Samuel I Fink, MD, Inc.

08/29/2024

Large indoor events will always result in lots of COVID cases, but you can protect yourself by wearing a high-quality mask...fortunately, the new COVID vaccine is now available! I have a strong preference for the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine over the Novavax, because Moderna and Pfizer chose a viral target which is better suited to the current COVID strains that are causing illness.

08/04/2024

I'm seeing a lot of COVID in my practice again, and had two admissions last week (the first ones in over a year). Most patients have been fairly ill, but have done well with a combination of Paxlovid/Metformin (a good study shows that Metformin reduces the risk of long COVID). Attached is the most up to date information that you will find. Look for a new vaccine the first week of September covering the KP.2 strain (although the current strain is KP.3.1.1) There were 900,000 new COVID cases in the U.S. last week, and the rate of increase continues to grow as we approach another peak of infection. There will be three booster shots available this fall; Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax, although the Novavax booster will target the older JN.1 strain, and is not as good of a choice for re-vaccination as the Modern and Pfizer boosters. I continue to mask indoors in crowded settings and suggest that you do the same if you'd like to avoid becoming ill with the highly contagious KP.3.1.1 strain..

How to respond without denialism or complacency