Keeping COVID at Bay

National Institute for Health Care Management

People who previously had COVID-19 are becoming reinfected from new omicron subvariants. The pace of COVID-19 deaths has plateaued since May, with 12,500 Americans dying of COVID-19 in July. The Pfizer antiviral Paxlovid keeps high-risk COVID-19 patients out of the hospital. 

• Boosters: Second boosters for people under 50 are on hold for shots reformulated to target the omicron subvariants. The Biden administration recently purchased 66 million doses of Moderna’s variant-specific booster. 
• Long COVID: Federal reports on long COVID provide information on getting help and highlight the need for further research on the condition. About one in eight adults develop symptoms of long COVID. Risk factors include socioeconomic deprivation and smoking.
• Children and COVID: Over 40% of parents of children under five say they will definitely not vaccinate their child against COVID-19. A recent study found omicron is better at invading children’s noses than previous variants. Fortunately, children have stronger antibodies than adults.

Resources & Initiatives:

• Learn how many lives a fall booster campaign could save in the U.S.
• A medical analyst explains what precautions families should take as children return to school. 
• Kaiser Health News released a Q&A on everything you need to know about Paxlovid.
• Learn more about children’s vaccinations and getting vaccinated against COVID-19 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and Independence Blue Cross.