80% of Americans who have already been exposed to the newest variant of COVID-19 are likely to catch it again, according to experts.
Paula Cannon, a virologist at the University of Southern California, said that everyone in the country is at risk for infections now even if they're careful and up to date with their vaccinations.
Cannon, who is recovering from her first case of COVID-19, said it was infectious.
"All of the things that have protected you for the past couple of years are not going to protect you against this new crop of variant," she said.
Despite the high level of infections, the number of severe infections and deaths is still relatively low.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the XBB. 1.5 variant grew from 1% of cases nationwide in December to 40% by the end of the year. Most of the cases in New York and New England have the variant in them.
It's growth is likely due to XBB. 1.5's characteristics, which include being more tightly bound to the human body than its predecessors, as well as human behavior, such as traveling and not masking.
Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St.
He said that there are a lot of unknowns about XBB. 1.5. According to Al-Aly's research, every infection makes someone vulnerable to a bad course of disease and long-term symptoms of chronic bronchitis.
He said that reinfection bought you additional risk.
We're giving an update on the state of the Pandemic in the United States. This is a preview of the article.
Symptoms and XBB.
COVID lasts how long?
Is it possible to get Covid more than once?
There is a way to avoid infections.
If you get sick, what are you going to do?
It's better to stay out of the way.
We might be nearing the end of Covid.
Vomiting, sore throat, fatigue, nausea, cough, and sinus congestion are some of the symptoms of carbon-19.
The symptoms of XBB. 1.5 are the same as those of earlier versions, but can range from almost nothing to the need for emergency medical care.
According to Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist and co-director, early in the Pandemic, COVID-19 can cause people to lose their sense of smell and taste, but it seems less common than before.
It can take up to 14 days for an exposure to cause symptoms and a positive test.
If a person remains positive on a rapid test for at least 10 days, they are infectious.
People should be isolated for at least five days and wear an N-95 or similar mask for at least 10 days when around others, according to the CDC. Day 1 is considered the beginning of symptoms.
The gold standard for detecting COVID-19 is a PCR test, and it can stay positive for months. The experts recommend a negative rapid test after 10 days or two if the period is over.
I agree. The protection provided by a previous infection fades over time as the virus changes.
Some people are hit harder the second or third time, while others are not.
If you've had it before, that doesn't mean your next fight is going to be the same. She said that there are a lot of factors at play, including prior immunity, the nature of the variant and how long it's been since your last vaccine.
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Cannon said it's part of the larger dance between the immune system and the body.
It can be difficult to stick with the methods of avoiding infections when no one else is around.
The first thing to do is get a vaccine. The dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine said that this will protect against severe infections as well as reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others.
The newer boosters are more protective against XBB. 1.5 than the earlier ones. He said that people who are up-to-date on their shots are less likely to spread the disease.
There is some protection against severe disease provided by past infections.
Good quality, well-fitting masks, like an N95 orKN95, can reduce the risk for infections.
Cannon said people get annoyed at her because she reminds them that Caval is a problem. She doesn't want to pass it on to someone who is more at risk.
There are places to buy masks.
N95 and KN95 are the most effective ones.
Crowded indoor spaces are the third thing to avoid. In large indoor spaces with high ceilings and lots of air, you are less likely to get sick.
Cannon said it was a good idea to have a plan in case of illness. Every plan should include:
Is it possible to be isolated from others in your house.
There is a contact number for a health care provider.
To make sure the patient's blood oxygen level doesn't drop below the low 90s, they use equipment such as rapid COVID-19 tests, extra masks, and a pulse oximeter.
You can get four free COVID tests from the government if you order them from this link: covid.gov/tests.
A call to the doctor should be the first step for someone over 60 with a medical condition that raises the risk of serious disease. They are free because the government has pre-bought a lot of them.
Some doctors are hesitant to provide the antiviral because people may need to stop taking common medications during the five day treatment course, but it's essential for people at high risk for serious disease.
Cannon said that they can stop people from being seriously ill. Why wouldn't you accept it?
Every COVID-19 infections increases your risk for serious disease and can bring symptoms that can linger for a year or more.
Al-Aly said that younger people are not completely shielded. He said that long carbon dioxide can strike people at any age.
According to a study he recently published, the risk of long COVD is reduced by up to 30% if you get a vaccine. Paxlovid has been shown to reduce the risk by 26%.
Cannon's daughter works in a long COVID clinic and regularly sees patients who are in their 20s or 30s, healthy people who didn't have a really bad bout of COVID who now have a lot of symptoms.
Six experts were interviewed by USA TODAY this week and they all rejected the idea of an upside to getting infections. Al-Aly said that vaccinations offer better protection against future infections than an existing one.
Cannon said that getting sick with a virus is pointless.
I would be happy if I didn't get a Viruses again. This is something I say as a professional infectiousologist.
Cannon said that the Covid-19 has been the most successful virus in human history.
She hopes that it's a good sign that all the variant have been descendants of omicron.
The original viruses were different from each other before that.
Cannon said that the virus is in a committed lineage, which means it won't evolve away from the protection against serious disease that nearly everyone now has.
Karen Weintraub can be reached at kweintraub@usatoday.com
USA TODAY has health and patient safety coverage thanks to a grant from the Masimo Foundation for ethics, innovation and competition in healthcare. Editorial input is not provided by the Masimo foundation.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY.
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