The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday urged those with weak immune systems to take extra precautions to avoid Covid after dominant omicron subvariants knocked out a key antibody treatment.
According to the CDC, precautions include wearing a high-quality mask and social distancing when crowded rooms can’t be avoided.
The conductivity it comes after the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday withdrew authorization for Evusheld, an antibody injection that individuals with weak immune systems took as an additional layer of protection against Covid infection.
The FDA has withdrawn Evusheld since it is not effective against 95% of the omicron subvariants circulating in the US. This includes XBB sub-variants which now account for 64% of latest casesin addition to the BQ family, which is chargeable for 31% of reported infections.
Although most Americans have largely returned to normal lives after the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided, those with weak immune systems are still at greater risk of severe illness because they wouldn’t have as strong an immune response to vaccines.
Still, it is important for individuals with weak immune systems to stay awake to date on their Covid vaccines by getting the omicron booster because injections can reduce the risk of severe illness, according to the CDC.
According to the CDC, if you have got a weak immune system and develop Covid symptoms, you must get tested as soon as possible and receive antiviral medication inside five to seven days.
Available antivirals include Paxlovid, remdesivir, or molnupiravir, but patients should talk to their doctor to discover which treatment is best. Some people cannot take it paxlovid because of the way it interacts with other medications they take.
Individuals with weak immune systems include cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant patients who are taking transplant drugs, individuals with advanced HIV infection, and folks born with immunodeficiencies.
According to the CDC, roughly 7 million adults in the United States suffer from a disease corresponding to cancer that impairs their immune system.