Monrovia — "Covid is with us; it is not going away anytime soon". That was a stark reminder from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases in the United States through its spokesperson Dr. William Schaffner. During an online briefing to give updates on the changing phases of the disease and the development of vaccines, he said people need "to do their homework" to be informed and protected from the disease.
Schaffner was one of four panelists at the Tuesday session organized by the National Press Foundation to explain the "potential gap in knowledge" and the need for updated protection against Covid-19. He said it was difficult to keep the focus on Covid now with "other things such as politics", getting the limelight - a reference to the upcoming U.S. elections.
In its latest recommendation, the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged everyone six months and older to receive an updated Covid-19 vaccine to protect against any "potentially serious outcomes" of the disease during the coming autumn and winter, "whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated".
The virus that causes COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 (a strain of the Covid), the CDC explains, is dynamic and the "protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time". The U.S. health agency said receiving an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine can "restore and enhance protection" against the virus variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations.
Another panelist, Bertha Hidalgo, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at UAB Birmingham, echoed this during the briefing. Hidalgo said "Keeping updated about the latest waves in the news will enable people better protect themselves", noting that vaccines have helped extend life expectancy, especially in vulnerable groups. The panel emphasized that while there isn't a lot about COVID in the news lately, it is still a "very pressing and public health issue".
Dr. Schaffner revealed that like Influenza, Covid can mutate "even more rapidly", and the virus "adopts" as it encounters the human immune system, creating the need for updated protection. But he stressed that the world has not yet seen a "dominant variant" that has "evaded our protection".
The various panelists at the online briefing urged journalists to help fill the gap with accurate information about the disease to counter the prevailing disinformation. "Explain the risks [of the diseases and vaccines] in a way that doesn't confuse people," said New York Times Reporter Apoorva Mandavilli. Another panelist emphasized the need to verify posts on social media because they "pick up credibility as they pass from person to person".
