Staying Healthy in Challenging Times by Richard Skolnik
We have asked Richard Skolnik, a White Rock resident, to provide information for our newsletter from time to time about how we might “stay healthy”. Richard is the former Director for Health, Nutrition and Population for the South Asia Region at the World Bank. He also managed an AIDS treatment program for three countries in Africa for Harvard and taught global health at the George Washington University and Yale, at which he still holds an appointment. In addition, Richard is the author of Global Health 101, Fourth Edition, and the instructor for Yale’s online course Essentials of Global Health. The information below was current as of January 15, 2024.
Winter poses a number of health challenges for seniors. Right now, for example:
Seasonal influenza activity in the US is “elevated” and NM has among the highest rates of influenza in the country;
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) appears to be nearing its yearly high in our region;
The rates of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID increased substantially in the last two months for the US, although they now appear to be low in our immediate area.
How do we stay healthy in the face of this “tripledemic?” While everyone should discuss these matters with their primary care provider, here are the general recommendations:
Get vaccinated against influenza. CDC preferentially recommends a high-dose vaccine for those 65 and over. It is not too late to get vaccinated against the flu, since flu season lasts until early spring.
CDC also recommends that those 60 and over get the new RSV vaccine. In the United States an estimated 60,000–120,000 older adults are hospitalized and 6,000– 10,000 adults die from RSV infection annually. Most people don’t know this.
Get vaccinated against COVID. Vaccination reduces the risk, especially for older people, of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID. About 1,000 people a week are still dying of COVID in the US–and they are overwhelmingly “seniors.”
One can also reduce the risk of COVID by wearing a high quality, well-fitting mask when in crowded indoor spaces or when around people who may be ill, such as healthcare settings. Of course, one should also encourage family members who are ill to avoid contact with their “senior” relatives. Good ventilation and air purification with HEPA-based filters can also reduce the risk of COVID transmission.
Staying healthy in challenging times (con’t from p. 6) It would also be good to have a “COVID plan” with your primary care provider. If you test positive for COVID, will your primary care provider prescribe Paxlovid? If so, how can you inform your primary care provider immediately of your having COVID, since Paxlovid needs to be taken within five days of the onset of illness?
If you are going to take Paxlovid, are there other medicines, like statins, that you may need to stop taking temporarily before you can take Paxlovid? Where will you fill your prescription, given that the prescription needs to be filled in a timely, if not urgent manner?
Of course, in addition to the above, engaging in good hand hygiene – handwashing with soap -remains an important way of preventing illnesses.
As you think about the above recommendations, it is also important to note that vaccine uptake in the US this year, for influenza, RSV, and COVID are all substantially below the desired levels. This is so much the case that CDC issued a Health Advisory to the public health and medical communities in December about the need to increase vaccine coverage. Low vaccination rates make all of us more susceptible to falling ill and make it even more important that we take measures for ourselves and our loved ones, including vaccination, to stay as healthy as possible.