Former US Surgeon General offers precautions to take during COVID-19 surge
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The United States is in the middle of the biggest COVID-19 surge of the past two years. The virus can be dangerous to people with chronic conditions, as well as those over the age of 65.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams joined Good Morning Arizona on Monday to talk about the circumstances around this spread.
“Well, we are not in the clear,” he said. “COVID is going to be with us for the foreseeable future. And, unfortunately, we still have hundreds of people dying from the virus every week. COVID-19 is the is a significant health risk and remains the leading cause of respiratory illness-related hospitalization.”
He said as COVID cases persist, a risk of contracting “long COVID” increases.
“Millions of Americans are now suffering from long COVID,” Dr. Adams said. “We know that long COVID chances are increased the more you’re infected and the more severe your infection. We know that getting an updated vaccine actually lowers your chance of long COVID by 70%.”
Dr. Adams said while COVID should not control people’s lives, it would be smart to take proper safety measures.
“We need to to kind of wrap our heads around the fact that COVID is not going to go away, and it is not behaving like the flu,” he said. “We’re seeing these summer surges over and over again, and that’s why we want folks to to to take precautions.”
He said one of those precautions would be receiving a COVID vaccine.
“It’s been shown to lower your risk of hospitalization by 60% if you get an updated vaccine, and for my kids, I’ve got three teenagers, it’s not just about hospitalization and death; it can reduce COVID-19′s impact on daily life — less likely to miss work, school, sporting events,” Dr. Adams said.
He added that if you have questions or concerns about COVID-19 or vaccination, talk to your doctor or health provider.
To learn more about vaccination, go to vaccines.gov.
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