With the arrival of fall, to boost or not to boost is a common question. How do you protect yourself from COVID as the seasons change? Here’s what you need to know.

IS THERE A NEW COVID VACCINE FOR FALL 2024?

“Our vaccines are being updated regularly, says Dr. Nicholas Turner of Duke University. I tell my patients to think about these like we do our flu vaccines that we update each year. And so Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax all received approvals for their updated vaccines. I've been recommending that my patients receive one of the updated vaccines, as opposed to one of the older ones, because they better protect against the viruses that are currently circulating.”

WHO SHOULD GET A COVID SHOT?

“When my patients ask me if they should be getting a Covid vaccine this year….yes, essentially anybody over the age of six months, I'm recommending it. It's especially important for anybody who is over the age of 65 or has a chronic underlying medical condition.”

DO I STILL NEED TO TEST FOR COVID IF I’VE GOT COLD-LIKE SYMPTOMS?

“The testing question has become more difficult," says Dr. Turner. It's not an absolute requirement for everyone. I would ask two simple questions really. Is this test going to change my own treatment? And is this test going to change what I do around other people? For your own treatment, if individuals are older than 65 or have chronic health conditions that put them at higher risk and they might benefit from treatment for their COVID, testing is a good idea because treatments are most effective when given early. For that other group of people, if you are going to change your isolation practice based on the test result, that's still a very polite thing to do for other people. For example, if you're going to be traveling to visit elderly relatives, if you work in a space that puts you in contact with people who are at higher risk for disease, or if you're going to be in a closed space around a lot of other people, it's a good thing to know whether you should be in isolation or not.”

IF I TEST POSITIVE, WHAT ARE THE CURRENT GUIDELINES FOR ISOLATION AND MASKING?

“Isolation guidance for COVID has been updated again recently. I think of it as the one-plus-five rule. We generally recommend that people stay isolated for one day after resolution of their symptoms, especially fever, and that for an additional five days afterwards, they're considering wearing a mask and at least minimizing their contact with other individuals.”

HOW LONG AM I CONTAGIOUS IN 2024?

“On average, most people will become noninfectious within 10 days of their onset of illness. Some people who are immune compromised, that may take a little bit longer. Some people who are healthy and vaccinated, that may take a little bit shorter.”

WHAT OTC MEDICINES SHOULD I TAKE FOR COVID?

“For most people who are experiencing just a mild case of COVID, and especially if they were vaccinated, simple supportive care is all that they need, Dr. Turner says. Those are mostly paying attention to hydration, so staying well hydrated. If you have those pains or fevers, it can be okay to take Tylenol or ibuprofen temporarily, as long as you don't have any underlying medical conditions that would pose a problem with those.”

WHAT’S YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY’RE OVER COVID?

“I would encourage people, don't be fatigued by all of the attention to the increasing numbers of respiratory viruses out there. I realize it's a lot of shots each year. Flu and Covid are here to stay, and they're going to be a part of our annual updates.”

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