COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, so let’s talk about it…
I recently uploaded a video on TikTok where I was discussing my observations in relation to the recent rise of COVID-19 cases. Most of it was well-received, but there were also a lot of people who got flustered upon watching it. There, I called today’s COVID-19 situation the endemic phase, and unfortunately, some people misunderstood what I meant.
So in this week’s video for Medicine Mondays, we’ll talk about the reason behind that claim. We’ll also discuss why the cases are still rising, even when we’re in our third year of this crisis already.
So tune in to this week’s episode, for we have enough evidence to say that this isn’t the time to let your guard down just yet.
Why you need to check out this episode:
- Get a quick COVID-19 update, especially in the United States;
- Find out what’s with the new COVID-19 variant called EG.5; and
- Understand why we used the term “endemic” to describe today’s COVID-19 situation, and why this isn’t the time just yet to let your guard down
“This is not the time to let your guard down. Remember, there are people who cannot take the vaccine; they can’t take the booster, whatsoever. Our immunocompromised residents of this country need your support in protecting yourself because indirectly, you will be protecting them.” – Dr. Berry Pierre
Topics Covered:
00:00 – Today’s focus: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again
00:47 – The video: Discussing what I was noticing, but people got flustered. Why?
[Link to the video: https://www.tiktok.com/@drberrypierre/video/7264782957062262059]
02:55 – The word ‘endemic’: “This is our third year…but I was shocked that people were shocked.”
05:21 – The numbers from a CDC-related standpoint: COVID-19 data update for the United States
06:32 – Why it’s rising: Timeframe is important, but also, we’re dealing with a fairly new variant called EG.5
08:11 – More about EG.5: The symptoms are the same, but it’s making people sicker
09:04 – A recipe for issues: Why we want to keep track of the rise in cases, especially with the new variant
10:03 – Protect yourself and protect others: This is not the time to let your guard down
Notable Quotes:
“When we talk about endemic diseases, we're talking about, ‘Hey, I have a disease that I know timeframe-wise will flare up around this time.’ Best example I love to give patients is the flu. Everyone knows when it is cold and flu season because we have it marketed, we're telling people to get vaccinated, there's all these over-the-counter medications. Why? Because when cold and flu season hits, we want to make sure you guys are fully aware of it.” – Dr. Berry Pierre
“As far as COVID, this is our third year where we can have a good idea that the number of cases is going to rise during the summer. It happened during the first year; it happened every time—July, June, July, August, we see this rise. So, I mentioned that because I wasn't really shocked at the number of cases and how it was increasing, but I was shocked that people were shocked.” – Dr. Berry Pierre
“These viruses aren’t dummy viruses. They’re going to make smarter viruses, and they’re going to make viruses say, ‘You know what? A lot of my virus friends died because of your booster. I’m going to figure out a way to get around it.’ And that’s kind of what we’re seeing now.” – Dr. Berry Pierre
“I didn't mean to scare people using the word endemic, but I really want people to divorce themselves from the fact that if I say pandemic, that means very, very severe, but if I say endemic, that means not so severe, because that's just not the case. It's one of those things where the flu has been endemic. The flu is an endemic disease, but if you rewind yourself and you think, ‘Hey, what was Dr. Berry talking about before COVID?’ He was talking about the flu, because the flu caused just as many problems as did the COVID virus does now; it just wasn't as that level of severity that the COVID is.” – Dr. Berry Pierre
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