Healthcare News Stories and Press Releases are Tricky!

Every word is carefully chosen. Some of the words do not mean what you think. Concepts are explained rapidly. Initially, you might think that you understood what was said or written. Only to find out later that it was not correct. I am sometimes confused by the media, and I am a healthcare provider! The language used is not clear. For example, did you know that the COVID-19 pandemic is still occurring? Even though the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 Global Health Emergency over, we are still in a pandemic.

Another tricky concept is preventing infection and severe disease from the coronavirus. The COVID-19 vaccine series (two vaccines and at least one booster) will prevent severe disease, but you can still get infected with the Sars-Cov-2 virus. This is like what can happen with the influenza vaccine. In the past, clients have complained that they received the influenza vaccine and still were sick with influenza. I had to explained that the vaccine minimized the severity of the flu, which kept them out of the hospital. They were still disappointed because they did not want to be sick at all!

The protection against infection is highest when you first receive the COVID-19 vaccine. After a few months, this protection wanes and you are more likely to catch the virus. We will be seeing waves of COVID infections in the future. Please protect yourself when entering crowded events indoors. I know it can feel awkward or conspicuous wearing an N95 mask. However, I would rather wear a mask than risk being sick with COVID-19. Long COVID becomes more likely with repeated infections.

One strategy to prevent infections is to stay as healthy as possible. I have created a video reviewing an excellent book that I read by integrative gastroenterologist Dr. Robynne Chutkan called The Anti-Viral Gut.