Avera Medical Minute: COVID Update & Flu Shots

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Thor: Dr. Chad Thury, an Avera family medicine physician joins us. Is the pandemic over? What are we seeing as far as Covid-19 cases today?

Dr. Thury: “The pandemic on a large scale is changing, so we’re certainly at a different place than couple of years ago without having vaccines, without have some natural immunity built up. And now having these new Omicron strains that seem to cause less severe disease which is good. We’re seeing a downturn in the number of Covid cases.”

Thor: Should everyone get a Covid booster, and does it matter which one?

Dr. Thury: “So as far as which one. The CDC is recommending to do a booster with the bivalent version. Whether that’s a Moderna or Pfizer...it really doesn’t matter. Boosters are certainly important. People that have a lot of chronic medical conditions, or people that are older. Wwho are elderly patients.”

Thor: We’re coming up on flu season. Flu shots are now available. What are you expecting? Is it going to be a rough flu season?

Dr. Thury: “It could be we’re seeing that in the southern hemisphere at this point in time. And they’ve kind of had higher flu season compared to what they’ve had over the last four to five years. Part of that may be, we’ve taken a step back as far the percent of people who’s gotten flu vaccines. We’ve not had much influenza the last couple of years. Certainly two years ago, so that natural immunity goes down a bit as well. But with influenza, it’s always kind of a guessing game as far as what strain of influenza tends to make it here and becomes the predominate strain. And how well did we match the vaccines that we’re giving people as well.”

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