Hi, I’m Dr. Robin Miller for HealthDay. A big question I’m hearing from patients these days — if I wake up with a cough, sore throat and stuffy nose, do I still need to test myself for COVID?
Five years after COVID-19 arrived on our shores, do Americans still believe it’s a serious health threat?
HealthDay and The Harris Poll wanted to find out, so we surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults.
Despite all of the talk about COVID burnout, most U.S. adults —72% — agree that COVID is still a serious public health issue, including more than 35% who strongly agree.
Nearly 3 out of 4 people say they would take a test or be tested if they experienced COVID symptoms.
And if they tested positive, 85% say they would quarantine or avoid others and wear a mask.
So, what does America’s attitude about COVID tell us not only about COVID, but about new and emerging viruses?
Joining me now is Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a world-renowned expert in virology and immunology. Thanks for joining us today.
(Dr. Robin Miller, HealthDay Contributor)
Our poll results show that nearly 73% of adults in the U.S. would test for COVID if they had symptoms. Is this about what you would expect? And is it worrisome that 27% say they are unlikely to test?
(Dr. Paul Offit, Director, Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
I think it's actually higher. That 73% number is higher than I would have guessed. I mean, I think probably a reasonable way to approach this is that if you have respiratory symptoms, congestion, cough, runny nose, body aches, you should definitely stay home if you're sick because you might be infected with COVID or respiratory syncytial virus or influenza virus or parainfluenza virus, all of which can kill people. Right? If you're in a high-risk group, you should test yourself. And if you're positive, then you should take an antiviral like Paxlovid. But I think that just the notion, this kind of COVID exceptionalism where it's only bad if you have COVID, is probably not right.
(Dr. Robin Miller, HealthDay Contributor)
In our survey, 72% say COVID is still a serious public health issue. You follow many public health issues; how do you compare COVID today to some of the other threats out there?
(Dr. Paul Offit, Director, Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
I think COVID has settled into a threat. Summer influenza virus, which is a threat, I mean, you'll get hundreds of thousands of people hospitalized with influenza every year. You'll get tens of thousands of people who die every year from influenza. I think that's what COVID is now. I think this virus will be with us for decades, if not longer. Although the pandemic is over, the viruses and I think we have to understand that this is a serious infection. I wish we felt the same about flu, which is also a serious infection, which people should also get vaccinated and take seriously, but we often don't.
(Dr. Robin Miller, HealthDay Contributor)
The CDC currently recommends COVID vaccines for everyone 6 months and older. Do you agree with their recommendation? And if not, why not?
(Dr. Paul Offit, Director, Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
I actually don't agree. I think, first of all, we're one of only two countries that do that. Most countries — like countries in Western Europe, Australia, the World Health Organization, Scandinavian countries — all pretty much target high-risk groups, meaning people who have obesity or chronic lung, chronic kidney disease or neurological diseases, people who are elderly really defined as greater than 75 and people who are pregnant. I think those are the groups most likely to be hospitalized if they were infected with this virus.
I think with us, it's more of a messaging issue. I think that the thinking is that if we recommend it for everybody, then those high-risk groups are more likely to get it. But I mean, we do have other targeted recommendations. I agree with most other countries in this world, which is we should target high-risk groups.
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