We are six weeks away from an anniversary that no one is celebrating - January 20, 2020 was the day the CDC confirmed the first COVID case in the USA. It's hard to fathom that we’ve been dealing with COVID for nearly three years.
Fortunately, today we have a much greater understanding of the virus’ behavior and better information about how to protect ourselves from serious illness.
Unfortunately, knowing how and doing it doesn’t always correlate. I mentioned last week that only 25% of Washingtonians over age 65 are fully vaccinated. That concerns me greatly.
Protect Yourself
So, here’s my reminder of the latest protection guidance from the CDC:
1. First and foremost, get the latest COVID booster. The current booster is a bivalent booster, which means its designed to deal with multiple strains of COVID. Half of the vaccine targets the original strain, and the other half targets the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariant, which are predicted to continue circulating this winter.
2. Wear a mask in public. It’s a simple, easy step that adds another layer of protection. You can easily chose when its appropriate or unnecessary, but make wearing one your default choice.
3. If you know that you’ve been exposed or start to develop symptoms, such as cough, fever, sore throat, isolate, test, and contact your primary care physician. They may prescribe medicine that can minimize the likelihood of serious illness.
We’re Here to Help
If you need assistance getting your booster, please email us at info@CWPV.org or call the office at 202-615-5853 and we will help. You can also call 1-855-363-0333 to invite DC Health to come to you.
free COVID antigen tests are available at the DC COVID Centers and the Cleveland Park Library.
If you don’t have a primary care physician, please contact the office and we’ll try to assist you in finding one.
Let’s get through the holidays and ring in the new year as healthy as possible!
Frank Finamore is Executive Director of the Village