Brazos County Health District provides update on COVID-19 and influenza

[ad_1]

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – As we continue to fight COVID 19, flu season is fast approaching. Brazos County Health District officials stress the importance of protecting yourself and your family.

Brazos County Health Authority Dr Seth Sullivan says vaccination continues to be the most effective way to prevent serious illness and death.

Flu cases across the country and the Brazos Valley have declined dramatically over the past year, causing health officials to worry about this year’s flu season. Sullivan says stay-at-home orders combined with social distancing and other preventative measures have helped slow the spread of the flu and coronavirus. Sullivan says that doing everything possible to prevent any type of disease is essential in order to reduce the strain on our healthcare system. Sullivan says it’s vital that we don’t ignore the flu.

“We have to remember that between thirty and sixty thousand people a year in the United States die from flu-related illnesses, and there are years that are much worse than others,” Sullivan said. “The flu is definitely something that keeps us from working and makes us very, very sick, so anything we can do to avoid the flu is advised.”

Recently, the Brazos County Health District began administering COVID-19 booster shots to eligible residents, as advised by the FDA and CDC. Dr Sullivan urges everyone who is eligible for a booster shot to do so when the time comes. Sullivan also says it’s critical for people to know that booster shots aren’t new. He says many vaccines people already take require extra doses. Sullivan says booster shots are vital because they are designed to increase protection against serious illness or death from illness.

Currently, booster shots are only available for people who have received the Pfizer vaccine and those at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 or who are immunocompromised.

“There are a lot of vaccines that we inject three times on, and this one very well maybe one of them,” Sullivan said. “Much of the world has already moved forward doing this, as we’ve seen in Israel, and other countries have started doing it as well, so I think we’ll see three shots used. “

Sullivan is optimistic about the flu season and the pandemic. He says we seem to be passing the buck, but he would like to see the Brazos Valley vaccination rates higher. Currently, only 46 percent of residents of Brazos County are fully immunized. He says that must change in order to reduce the pressure on hospitals and healthcare professionals.

“Our hospitals have been very busy. We have faced a real challenge with the staffing of our hospitals here, ”said Sullivan. “We had to bring in outside staff to come and help us with our patients, and it was difficult. It was difficult.

Sullivan says as more therapeutic treatments and antibody treatments become available and are administered, he hopes we can take a step closer to reducing hospital admissions.

According to the State Vaccine Dashboard, 1,896 residents of Brazos County have already received a COVID-19 booster injection.

The people eligible for a recall are:

Long-term care residents aged 18 and over
People 65 and over
People aged 18 to 64 with underlying health problems
People aged 18 to 64 whose working or living conditions increase their risk of exposure or transmission, such as healthcare providers, teachers, etc.

[ad_2]

Source link