There aren’t as many people still following the CDC guidelines that call for mask-wearing in public, but there remain some for whom “COVID fatigue” has not affected.
Schools, hospitals, doctors’ offices and other places that once required temperature checks and masks before entering have loosened those protocols.
Dr. Tracei Ball, a spokesperson for NC Department of Health and Human Services, encourages everyone to stay current on COVID vaccinations to reduce the risk of contracting the disease.
As long as it’s around, people are susceptible, so it’s imperative to stay protected, Ball said.
Ball is chief medical officer for OnCall Mobile Medical and Wellness in the Charlotte Metro area, and she told Bill Harris on Wednesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! that even though COVID no longer steals the headlines and news broadcasts as it did over the past couple of years, it still poses a risk.
“We’re still seeing hospitalizations and deaths,” she said. “We need to stay abreast of what’s happening with COVID regardless of what’s happening in the headlines.”
The bivalent vaccine against COVID works, she said. “That’s going to give you the greatest protection against COVID right now,” Ball said.
And by the way, if the last vaccine you received was before September 2022, you’re due for a booster. And anyone 65 or older or who has a medical condition that puts you in a higher risk for infection is eligible for a booster if it’s been more than four months since your last one.
“If we all work together and do our part, we protect not only ourselves, but our loved ones as well,” Ball said. “We may have to deal with COVID for some time.”
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