Vance and Granville counties continue to be in the low transmission category for COVID-19, but trends are ticking upward in the weeks following Thanksgiving and heading into Christmas.
Some families are having to cancel plans to gather because someone in the group has tested positive for COVID-19, and others are choosing to postpone their celebrations until the New Year.
According to advice from Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison, they’re doing the right thing. “Assess your risk and risk to others when you gather in large groups and stay home any time you have symptoms of illness,” Harrison noted in her most recent health update to the community. the “triple-demic” combination of COVID-19, flu and RSV can wreak havoc and she reminds everyone to be completely vaccinated and boosted to ward off sickness.
“Although COVID-19 community levels in both Granville and Vance counties is finally at a ‘low’ mark, we are still hearing of a multitude of illnesses circulating like flu, RSV and strep, as well as COVID-19,” Harrison said, “so be sure to stay on alert with fighting off germs, wash those hands regularly, and stay well hydrated.”
The CDC estimates that at least 13 million Americans have already been infected with the flu this season, and more than 100,000 have been hospitalized across the U.S. — this is a larger number than last winter, when many Americans were still following COVID-related precautions. But flu shot uptake this year has been low. Only about a quarter of American adults have been vaccinated, according to the CDC. “Those who haven’t gotten their shot yet should seek one soon, said Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Michigan. The sense is that this year’s vaccine is actually a pretty good match to the strain circulating. And much like COVID vaccines, flu shots don’t prevent all infections, but they can help prevent hospitalizations, deaths, as well as transmission,” according to Dr. Malani.
The health department offers COVID-19 shots and boosters as well as flu shots Monday-Friday at each location of Granville Vance Public Health. The bivalent COVID-19 booster shots by Pfizer and Moderna are available and help protect against the newest variants of COVID-19.
Following recent FDA authorization this month, the CDC has recommended the use of updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 6 months through 5 years. Please note that, unlike for older age groups, these products are not eligible for mix-and-match use.
- Moderna:Children ages 6 months through 5 years who previously completed a Moderna primary series can now receive a Moderna bivalent booster 2 months after their final primary series dose.
- Pfizer:Children ages 6 months through 4 years who are completing a Pfizer primary series will receive a Pfizer bivalent vaccine as their third primary dose. Effective immediately, the third dose of Pfizer (monovalent) is no longer authorized for this age group.
The numbers:
- In Vance County, 64 percent of individuals have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 58 percent have completed the initial series and 14 percent have received the updated booster.
- In Granville County, 68 percent of individuals have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 64 percent have completed the initial series and 16 percent have received their updated booster.
Stay updated by checking the CDC Data Tracker by County and the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on our website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/.