p Dr. Dennis Y. Fong, M.D.
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Covid Advice #22 (05/18/2022):
Covid Has Risen Again


- from Dr. Dennis Fong -


Covid has risen again. For about a week back, from April 9 to 17, new cases were down to less than 20,000 a day; now new cases have averaged 104,000 a day for the past 7 days. Among my patients, after a lull in the first part of April, cases started up again mid April then quite a few again in the past 2 weeks.

Most of my patients caught it from eating with people outside their households: either family who don't live with them or friends. The other patients caught it from trips, cruises and out-of-town conferences, but they almost all involve either people eating together, including the person next to you on the airplane, when everyone, of course, take the mask off.

I would advise that you:

  1. Keep your masks on, even when everyone around you might have theirs off.
  2. Eat with people outside your household at different tables either in well-ventilated rooms, better if you have HPEA filters going, or even better when possible, outdoors.
  3. On airplanes, wear an N95 and with the ceiling air turned on full, direct it towards your lap so it blows away the other person's breath sitting next to you. Also, when it comes to eating, have the person sitting next to you eat first then put his mask back on, then you take off your mask to eat. Of course, he may not have a mask, then maybe don't eat or offer him a new mask to put on.
  4. Get your boosters. Vaccines wane so you want to keep them fully boosted. Even though you can still get Covid after vaccination, the chances are lower, and much lower for getting serious Covid. Most everyone should have had 3 shots by now and those over 50 should have had 4 shots.

Again, Covid is not the flu. Even though the number of people with serious disease for every thousand cases is quite a bit lower with Omicron than with the original Covid, especially when you are vaccinated, there are so many more thousands of cases that the total deaths per day have been higher than with Delta. And there's long Covid. We don't have reliable statistics how common it is, but it's between 15% to 50%, which would be very common. You want to avoid getting this disease period if possible, and if you already have had it, from getting it again.

Of course, as I've said before, also have a healthy diet, regularly exercise, and a positive, happy outlook, so that your immune system is in good shape.

Wish you happiness! Stay healthy!

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