132 – COVID 2023 News Update for Aging Adults (2.23.23 Edition)

Dr. K discusses the latest COVID news for 2023, including what’s most important for aging adults and their families to know for the spring. She also covers the problem of doctors inappropriately not prescribing Paxlovid (the best treatment if an older adult does catch COVID), and how to advocate to get it successfully.

In this episode:

• The current COVID & flu situation (cases & hospitalizations)
• About the new Covid variant XBB.1.5
• What the public health emergency ending will mean for you
• How to know if you need to worry about COVID
• What to know about COVID reinfections
• If you’re high risk and need to avoid catching COVID
• Update on the bivalent COVID booster
• When can you get your next COVID booster?
• Update on masks to prevent COVID
• COVID symptoms in 2023
• The best treatment for COVID (Paxlovid) & an FDA checklist that can help you get it
• Summary of what to know for COVID in Spring 2023

Note: For the masks Dr. K recommends, you can get 3M Aura here https://amzn.to/3PJJyRO, the 3M V-flex here https://amzn.to/3OxrsRY, and the Powecom KN95 here https://amzn.to/3W9frXf

These are Amazon affiliate links, so any purchases will help support Better Health While Aging, thank you!

Related Episodes:

131 – COVID Update for Aging Adults (12.8.22 Edition)

Related Resources:

• BHWA:
  • COVID & Aging Adults: 2023 & 2022 Updates
  • COVID Vaccination for Aging Adults: What to Know & Do
• To track COVID data:
  • NY Times COVID Tracker
  • Wastewater:
    • CDC Wastewater Surveillance
    • Biobot.io wastewater tracker
  • Walgreens Test Positivity Tracker
  • OurWorldInData.org Coronavirus Data Explorer
  • CDC Nursing Home Covid-19 Data Dashboard
  • CDC Variant Proportion Tracker
  • CDC COVID cases and deaths by vaccine status
• CDC & FDA information referenced in this update:
  • FDA: PAXLOVID Patient Eligibility Screening Checklist Tool for Prescribers
  • CDC: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Presentation Slides: February 22-24, 2023 Meeting
    • Updates to COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in the United States
  • FDA: Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee January 26, 2023 Meeting
  • Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report
  • CDC: RSV National Trends
• From medical journals and research groups:
  • NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines: Molnupiravir
  • Molnupiravir plus usual care versus usual care alone as early treatment for adults with COVID-19 at increased risk of adverse outcomes (PANORAMIC): an open-label, platform-adaptive randomised controlled trial (12/22/22)
  • Lancet: Past SARS-CoV-2 infection protection against re-infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2/16/23)
  • Cochrane: Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses (1/30/23)
    • See related commentary: Multiple studies show that face masks reduce the spread of COVID-19; a Cochrane review doesn’t demonstrate otherwise
  • Paxlovid Associated with Decreased Hospitalization Rate Among Adults with COVID-19 — United States, April–September 2022 12/2/22
• From news and other media:
  • What Not to Ask Me About My Long COVID (2/15/23)
  • PBS/KQED: When Can I Get a Second Bivalent COVID Booster? Here’s What We Know Right Now (2/22/23)
  • KFF.org The End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Details on Health Coverage and Access
    • More detailed: What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End? Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Access
• For masking, ventilation COVID transmission information:
  • Masks Dr. K uses:
    • 3M V-flex N95
    • 3M Aura N95
    • Powecom KN95
  • Project N95
  • Twitter resources
    • @joeyfox85
    • @masknerd