Continuing my learning from my American Pharmacists Association round table:
Hospitalizations are LOWER for COVID-19 this past season than years before. YAY!
Don’t go spreading your respiratory droplets around (or accepting them freely) just yet…
This is one of the more remarkable charts shared with us:
It was predominantly people 65+ who made up all hospitalizations last season. Also, as time marches on, that percentage of 65+ being hospitalized gets higher and higher.
Why? My guess is vaccine compliance. I have a chart for that too:
The salmon colored bar is what you want to look at. Across the board, if you are NOT vaccinated, you are FAR more likely to be hospitalized. Especially if you are under 65.
You can see that in patients 65+, you could be recently vaccinated and still be hospitalized. Regardless, NOT being up-to-date is a major risk.
On that: these charts don’t break out risk factors beyond age and vaccine status. It’s highly probable that the folks that received vaccination but were still hospitalized were at higher risk than the average. Meaning let’s not have the ill-informed (i.e. current head of HHS) throw the baby out with the bathwater.
The other big note, if you look at the 75+ on this chart, you’ll see what I see: the older you are, the more likely you are to be hospitalized, vaccine or not.
Learn more: New COVID Vaccine Coming Fall 2025: What You Need to Know
If you are 75+, you need to be EXTRA careful:
- Stay up-to-date with vaccines. Meaning within 3 weeks of release/eligibility. September and March.
- Mask up
- Reduce your exposure risk (public places)
- Make sure your inner circle are vaccinated to protect you
Here’s your call to action. Your sign. The thing you’ve been waiting for:
YOU’VE GOT LESS THAN 1 MONTH
- New vaccines are due out in early September
- If you are eligible for your second dose (65+, immunosuppressed 18-64 year old) and haven’t gotten one yet… IT’S TIME TO GET THE DOSE!
- WHY? Since you must wait 2 months from your last dose (when the season/formulation changes), the longer you wait, the less likely you are to get the updated version ASAP.
If you see above, a second dose is NOT as good as the updated version. But it is better than nothing!
“If the new ones are coming out, why rush?”
BECAUSE READ THE ABOVE CHARTS!
Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.
I think there’s enough proof in and around the pudding to illustrate my long standing point: this is a virus, and it doesn’t care if you are tired of getting vaccines.
Still not convinced? ONE MORE CHART!
Read that heading and the bottom yellow box. Then read them again.
Learn more: Vaccine Season Preview: 2024-2025
Neal Smoller, PharmD
Neal is the founder and holistic pharmacist of Village Apothecary in Woodstock, NY. Established in 2010, the independent pharmacy offers a number of modern services like prescription syncing, vaccines, and home delivery, while maintaining an emphasis on natural products and wellness.
Faced with a deeply flawed supplement industry that puts company sales over customer safety and results, Neal established Woodstock Vitamins to meet his high standards for ingredient quality, dosage, ethical sourcing, and bioavailability.
