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Medical leaders give virtual COVID-19 update

A recent webinar offered different perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic from three individuals in the medical community.

“As of now, it still remains a pandemic by the WHO and despite mitigation strategies, including masking and social distancing, we continue to see an upswing in cases…” said Dr. Rutul Dalal, medical director of Infectious Diseases and chair of Infection Prevention and Control for UPMC in Northcentral Pa.

Dalal spoke about the biological makeup of the virus, as well as the different factors that can contribute to either a lesser or more severe bout with the illness, stating that age and obesity have been observed as high factors in mortality rates in those who contract the virus.

Dalal also talked about the presence of the Delta variant saying, “We are seeing increased transmissibility, but that’s not being translated into increased mortality, per se, by the Delta variant.”

Additionally, the group that appears to be transmitting the virus the most is that between the ages of 12 and 18, though the increased transmission does not appear to be leading to more severe outcomes in that age group.

Dalal made it a point during the presentation to make it known how large of a percentage that asymptomatic individuals make up.

“One important thing that you need to remember is, asymptomatic infected individuals are also responsible for around 25 to 30% of transmitted infections and procreation of the virus among the community,” he said.

In the second segment of the presentation, Dr. Alison Brodginski, northeast director of Infectious Diseases and associate chief medical officer at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, aimed to clear up any confusion regarding vaccinations.

“There is no way that they (COVID vaccines) could alter your DNA, by any means. They don’t even interact with them,” she said.

Brodginski also addressed the fear that mRNA vaccines are a new technology that has not been properly tested.

“mRNA technology, actually, has been around for decades,” she said. “We’ve utilized it in a lot of other medication therapies. The first study looking at mRNA was actually published back in 1989. So, again, this is not new technology and it certainly was not rushed.”

Brodginski also spoke about the difference between a third dose of a vaccine and a booster — a third dose of a vaccine only applies to those with extremely damaged or “suppressed” immune systems, whereas a booster shot is something that applies to a larger percentage of the population.

“This (a booster) is something that is available for all three of the current (vaccine) manufacturers that are out there in the United States — the Pfizer, the Moderna and the [Johnson & Johnson],” she explained. “These are for individuals… who are of a certain age, or perhaps they work in a certain field like a hospital or in a school where they might be at high risk for acquiring COVID-19… This is something that comes six months after (the initial dose).”

On the topic of natural immunity, Brodginski encouraged those who have already had a COVID infection to get vaccinated.

“Immunity will develop, it should develop, after a natural infection because that’s what our body does. But, the level of that protection, the durability of that protection and the duration… we know that it wanes over time,” she said, citing a number of recent studies conducted showing vaccinated individuals standing at a much lower chance of contracting a severe case from a coronavirus infection.

The final segment of the presentation saw Dr. James Redka, a family physician practicing with FPC Cornerstone and past president of the Lycoming County Medical Society, also calling for those who are not yet been vaccinated to receive their doses.

That said, he stressed the need for transparency among the medical community concerning the potential of adverse vaccine side effects and reactions,

“I have, however, seen a couple of cases that I wonder about… I’ve reported one because I do think transparency is important and that’s, I guess, one of the problems I do see with, sometimes, the urgency for the public health people saying, ‘I’m not going to tell you anything that might be wrong.’ I think that’s not a good strategy,” he said.

“A better strategy is to say, ‘there might be something wrong,'” he continued. “Because in my 49 years of being a doctor, I get more humbled rather than cocky about my knowledge base… So, it’s kind of important to be humble and yet encourage people and offer hope. I think that’s the main thing for a physician — to say, ‘We’ll get through this.'”

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