The Perfect Enemy | Mass. doctor on new COVID-19 subvariants

Mass. doctor on new COVID-19 subvariants

ERIKA: PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN BOSTON ARE ASKING RESIDENTS TO TEST FOR COVID-19 IF THEY GATHERED WITH GROUPS DURING THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IS DR. DANIEL KURITZKES, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL. ED: WE’VE SEEN A FEW HOLIDAYS COME AND GO WITHOUT A SIGNIFICANT SURGE OF HOSPITALIZATIONS. ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT THE 4TH OF JULY MAY BE DIFFERENT? >> GOOD AFTERNOON. I’M NOT TOO CONCERNED ABOUT THE FOURTH OF JULY. IT IS MOSTLY AN OUTDOOR HOLIDAY. PEOPLE MAY HAVE BEEN GATHERING BUT THEY ARE GATHERING WITH THE GORGEOUS WEATHER OUTSIDE. MUCH LESS WORRISOME IF THEY WERE GATHERING OVER THANKSGIVING OR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY. ERIKA: HOW ABOUT THE TWO OMICRON VARIANTS, LATEST, BA4 AND BA5. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE SYMPTOMS? >> THEY ARE THE SAME. THERE’S NO REASON TO THINK THAT BA 4 OR BA 5 WILL CAUSE ANY DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. ED: MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL USING AT-HOME COVID TESTS THAT THEY PURCHASED MONTHS AGO. WILL THOSE TESTS DETECT B.A.-4 AND B.A.-5? >> THEY WILL. THERE ARE COUPLE OF IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND. FIRST OF ALL, THESE TESTS DO HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE. CHECK THE BOX. THE SECOND MAKE SURE THAT THE CONTROL BAND SHOWS UP WHEN YOU RUN THE TEST. IF IT DOESN’TS THE TEST IS NO GOOD. FINALLY, THE TEST CAN BE LESS SENSITIVE THAN A P.C.R. THAT WILL BOOST THE SENSITIVITY OF THE TEST. ERIKA: WE THOUGH THAT YOU TRACK THE VARIANTS CLOSELY. WHEN WHEN YOU’RE TREATING A PATIENT, DO YOU NEED TO KNOW WHICH STRAIN CAUSED THE INFECTION? >> WE REALLY CAN’T IN REALTIME DETERMINE WHAT A PARTICULAR VARIANT IS INFECTING AN INDIVIDUAL. WE RELY ON EPIDEMIOLOGIC DATA THAT TRACK WHAT ARE THE PREDOMINANT VARIANT. THAT’S ONLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE GETTING ANTIBODY THERAPY. WHERE THE ANTIBODIES DEPEND ON WHICH VARIANT IS PRESENT, WHETHER THEY’LL BE EFFECTIVE OR NOT. THAT’S WHY THE FDA HAS BEEN MODIFYING THE APPROVAL FOR THE DIFFERENT ANTIBODIES THAT HAVE COME INTO USE

Mass. doctor on new COVID-19 subvariants

Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, speaks about the latest COVID-19 news.