As colder weather approaches, the number of people infected with covid is increasing again in the Northern Hemisphere, and several new variants are present, Voice of America reports.
Covid versus other "seasonal" diseases
The covid pandemic has claimed almost seven million lives worldwide. However, thanks to the vaccine, immunity acquired after infection with covid and better drugs, the virus is now easier to bear.
In America, the total number of people dying from any cause has been normal since spring.
"If you were to ask me to choose between getting the flu and getting Covid, I would choose Covid because every single case of the flu is more dangerous," says Ashish Jha, former White House coordinator for Covid and dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University.
However, although covid is now less lethal to individuals, "it appears to have a higher rate of long-term complications".
It is also less tied to a certain season, it is more contagious and during the last three winters in the US the most cases were from December to January, while the flu has its greatest momentum later.
Ameš Adalja, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University, equated covid with flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but emphasized that it is more serious than a common cold.
Is it necessary to receive a booster?
The pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna and Novavaks have developed new vaccines aimed more at the current subvariants of omicron, which has become the dominant strain in 2021.
There is a broad consensus that the annual booster will benefit the most vulnerable categories of the population. However, whether they bring additional benefits to everyone is still debated.
Research shows that almost everyone has already been infected with covid. And previous infections in combination with vaccines contributed to the immune systems stopping severe forms of the disease, although they do not prevent the infections themselves.
Recommendations on general use no longer make sense and can reduce confidence in public health, says Monika Gandi, author of a book on post-pandemic measures.
For example, vaccines from the companies Pfizer and Moderna may carry a lower risk of heart attack in younger men.
European countries recommend annual vaccines for high-risk groups, but some experts do not see the negative sides of wider recommendations.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday recommended widespread use of a modified Covid-19 vaccine previously approved by regulators for everyone over six months of age.
"People who are at lower health risk still benefit from boosters," says Ziyad Al-Ali, an epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
Are masks still useful?
Experts have different views on the issue, one of the most controversial during the pandemic.
The respected non-profit organization Cochrane reviewed the results of clinical research on whether promoting the wearing of masks helped to slow the spread of respiratory viruses. She found the results to be inconclusive.
However, what researchers know for sure - thanks to laboratory experiments - is that high-quality masks such as the N95 protect individuals.
"Individuals may choose to wear them indoors to protect themselves from respiratory pathogens," says Gandy, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, although she believes the vaccines prevent more severe forms of the disease, including in high-risk groups.
Test yourself, or go to work?
Experts agree that it makes sense for people in high-risk groups - the elderly or those with cancer and diabetes, or those with obesity problems - to get tested when they have symptoms.
That's because those groups "would benefit from antiviral therapies over a period of five days," says Adalja.
The best known is Paxlovid, which has been shown to reduce the risk of serious illness and death among people in high-risk groups.
Some health systems consider it necessary to only test those groups.
"Most people no longer need to be tested for the coronavirus. To prevent the spread of infection, you should try to stay home if you are unwell," the British health system said.
What about the long-term symptoms of covid?
Research into the long-term symptoms of Covid - which last for weeks or months - is still hindered by the lack of standardized definitions of the condition, which has multiple causes, says Adalja.
Al-Ali estimates that 4 to 7 percent, or 65 million worldwide, suffer from long-term symptoms.
"Unfortunately, we have not made progress when it comes to treating the long-term symptoms of covid. This should be an urgent priority in research," he points out.
Vaccination appears to reduce the risk of long-term symptoms, which is related to the severity of the infection.
The US government funds several clinical trials, and one found that the diabetes drug metformin reduced the risk of long-term symptoms by 40 percent.
Dza states that he hopes that more data on possible drugs will be available in the coming months.
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