And that’s what
we’re working towards.”
Yesterday, New York
Governor Kathy Hochul signed
an executive order allowing that state’s pharmacists to
administer the shot. California, Oregon and Washington – the states
that make up the new “West
Coast Health Alliance” – will probably do something similar,
if they need to.
Likewise, Stockton
said, insurance companies have signaled that they
are willing to pay for shots, as they have in years past.
“[It] makes a lot
of sense because vaccines are a relatively inexpensive, very
cost-effective way to reduce medical costs,” Stockton said. “So
if you’re an insurer and you choose not to pay for a vaccine that can
say, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospitalization
costs, it doesn’t take very long before you’re losing more money than
you’re actually saving by not paying for the vaccine.”
So despite
high-profile announcements coming from the Trump Administration,
Stockton and others are fairly confident that nothing much is set to
change in the short-term. Vaccines will be available in time for that
big spike that the county’s expecting in the winter, and right now
Stockton believes that if you want one, you will be able to get one.
And Stockton –
coming at it from a public health perspective – very much hopes
that you do.
“While I
understand every person ultimately needs to make that decision for
themselves, I do want to remind all of your readers that our
healthcare resources — our hospital capacity, emergency room
capacity — we’re stretched really thin as a county right now,” she
said. “And it may not seem like a big deal if five or six people
get hospitalized one week for COVID during the winter, if you’re just
talking about numbers.
“But I think most
people in this county have experienced, you know, having to go into
the emergency room. And then having to spend a really long time in
the emergency room because there are no open beds upstairs in the
hospital. And so for those people who are able and willing, they
could really help us out as a community by getting vaccinated to help
our community. If they’re willing.”
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