Viruses reproduce by taking over the manufacturing function of cells in our bodies to make copies of the virus. While the copies are usually quite true to the “parent” virus sometimes there is a change in the genes and a variant is “born”. The faster that a virus is spread, the more people who are infected, the faster variants are produced. This may be part of the reason why the new omicron variant first showed up in southern Africa. The vaccination rate in that part of the world is very low so the virus is spreading faster and affecting more people. While the omicron is too new to know a lot about it, we do know that it is quite contagious, more than its parents, as it has spread around the world so rapidly. What is not clear yet is whether it will be as serious or deadly as its parents or whether our current COVID vaccines will be as effective against this variant. We do know that the vaccines represent the best protection we have from developing a severe case of COVID infection.
If you have had the initial vaccine series do plan to get a booster 6 months after the last dose. This is important as protection fades over time. You can “mix and match” vaccines, so it is reasonable to get any of the three currently available vaccines as a booster regardless of which vaccine you received as your primary. If you have not had any vaccine yet, do plan to do this soon. Everett’s Pharmacy has Moderna and Janssen vaccines available. The Texas Department of Emergency Medicine will be holding another vaccine clinic from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on December 16th at the San Saba Civic Center. You can call Marsha Hardy (325-372-8570) for an appointment, but “drop-ins” are welcome, too. You can also text your zip code to 438829 to get a list of other locations that offer the vaccine. You can go to the vaccines.gov website to find even more.
Unlike last year, we are starting to see a significant number of cases of influenza in our region this year. You can get your flu vaccine without having to delay the COVID vaccine, and it is available at the pharmacy and clinics in San Saba.