131 – COVID Update for Aging Adults (12.8.22 Edition)

Dr. K discusses what aging adults & families should know about COVID and flu this winter.

She covers:

The currently increasing rates of COVID & flu

What to know about the new Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1

How well the fall COVID bivalent booster is working so far

How to avoid getting sick and how to gather safely

When to mask and how to do so effectively

Why use a HEPA air purifier at home and how to choose one

How to detect COVID now

How to treat COVID

Her top recommendations for staying safe during winter gatherings

Note: you can get the CO2 monitor Dr. K refers to here: https://amzn.to/3yhDtq8.

For the masks Dr. K is using, 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

Dr. K’s HEPA air purifier is here https://amzn.to/3Y96crN

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

Related Episodes:

130 – COVID Booster Update for Aging Adults (9.7.22 Edition)

Related Resources:

BHWA:

COVID & Aging Adults: 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 Datasets in this update:

Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA Vaccines in Preventing Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection — Increasing Community Access to Testing Program, United States, September–November 2022