“Let’s do some preventative work before we get to a crisis,” said Dr. Rhea Rowser, a family physician at Kettering Health. “We know the vaccine works.”
The updated CDC COVID vaccine recommendations say everyone 6 months and older should get the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine this fall. This simplifies previous guidance from last fall, which included different timelines and different numbers of shots depending on when earlier shots were received and the age of the patients.
According to the CDC, updated COVID-19 vaccines will be available later this year from Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer. This recommendation will go into effect once the new vaccines are available.
In Montgomery County, 11.51% of the population has received the most recent COVID vaccine, compared to 12.07% in Greene County and 9.54% in Clark County, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health. The county with the lowest percentage of residents receiving the most recent vaccine was Preble County with just 6.73%.
In Butler County, 9.75% of the population has received the most recent COVID vaccine, and 11.87% of the population in Warren County has received the vaccine.
Nationally, more than 916,300 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in 2023, and more than 75,500 people died from COVID-19, the CDC said. More than 44,900 people are estimated to have died from flu complications during the 2023-2024 flu season, also according to the CDC.
“Our number one recommendation to protect yourself and your loved ones from respiratory illness is to get vaccinated,” said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen. “Make a plan now for you and your family to get both the updated flu and COVID vaccines this fall, before the respiratory virus season.”
COVID is still spreading in Ohio, though doctors are not determining the severity of symptoms of previous strains.
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve actually seen an increase in COVID cases in our office,” Rowser said.
Patients would come in with suspected sinus infections, but it turned out to be COVID, she said.
The symptoms doctors see are more related to sinuses, body aches, headaches and congestion, she said.
“It looks more like the flu or an upper respiratory infection, so we’re not seeing the severe symptoms that we saw early on,” Rowser said.
Ohio reported 83 COVID-related hospitalizations in the past week, up from the three-week average of 72. There was one ICU admission and eight deaths reported in the past week, no change from the three-week average, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health.
Nationally, 0.9% of emergency department visits are diagnosed as COVID, according to the CDC. While this is a small percentage, it is up from 23.3% in the most recent week.
According to the CDC, hospitalizations have not increased or decreased in the past week. There were 1.5 COVID-related hospitalizations reported per 100,000 people.
COVID-related deaths currently account for 0.8% of all deaths in the US, up 14.3% from the previous week.
“There is still COVID out there, so you still need to protect yourself against it, just like you would against the flu,” Rowser said.
Everyone 6 months and older should also get a new flu shot this fall, the CDC says. The CDC encourages health care providers to start planning for flu vaccination now and to vaccinate patients once the 2024-2025 flu vaccines are available.
According to the CDC, September and October are the best months for most people to get vaccinated.
“We’re almost there. We’re already in July,” Rowser said.
For most people, a flu shot is not recommended in July and August. However, there are some points to consider regarding vaccination in those months for specific groups, such as certain young children who are eligible for two doses of the flu vaccine.
According to the CDC, pregnant women who are in their third trimester of pregnancy can get the flu vaccine in July or August. This will help protect their babies from getting the flu after they are born, when they are too young to get the vaccine.
The CDC has also updated its recommendations for RSV vaccinations for adults. The previous recommendation that people 60 and older should be vaccinated against RSV has been changed to a recommendation that people 75 and older should be vaccinated.
“The CDC has updated its RSV vaccination recommendation for seniors to prioritize those at highest risk for severe illness from RSV,” said Mandy Cohen. “People 75 or older, or between the ages of 60 and 74 with certain chronic health conditions or who live in a nursing home, should receive one dose of the RSV vaccine to provide an added layer of protection.”