May 27, 2022
Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
In this week’s video, I answer another batch of your questions. There are still so many questions concerning the pandemic – from vaccines specifically for variants to new medications for treatment.
Paxlovid is the treatment most physicians are prescribing now, but Remdesivir and Mulnupiravir also are effective. All the drugs inhibit viral replication so they reduce the amount of virus in the body. The antivirals for COVID are really intended to help while your body is developing an immune response. The CDC recommendations are isolation five days at home and no travel for 10 days. A few cases have been reported of a fully vaccinated/boosted person testing positive, taking a course of Paxlovid, improving and then testing positive again. If the second positive test is within 10 days, it is likely that it is the same infection resurfacing. Talk to your doctor; another round of Paxlovid may be in order.
Many people are still not sure when to get a second booster. Check out the community transmission rate in your county at cdc.gov. If it is high, you might want to get your second booster now. A related question is if you’ve received a booster of the same vaccine you received in your first two shots, should you stick with that one or choose another. I would take a different one for the second booster. So, if you were vaccinated and boosted with Pfizer, try Moderna for the second booster. There is some evidence that the combination gives some additional protection.
Questions on many more topics are covered this week. If you have a question, send to president@bcm.edu and I will get you an answer.
This is a long weekend as we observe Memorial Day on Monday. The day is set aside to remember the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the armed forces. It is important that we never forget the sacrifices that have been made for our country.
Have a great weekend. Stay safe.
Paul Klotman, M.D.
President & CEO
Executive Dean
