Adults 65 and older should receive an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine dose, the New York State Department of Health said yesterday.
The state health department in a statement issued Monday said it supports the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that adults 65 and older receive the additional dose of the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine.
Older adults are at increased risk of severe health complications, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19, the health department said. The vaccine can protect individuals, as well as prevent the spread of the virus among family and friends, and within the community.
The updated COVID-19 vaccine is a safe and readily accessible preventative medication, which is covered by insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare. Vaccine locations can be found at the CDC’s vaccines.gov webpage.
People aged 65 and over who get sick with COVID-19 are at higher risk of becoming more seriously ill from the virus and are recommended to receive antiviral treatment.
The CDC on Friday issued updated guidance for respiratory viruses, including COVID-19.
“As the 2023-2024 fall and winter virus season ends, it’s clear that the situation surrounding COVID-19 has changed,” the CDC said in the updated guidance. “It is still an important health threat, but it is no longer the emergency that it once was, and its health impacts increasingly resemble those of other respiratory viral illnesses, including flu and RSV.”
The new guidance says people who become ill with COVID-19 should stay at home and away from others until at least 24 hours after symptoms are getting better overall and fever is not present (without the use of fever-reducing medications.)
“This advice is similar to what has been recommended for flu for decades and will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses during the most contagious period after infection,” the CDC guidance says.
Not all respiratory virus infections result in a fever, so paying attention to other symptoms (cough, muscle aches, etc.) is important when deciding when an infected person is well enough to leave home, the CDC said.
If symptoms are getting better, and stay better for 24 hours, the sick person is less likely to pass the infection to others and can start getting back to their daily routine — with additional prevention measures, including wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping distance from others and good hygiene: washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating; and covering coughs and sneezes, the CDC said.
Read more about the CDC recommendation here.
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