Navigating COVID-19: Unraveling Variants, Boosters, and the Role of the CDC with Dr. William Choctaw

1 00:00:00,521 --> 00:00:02,444 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise 2 00:00:02,544 --> 00:00:08,102 podcast with Dr William Choctaw, mdjd. Our mission is to empower 3 00:00:08,102 --> 00:00:11,930 you with the knowledge and the tools you need to thrive in all 4 00:00:12,131 --> 00:00:16,225 aspects of your life. Join us now as we discuss everything 5 00:00:16,306 --> 00:00:19,862 from nutrition and exercise to money management and personal 6 00:00:19,882 --> 00:00:24,772 growth. Dr Choctaw will provide insightful advice on how to 7 00:00:24,814 --> 00:00:28,103 improve your physical and financial health, as well as 8 00:00:28,143 --> 00:00:31,501 your emotional and mental well-being. Whether you're 9 00:00:31,521 --> 00:00:35,976 looking to boost your energy levels, unlike financial freedom 10 00:00:35,976 --> 00:00:40,268 or cultivate a more positive mindset, we've got you covered. 11 00:00:41,899 --> 00:00:45,941 Get ready to become the best version of yourself, so let's 12 00:00:45,981 --> 00:00:50,368 get started. Here's Dr William Chokta, mdjd. 13 00:00:51,140 --> 00:00:55,149 Speaker 2: I'm Dr William Choctaw and I will be your host 14 00:00:55,289 --> 00:01:00,088 today. These podcasts are part of our Leadership Master Class 15 00:01:00,149 --> 00:01:04,989 series and each month, what we hope to do is we strive to 16 00:01:05,049 --> 00:01:09,061 provide you, with our listeners, with mental, physical and 17 00:01:09,100 --> 00:01:13,930 spiritual strength by giving action, advice, tips, guidance 18 00:01:14,090 --> 00:01:18,346 and information to help you achieve your own personal, 19 00:01:18,486 --> 00:01:24,424 professional and spiritual goals . We consider the health and the 20 00:01:24,424 --> 00:01:31,757 mind, body and spirit paramount as a single unit that provides 21 00:01:31,859 --> 00:01:36,368 a cumulative strength greater than the individual parts to 22 00:01:36,489 --> 00:01:42,125 strengthen the whole person. So sit back and go with us on 23 00:01:42,186 --> 00:01:48,725 another exciting journey. The title of our discussion today 24 00:01:48,926 --> 00:01:54,501 about podcasts today is Most people can wait to get the COVID 25 00:01:54,501 --> 00:02:00,769 booster. What to know about Eris, the latest coronavirus 26 00:02:00,829 --> 00:02:05,423 strain? Let me say that again. Most people who are vaccinated 27 00:02:05,983 --> 00:02:11,439 can wait to get their COVID booster shot this year. What you 28 00:02:11,439 --> 00:02:16,128 should know about the latest virus and the latest variant, 29 00:02:16,409 --> 00:02:23,860 eris E-R-I-S, and how it relates to the coronavirus today. I 30 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:28,106 believe knowledge is power. I believe life is about service to 31 00:02:28,106 --> 00:02:33,281 others. I believe leaders can change the world. As an outline 32 00:02:33,421 --> 00:02:37,530 we always like to have for you, we're going to talk about the 33 00:02:37,689 --> 00:02:42,667 coronavirus COVID-19. When I say COVID-19 and coronavirus, I'm 34 00:02:42,807 --> 00:02:45,201 using those terms interchangeably. I don't want 35 00:02:45,222 --> 00:02:50,061 that to be confusing, or I may just call it the virus, each one 36 00:02:50,061 --> 00:02:53,352 of those titles. I'm talking about the coronavirus or 37 00:02:53,372 --> 00:02:58,520 COVID-19, or the virus that caused the pandemic. But as part 38 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,592 of our, I remember going to talk about Dr Fauci and just 39 00:03:01,652 --> 00:03:06,328 give him his due for his outstanding work in this field 40 00:03:06,448 --> 00:03:09,705 for the last four years. We're going to give an overview of our 41 00:03:09,705 --> 00:03:13,715 COVID-19 pandemic and the Omicron variant specifically 42 00:03:13,879 --> 00:03:16,669 leading to the most recent variant that we're dealing with. 43 00:03:16,669 --> 00:03:24,413 We're going to define what Eris , e-r-i-s or E-G.5, the latest 44 00:03:24,594 --> 00:03:29,846 variant is and how it's similar and different from the original 45 00:03:29,966 --> 00:03:33,682 Omicron a couple of years ago. And we're going to talk about 46 00:03:33,703 --> 00:03:38,600 prevention and how we still need to do some basic things to make 47 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:44,671 sure that we are healthy and able to continue on with our 48 00:03:44,812 --> 00:03:48,685 activity and that those that we come in contact with our family, 49 00:03:48,685 --> 00:03:53,143 friends and coworkers also remain healthy. This particular 50 00:03:53,163 --> 00:03:57,342 masterclass, as we deal with the COVID pandemic and this is the 51 00:03:57,383 --> 00:04:00,491 first time that we've dealt with the pandemic as a masterclass 52 00:04:01,020 --> 00:04:04,205 we have given many discussions and many lectures over the last 53 00:04:04,286 --> 00:04:09,905 four years, both in person and on Zoom, but we're primarily 54 00:04:09,944 --> 00:04:14,237 talking about the pandemic and bringing you up to date with a 55 00:04:14,618 --> 00:04:18,142 status report, if you will, and the good news to start off with 56 00:04:18,223 --> 00:04:22,560 is that most people in this country are vaccinated. Most 57 00:04:22,579 --> 00:04:26,242 people in this country are vaccinated. Yes, we still do 58 00:04:26,343 --> 00:04:31,012 have some anti-vaxxers who are not vaccinated, but fortunately 59 00:04:31,653 --> 00:04:35,901 they're in a smaller minority than they used to be, and that 60 00:04:35,980 --> 00:04:42,266 is good news both for us and for them. Let me just make a quick 61 00:04:42,367 --> 00:04:46,163 note about Dr Anthony Fauci. I think he is one of the most 62 00:04:46,264 --> 00:04:50,242 outstanding medical leaders in the world and I think he has 63 00:04:50,341 --> 00:04:55,572 exemplary proved himself in that respect about his work with the 64 00:04:55,572 --> 00:05:01,689 pandemic, with COVID-19, dating back from 2020 all the way to 65 00:05:02,071 --> 00:05:06,961 present day. I consider him the father of epidemiology and I 66 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,382 think he's an extraordinary leader. And because much of 67 00:05:10,442 --> 00:05:13,930 these podcasts are about leadership, I think Dr Anthony 68 00:05:13,990 --> 00:05:17,904 Fauci exemplifies that extraordinary leadership that we 69 00:05:17,904 --> 00:05:22,221 all should strive to be. He is a tireless worker, he is 70 00:05:22,321 --> 00:05:26,545 committed to helping others and I think he's done an 71 00:05:26,605 --> 00:05:30,358 extraordinary service not only to this country but to the 72 00:05:30,379 --> 00:05:36,302 entire world. So kudos to you, dr Fauci. When we think about a 73 00:05:36,343 --> 00:05:40,232 virus and I don't want to get into too much detail basically 74 00:05:40,519 --> 00:05:45,661 we humans are made up of cells C-E-L-L. Think of a cell as a 75 00:05:45,762 --> 00:05:50,391 round organism that carries out certain functions on the inside, 76 00:05:50,391 --> 00:05:54,704 and we actually are composed of billions of cells throughout 77 00:05:54,841 --> 00:05:59,367 our body that operate in an extraordinary accuracy and an 78 00:05:59,468 --> 00:06:03,487 extraordinary manner, and it keeps all of the functions 79 00:06:04,130 --> 00:06:07,622 moving as they should so that we can do the things we need to do 80 00:06:07,622 --> 00:06:14,273 . What happens, though, is that if that cell is attacked by, say 81 00:06:14,273 --> 00:06:19,865 , a virus, and a cell is one particular size, a virus is much 82 00:06:19,865 --> 00:06:24,783 smaller than the cell itself, and one of the ways that the 83 00:06:25,125 --> 00:06:31,139 COVID-19 virus again the coronavirus attacks our cells is 84 00:06:31,139 --> 00:06:35,302 through a spike that's on the cell. A spike is just something 85 00:06:35,324 --> 00:06:38,641 that sticks out from the cell wall, and the virus is able to 86 00:06:38,701 --> 00:06:44,692 attach that spike, insert its genetic material into the cell 87 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:50,543 and then change the character of that cell itself. So a lot of 88 00:06:50,642 --> 00:06:56,273 the treatment, ie the vaccines that have been developed to kill 89 00:06:56,273 --> 00:07:00,607 the virus or at least to neutralize the virus, deal with 90 00:07:01,468 --> 00:07:06,283 issues to prevent the virus from being able to either attach to 91 00:07:06,322 --> 00:07:11,151 the cell the normal cell, or to insert its genetic material into 92 00:07:11,151 --> 00:07:14,887 that normal cell. If the virus cannot do that, it will 93 00:07:15,069 --> 00:07:18,701 ultimately die. And again, keep in mind and I just want you to 94 00:07:18,721 --> 00:07:21,793 remember something real basic the whole purpose of the virus 95 00:07:21,973 --> 00:07:25,786 is to feed. The virus wants to eat, it wants to live, it wants 96 00:07:25,805 --> 00:07:30,519 to survive. It does that by feeding on human cells, and so 97 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,848 what we want to do is not be the source of food for the virus, 98 00:07:35,408 --> 00:07:39,783 because during that process of feeding on humans, it also ends 99 00:07:39,944 --> 00:07:45,052 up killing us, and so, for us to survive, the virus must be 100 00:07:45,093 --> 00:07:48,485 destroyed. To show the damage that has occurred with the 101 00:07:48,565 --> 00:07:53,442 coronavirus pandemic, over the last four years, mortality or 102 00:07:53,521 --> 00:07:59,052 deaths from the virus has significantly moved up as number 103 00:07:59,052 --> 00:08:03,769 two on the list of the most common causes of deaths for 104 00:08:03,869 --> 00:08:08,040 humans. Presently in this country, the first cause is 105 00:08:08,180 --> 00:08:11,853 heart disease. Then it used to be cancer going all the way down 106 00:08:11,853 --> 00:08:15,805 to kidney disease. Now it's heart disease, covid-19 107 00:08:16,225 --> 00:08:20,192 coronavirus cancer, going all the way down to kidney disease. 108 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,487 It just gives you an idea and puts in perspective the number 109 00:08:23,528 --> 00:08:27,064 of people who are no longer with us as a result of this virus, 110 00:08:27,124 --> 00:08:31,601 and it just makes us even more determined and more committed to 111 00:08:31,601 --> 00:08:37,563 take care of ourselves and also take care of others. One of the 112 00:08:37,563 --> 00:08:42,312 things that's unique about a virus, or that's challenging 113 00:08:42,351 --> 00:08:46,003 about a virus, is that viruses change. They can change their 114 00:08:46,083 --> 00:08:50,173 structure, they can change the way they operate, and that 115 00:08:50,253 --> 00:08:55,048 really helps them to survive. To put it another way, that makes 116 00:08:55,128 --> 00:09:00,001 it difficult for us to create vaccines or other types of 117 00:09:00,042 --> 00:09:03,993 medications to either destroy the virus or neutralize the 118 00:09:04,033 --> 00:09:08,586 virus, and one of the ways that it can do that is that it has 119 00:09:08,625 --> 00:09:14,019 the ability to change to what we call mutate, to actually change 120 00:09:14,019 --> 00:09:18,248 its form and function. And so I will use a number of other 121 00:09:18,307 --> 00:09:23,663 terms like variant. Variant is the same thing that I will say 122 00:09:23,744 --> 00:09:28,033 when I'm talking about a change. When a virus changes, it then 123 00:09:28,092 --> 00:09:32,587 becomes a variant of its original cell. Another term that 124 00:09:32,587 --> 00:09:36,381 means the same thing is change is mutation. When a virus 125 00:09:36,522 --> 00:09:41,530 mutates, that means the virus changes Again, make it easier 126 00:09:41,611 --> 00:09:46,086 for it to survive and make it more difficult for it to be 127 00:09:46,125 --> 00:09:50,520 destroyed by medication or other types of methods. So keep that 128 00:09:50,581 --> 00:09:54,688 in mind. So remember that the coronavirus, or the pandemic, 129 00:09:54,828 --> 00:10:01,506 began roughly early 2020. Okay, we're now in 2023. So we're in 130 00:10:01,527 --> 00:10:05,960 the fourth year. Back when the virus first started, it was a 131 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:12,590 certain way structurally and physiologically, but that virus 132 00:10:12,811 --> 00:10:18,283 of 2020 has significantly changed by the time we get to 133 00:10:18,423 --> 00:10:24,418 now in 2023. And it's changed in function and it's changed in 134 00:10:24,479 --> 00:10:28,288 structure. One of those changes, so one of those variants. So 135 00:10:28,368 --> 00:10:32,322 one of those mutations, if you will, is a mutation called 136 00:10:32,543 --> 00:10:38,575 Omicron. Now, these mutations are all part of the Greek 137 00:10:38,715 --> 00:10:43,384 alphabet. Omicron is one of the big changes, the big variations, 138 00:10:43,384 --> 00:10:50,301 the big mutations of the COVID-19 virus of 2020, the 139 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,475 pandemic virus and Omicron virus had a number of different 140 00:10:54,517 --> 00:10:57,283 changes and a number of different mutations that made it 141 00:10:57,283 --> 00:11:00,130 particularly stand out throughout the world. Remember, 142 00:11:00,171 --> 00:11:04,827 pandemic is an infection of the entire world and the Omicron was 143 00:11:04,827 --> 00:11:09,864 particularly frustrating and it indeed spurned a lot of 144 00:11:09,945 --> 00:11:14,797 different changes and mutations and variants, if you will. So 145 00:11:14,876 --> 00:11:21,133 we're still dealing with some of the variants of Omicron. So one 146 00:11:21,133 --> 00:11:24,280 of the various variants that we're dealing with the most 147 00:11:24,380 --> 00:11:30,330 recent one that we're dealing with in 2023, is a variant 148 00:11:30,629 --> 00:11:37,292 called Eris, e-r-i-s. Again, eris is a name for and I'm not 149 00:11:37,331 --> 00:11:40,061 sure where all these names come from, but it's the name of a 150 00:11:40,140 --> 00:11:44,490 Greek goddess, and this was the goddess of discord, like it's an 151 00:11:44,490 --> 00:11:47,784 appropriate name, and so that's the name of the most recent 152 00:11:48,405 --> 00:11:54,282 variant, or strain, if you will, or mutation, if you will, of 153 00:11:54,302 --> 00:11:58,109 the COVID-19 virus. So we're going to talk about the most 154 00:11:58,229 --> 00:12:03,024 recent mutation change, a variant of the COVID-19 virus, 155 00:12:03,625 --> 00:12:08,058 and this recent mutation is called Eris, and one of the ways 156 00:12:08,058 --> 00:12:11,730 we're going to do this to make it simpler and easier to 157 00:12:11,809 --> 00:12:15,321 understand, is I'm going to do it in terms of first asking a 158 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:19,416 question and then answering the question to try to add even more 159 00:12:19,416 --> 00:12:22,144 clarity. I realize that everybody may not be into the 160 00:12:22,184 --> 00:12:26,980 science and the biochemistry et cetera, but it is important and 161 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,892 knowledge is power, and the more you understand about this, the 162 00:12:29,932 --> 00:12:33,265 more you could appreciate the importance of having to do the 163 00:12:33,306 --> 00:12:37,861 things you need to do. So let's look at the first question how 164 00:12:37,923 --> 00:12:43,157 prevalent is Eris? Another word for it, name for Eris is EG.5, 165 00:12:43,236 --> 00:12:47,225 but we'll call it Eris. That's easy to remember. How prevalent 166 00:12:47,566 --> 00:12:53,302 is Eris, the latest coronavirus sub variant? How common is it? 167 00:12:53,363 --> 00:12:57,977 How big is it? How much impact does it have? Actually, about 168 00:12:58,038 --> 00:13:04,465 20% of the new cases in August of this year 2023, are felt to 169 00:13:04,636 --> 00:13:09,506 be caused by Eris, and this is the last two weeks of August, 170 00:13:09,527 --> 00:13:12,759 the last two to three weeks of August. And why that's important 171 00:13:12,759 --> 00:13:15,104 is that we've noticed that during the month of August of 172 00:13:15,124 --> 00:13:22,363 2023, the number of cases of coronavirus are beginning to 173 00:13:22,503 --> 00:13:26,518 increase, are beginning to increase, and of those cases 174 00:13:26,538 --> 00:13:30,422 that are beginning to increase, eris, the most recent variant, 175 00:13:31,101 --> 00:13:37,850 is dominant, but it's about 20% of cases. Another question how 176 00:13:37,970 --> 00:13:41,738 is eras different from other recent coronavirus strains? 177 00:13:43,346 --> 00:13:48,062 Actually, eras is quite similar to the other coronavirus strains 178 00:13:48,062 --> 00:13:50,469 and there have been a lot of them over the last four years, 179 00:13:50,970 --> 00:13:53,998 and that's a good thing. And the reason why that's a good thing 180 00:13:54,325 --> 00:14:00,215 is it makes the ability of the scientists to develop a vaccine 181 00:14:00,716 --> 00:14:07,092 that will kill or paralyze eras more likely, because it is not 182 00:14:07,192 --> 00:14:09,977 too different. It does not appear to be at present too 183 00:14:10,057 --> 00:14:14,251 different than the other variants of mutations that we've 184 00:14:14,251 --> 00:14:20,245 had of the coronavirus. We're more likely than not that we're 185 00:14:20,285 --> 00:14:24,855 more optimistic about being able to come up with a vaccine that 186 00:14:24,914 --> 00:14:28,894 can protect us against the horrible parts of this 187 00:14:28,953 --> 00:14:32,004 particular mutation of the coronavirus, and we'll talk 188 00:14:32,184 --> 00:14:36,875 about this a little later. Now there are other variants that 189 00:14:36,914 --> 00:14:39,927 have come along other than Omicron, but most of them have 190 00:14:39,989 --> 00:14:44,322 not been as large nor have they been as impactful as Omicron. 191 00:14:44,563 --> 00:14:47,070 And some of these other variants have been alpha, they've been 192 00:14:47,110 --> 00:14:51,366 delta, and again, the greek alphabets are used to designate 193 00:14:51,388 --> 00:14:55,240 the various variants and most of them have no longer around now, 194 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:59,352 again, over the last four years , and the original form of the 195 00:14:59,393 --> 00:15:03,684 coronavirus is no longer around now. So we're living with the 196 00:15:03,845 --> 00:15:08,953 mutations, if you will, the variants of the original virus 197 00:15:08,974 --> 00:15:15,169 in 2020 or December of 2019. Okay, so that's why this whole 198 00:15:15,269 --> 00:15:19,322 issue is so important. The Center for Disease Control, the 199 00:15:19,361 --> 00:15:23,951 CDC, which is out of Atlanta, georgia, is responsible for 200 00:15:24,451 --> 00:15:30,225 policy and guidelines and rules and regulations about how to 201 00:15:30,306 --> 00:15:33,977 protect ourselves, both individually and collectively, 202 00:15:34,499 --> 00:15:37,610 and the CDC does a number of things. Many times, in my 203 00:15:37,669 --> 00:15:40,299 judgment, it does not get credit for all the work that it does, 204 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,011 but it has thousands of individuals who work endlessly 205 00:15:44,072 --> 00:15:48,485 and tirelessly to keep us safe and we owe them a huge debt of 206 00:15:48,644 --> 00:15:52,052 gratitude. And therefore, specific things that the CDC 207 00:15:52,092 --> 00:15:56,688 does. One, it does the very detailed detection or detection 208 00:15:56,769 --> 00:16:00,576 processes of variants. And again , as we said, this is what 209 00:16:00,616 --> 00:16:05,311 viruses do they mutate, they change, they grow, if you will, 210 00:16:05,672 --> 00:16:10,426 to a different form to try to avoid destruction. And one of 211 00:16:10,466 --> 00:16:14,715 the things that the CDC does is it's on top, and has been for a 212 00:16:14,735 --> 00:16:19,552 long time on top, of the growth of these new barriers to make 213 00:16:19,633 --> 00:16:23,245 sure that we can destroy them as soon as possible. The other 214 00:16:23,285 --> 00:16:26,993 thing the CDC does is it provides guidelines to slow the 215 00:16:27,013 --> 00:16:32,192 spread of international travel. I'm sure you're aware that one 216 00:16:32,232 --> 00:16:36,144 of the main sources of contamination, if you will and 217 00:16:36,164 --> 00:16:41,418 I'm someone whose fly has flown quite frequently is flying from 218 00:16:41,900 --> 00:16:45,549 one country to another, flying from one city to another Both 219 00:16:45,590 --> 00:16:48,957 just the process of being on an airplane with a lot of people in 220 00:16:48,957 --> 00:16:53,333 small space, which itself is problematic, and also going from 221 00:16:53,333 --> 00:16:57,087 one environment to another environment. Many times, if one 222 00:16:57,469 --> 00:17:00,515 becomes contaminated and then you go back to another place, 223 00:17:00,897 --> 00:17:04,576 then you theoretically can become a carrier, and so it's 224 00:17:04,615 --> 00:17:07,768 one of the things we need to be aware of, and the CDC is very 225 00:17:07,828 --> 00:17:11,599 good at helping us with that. It's also very good at 226 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,949 partnering with various state and local government agencies to 227 00:17:14,949 --> 00:17:18,997 slow the spread of viruses and, finally, it's very good in 228 00:17:19,037 --> 00:17:23,213 terms of support and providing smart, intelligent, 229 00:17:23,695 --> 00:17:27,967 scientifically based information about ways that we can protect 230 00:17:28,086 --> 00:17:31,635 ourselves individually. I think we're very fortunate and very 231 00:17:31,675 --> 00:17:35,512 blessed to have an organization like the CDC working with us. 232 00:17:36,875 --> 00:17:40,967 Another question is ARIS, again the most recent variant for the 233 00:17:40,987 --> 00:17:45,880 coronavirus, contributing to an uptick in COVID-19 234 00:17:45,941 --> 00:17:50,018 hospitalizations? And the answer to that question is yes. What 235 00:17:50,103 --> 00:17:53,819 are the ways we know that the coronavirus is still active and 236 00:17:53,984 --> 00:17:58,173 whatever form it may be? Is that we start seeing an increase in 237 00:17:58,214 --> 00:18:01,791 the number of hospitalizations, people who get sick, and they 238 00:18:01,832 --> 00:18:04,805 get so sick that they cannot stay at home. They have to go to 239 00:18:04,805 --> 00:18:07,770 the hospital and obviously these are the individuals who 240 00:18:07,810 --> 00:18:13,708 are at the greatest risk for serious damage and or death. But 241 00:18:13,708 --> 00:18:16,273 one of the things that's important is that, even though 242 00:18:17,035 --> 00:18:23,573 the most recent mutation, aris, has caused an increase, it's 243 00:18:23,633 --> 00:18:27,266 only been a 14% increase in the hospitalization and again, 244 00:18:27,346 --> 00:18:30,753 everything is relative. But a year or two or three years ago 245 00:18:30,795 --> 00:18:34,430 we were looking at huge increases in hospitalization on 246 00:18:34,490 --> 00:18:38,558 a monthly basis. So even though it's beginning to tick up a bit, 247 00:18:38,558 --> 00:18:43,974 it's not increasing as much as we normally would see or have 248 00:18:44,035 --> 00:18:48,971 seen in the past with this particular virus. So one of my 249 00:18:49,010 --> 00:18:53,198 sense specific what I'm saying is the coronavirus is still with 250 00:18:53,198 --> 00:18:57,333 us, the variant is still operational. The variant is 251 00:18:57,413 --> 00:19:00,767 causing an increase in hospitalization, but it does not 252 00:19:00,767 --> 00:19:06,901 appear to be as serious or as dramatic an increase in 253 00:19:06,941 --> 00:19:10,749 hospitalization, as large an increase in hospitalization as 254 00:19:11,230 --> 00:19:14,896 three or four years ago, and that's a good thing. We know 255 00:19:15,337 --> 00:19:19,776 that frequently, trend-wise, that there tends to be an uptick 256 00:19:19,776 --> 00:19:25,111 in coronavirus infections in the summertime. Some have 257 00:19:25,131 --> 00:19:28,561 theorized that that's because many individuals most of us 258 00:19:28,622 --> 00:19:31,930 travel more in the summertime to kids out of school or we take 259 00:19:32,009 --> 00:19:36,145 vacation more in the summertime to foreign countries, different 260 00:19:36,185 --> 00:19:40,920 states, et cetera, and that sort of causes there to be an 261 00:19:41,039 --> 00:19:44,409 increase. Nevertheless, we do know that this happens and it 262 00:19:44,429 --> 00:19:47,925 tends to happen every summer. The good news is so far and 263 00:19:47,965 --> 00:19:51,478 we're in summer right now is that the increase has not been 264 00:19:51,557 --> 00:19:56,576 as large as it has been due in other summers so far. Does 265 00:19:56,718 --> 00:20:01,199 heiress, this most recent variant, cause symptoms that are 266 00:20:01,199 --> 00:20:05,616 different from other coronavirus subvariants? The 267 00:20:05,656 --> 00:20:09,499 good news is no, it does not, that the symptoms are very 268 00:20:09,598 --> 00:20:14,441 similar to what the coronavirus has created before. Why that's 269 00:20:14,500 --> 00:20:19,285 good is that it helps us to identify and make a diagnosis 270 00:20:19,365 --> 00:20:22,496 much faster. I'm sure you remember the symptoms, whether 271 00:20:22,516 --> 00:20:25,395 you've had it or seen individuals who've had it, but 272 00:20:25,435 --> 00:20:28,565 the very severe symptoms or the most common symptoms tend to be 273 00:20:28,664 --> 00:20:35,481 fever, fatigue and a dry cough. In general, most individuals who 274 00:20:35,481 --> 00:20:40,941 become infected with COVID-19, regardless of the variant or the 275 00:20:40,941 --> 00:20:45,624 mutation at the time tend to have mild symptoms in general. 276 00:20:46,355 --> 00:20:49,825 Again, that's probably because the majority of individuals in 277 00:20:49,904 --> 00:20:54,596 our country have received the vaccination and that makes it 278 00:20:54,757 --> 00:20:58,184 easier for them not to get as ill or to have a little more 279 00:20:58,244 --> 00:21:02,397 protection on board if they're exposed to the virus. About 80 280 00:21:02,417 --> 00:21:06,557 percent tend to have mild symptoms in general, 13 percent 281 00:21:06,598 --> 00:21:11,864 tend to have severe symptoms and 6 percent tend to have critical 282 00:21:11,864 --> 00:21:15,303 symptoms. Now, another reason for those variations in symptoms 283 00:21:15,303 --> 00:21:19,825 tends to be the status, the medical status of the individual 284 00:21:19,825 --> 00:21:23,683 . If you have preexisting medical conditions like diabetes 285 00:21:23,683 --> 00:21:28,499 , heart disease, obesity, etc. Etc. Then that increases your 286 00:21:28,578 --> 00:21:32,900 risk of having more critical symptoms. Likewise, if you're in 287 00:21:32,900 --> 00:21:37,416 the extremes of age if you're a baby or a young child, ask, and 288 00:21:37,416 --> 00:21:42,378 someone who's over 60 years of age you too are more susceptible 289 00:21:42,378 --> 00:21:47,419 to having the more serious symptoms. As we think about 290 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,657 COVID-19 and the more common symptoms of fever, fatigue and 291 00:21:51,698 --> 00:21:55,301 dry cough, let's not forget that it also causes some 292 00:21:55,342 --> 00:21:58,580 gastrointestinal symptoms. There's not a lot of discussion 293 00:21:58,621 --> 00:22:02,364 about that, but a lot of patients have problems with 294 00:22:02,443 --> 00:22:08,478 stomach pains, diarrhea, cramps, etc. Etc. Let's keep that in 295 00:22:08,518 --> 00:22:12,518 mind as we look at the symptomatology. As we prepare 296 00:22:13,298 --> 00:22:19,237 for our scheduled vaccines and vaccinations for this year, most 297 00:22:19,237 --> 00:22:21,984 of us who've been vaccinated are now just getting booster 298 00:22:22,025 --> 00:22:25,218 shots, because we've already been vaccinated. Now we're 299 00:22:25,258 --> 00:22:27,657 getting the booster shot, and the purpose of the booster shot 300 00:22:27,979 --> 00:22:32,617 is to keep our immunization level high. The higher our 301 00:22:32,718 --> 00:22:37,082 immunization level is, the more protected we are from the things 302 00:22:37,082 --> 00:22:39,978 that the virus is trying to do to us, particularly the most 303 00:22:40,138 --> 00:22:45,817 recent variant of the virus, aris E-R-I-S. What we're 304 00:22:45,876 --> 00:22:51,397 learning is that there are three basic viruses that usually we 305 00:22:51,438 --> 00:22:55,078 have to deal with now in the wintertime. Viruses usually 306 00:22:55,118 --> 00:22:59,799 become more infectious in the wintertime. Winter is January, 307 00:22:59,839 --> 00:23:03,682 february, march and sometimes in the fall, october, november, 308 00:23:03,743 --> 00:23:08,759 december. Right now we're in August. One of the points that 309 00:23:08,798 --> 00:23:12,215 we want to make with this particular presentation is that 310 00:23:12,395 --> 00:23:16,778 if you already have your, you've already been vaccinated and 311 00:23:16,798 --> 00:23:20,200 you've already had your current booster. Now you're thinking 312 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:25,476 about what about my booster for to get me prepared for 2024? One 313 00:23:25,476 --> 00:23:28,143 of the points we want to make is that a number of very 314 00:23:28,182 --> 00:23:32,945 scholarly professors who are experts on COVID-19 are saying 315 00:23:33,194 --> 00:23:37,805 or have said that you don't have to get the booster this week or 316 00:23:37,805 --> 00:23:43,082 next week. Okay, that you can wait and get the booster in mid 317 00:23:43,643 --> 00:23:48,259 to late September or in October Because, remember, the booster 318 00:23:48,298 --> 00:23:54,521 shots are most protective of us two to three months after we get 319 00:23:54,521 --> 00:23:59,125 the shot. So what we want is we want maximum protection at the 320 00:23:59,165 --> 00:24:02,676 beginning or doing particularly those one a month. That's why 321 00:24:03,097 --> 00:24:06,797 that most vaccinations are given in the fall, because we're 322 00:24:06,817 --> 00:24:10,546 preparing for winter, when the virus is going to be most active 323 00:24:10,546 --> 00:24:14,376 and we're going to be most susceptible. So one of the 324 00:24:14,417 --> 00:24:17,961 points we want to make is and most people don't like shots 325 00:24:18,434 --> 00:24:21,695 that you don't have to get it this week or next week, but you 326 00:24:21,756 --> 00:24:25,675 do want to get your booster shot September, october to get the 327 00:24:25,777 --> 00:24:30,240 maximum protection for the winter months December, january, 328 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:34,141 february, march. There is no question that of the last four 329 00:24:34,201 --> 00:24:37,277 years, that we've all been traumatized both mentally, 330 00:24:37,377 --> 00:24:42,138 physically and spiritually by this pandemic and I take no 331 00:24:42,179 --> 00:24:45,895 pleasure in saying this but that the virus is still with us. It 332 00:24:45,976 --> 00:24:51,064 is not gone. It is less, it is more controlled, but it is not 333 00:24:51,163 --> 00:24:56,365 gone completely. And again we're entering into those the time of 334 00:24:56,365 --> 00:25:00,063 the year where it is most rampant and it is most 335 00:25:00,262 --> 00:25:04,299 destructive. So just keep that in mind, and my purpose for 336 00:25:04,319 --> 00:25:07,702 saying that is do those basic things that we all know that we 337 00:25:07,742 --> 00:25:11,902 should do Wash our hands, be careful in closed spaces with a 338 00:25:11,942 --> 00:25:16,175 lot of people and wear your mask . I'm one of those folks. I 339 00:25:16,215 --> 00:25:21,502 carry my mask with me and I tell my patients and others wear 340 00:25:21,542 --> 00:25:25,340 your mask probably, put your shoulders back in your head up 341 00:25:25,401 --> 00:25:28,280 and wear it probably, because not only are you protecting 342 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,195 yourself, you're protecting those around you, whether 343 00:25:31,236 --> 00:25:34,799 they're able to appreciate that or not. One of the things that's 344 00:25:34,799 --> 00:25:38,080 occurred, starting in the last two or three years with the 345 00:25:38,482 --> 00:25:41,858 President administration in Washington, is that we now have 346 00:25:41,979 --> 00:25:45,598 testing kits that are home kits, and so you can test yourself if 347 00:25:45,598 --> 00:25:49,135 you have a question about it and send in the results, and you 348 00:25:49,135 --> 00:25:53,125 can get those results validated by retest or take an additional 349 00:25:53,125 --> 00:25:57,810 test at the hospital or at your physician's office. It's 350 00:25:57,871 --> 00:26:02,118 important to keep in mind that this virus that we have, the 351 00:26:02,660 --> 00:26:07,839 COVID-19 virus, will mutate every single year. All viruses 352 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,671 mutate every single year. Think about the flu virus, and that's 353 00:26:10,711 --> 00:26:13,577 probably the one that we're most familiar with. Every single 354 00:26:13,617 --> 00:26:16,953 year, we take a flu shot and the reason we take that flu shot. 355 00:26:16,993 --> 00:26:20,321 We usually take it in the fall September, october, november, 356 00:26:20,609 --> 00:26:24,539 december, whatever is that. We want to get our immune level up. 357 00:26:24,539 --> 00:26:28,134 Remember it takes two to three months to get maximum protection 358 00:26:28,134 --> 00:26:31,102 , so that we have maximum protection going until the 359 00:26:31,162 --> 00:26:35,116 winter months. That's why we do it that way. It would be no 360 00:26:35,198 --> 00:26:39,750 different with the COVID-19 virus in terms of getting the 361 00:26:39,791 --> 00:26:44,605 booster shot. Okay, and it's important to understand. Why is 362 00:26:44,786 --> 00:26:48,837 it that we have to do it that way? The reality is that the 363 00:26:48,897 --> 00:26:52,708 scientists and the physicians and the clinicians and the 364 00:26:52,848 --> 00:26:58,218 experts who create these booster vaccines. They don't know what 365 00:26:58,278 --> 00:27:05,454 the virus is going to be for 2024. So they're creating the 366 00:27:05,895 --> 00:27:13,009 booster in late 2023, but it's a guess. It is an educated guess, 367 00:27:13,009 --> 00:27:16,477 but it is not 100% accurate because they actually don't know 368 00:27:16,477 --> 00:27:20,634 what the variant is going to be in 2024, of what it's going to 369 00:27:20,693 --> 00:27:23,527 act like Because, remember, the variant's changed, thus the word 370 00:27:23,527 --> 00:27:28,798 variant, it varies, it changes frequently to survive. So to 371 00:27:28,859 --> 00:27:32,534 some extent we're chasing the virus. Now. That's why we're 372 00:27:32,574 --> 00:27:38,750 encouraged by the fact that the variant appears to be very close 373 00:27:38,750 --> 00:27:42,539 , symptomatically, with other variants, because we have 374 00:27:43,060 --> 00:27:46,972 vaccines and booster shots that can take care of that. And if 375 00:27:47,053 --> 00:27:50,105 it's similar, then we should be in good shape. But anything is 376 00:27:50,186 --> 00:27:54,402 possible is my point. Anything is possible. So what you want to 377 00:27:54,402 --> 00:27:57,332 do is be maximally protected. You want to protect those that 378 00:27:57,372 --> 00:28:01,005 you care about love, one and love and you want to protect 379 00:28:01,065 --> 00:28:04,656 everybody. I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper. 380 00:28:04,656 --> 00:28:08,569 That's important to me and that's a fundamental right that 381 00:28:08,609 --> 00:28:13,503 we all should have. Just again, before we finish, just review 382 00:28:13,684 --> 00:28:17,213 the way this virus is spread is with droplets, sneezing, 383 00:28:17,694 --> 00:28:23,028 coughing, speaking, laughing, singing, talking. So if you're 384 00:28:23,048 --> 00:28:25,554 in an airplane and someone is sitting in the back of the plane 385 00:28:25,554 --> 00:28:30,231 and see 40 and they're sneezing and coughing and those droplets 386 00:28:30,231 --> 00:28:33,182 are going straight up toward the front of the plane or 387 00:28:33,262 --> 00:28:36,654 somewhere around you and that's why you want to wear your mask 388 00:28:36,695 --> 00:28:39,386 and that's why you want to be constantly vigilant, 389 00:28:39,728 --> 00:28:42,535 particularly when you're in large crowds. The good news 390 00:28:43,036 --> 00:28:46,942 about the coronavirus or the coronavirus, is that we're 391 00:28:46,982 --> 00:28:49,578 getting fewer cases again because people are more 392 00:28:49,618 --> 00:28:52,611 vaccinated and we still want to get the ones who aren't 393 00:28:52,631 --> 00:28:55,738 vaccinated to become vaccinated. The different variants that 394 00:28:55,778 --> 00:28:59,875 occur many times can occur in different countries. Remember 395 00:28:59,896 --> 00:29:03,510 this the pandemic is worldwide. So even though we're dealing 396 00:29:03,550 --> 00:29:08,098 with the particular variant in the United States, others in say 397 00:29:08,098 --> 00:29:14,055 , in India or in South America or Africa or Europe, the United 398 00:29:14,095 --> 00:29:18,022 Kingdom. They may have different variants but because travel, 399 00:29:18,450 --> 00:29:21,636 among other things, allows us to go from country to country, 400 00:29:21,938 --> 00:29:27,156 those variants quickly spread around throughout the world. In 401 00:29:27,237 --> 00:29:30,407 summary, we have been very fortunate to have had the 402 00:29:30,468 --> 00:29:33,915 leadership in healthcare, particularly in epidemiological, 403 00:29:33,915 --> 00:29:37,423 pandemic type related healthcare. Like Dr Anthony 404 00:29:37,462 --> 00:29:41,855 Fauci, he is an icon, in my judgment, in the field of 405 00:29:41,894 --> 00:29:50,313 medicine and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude to thank him 406 00:29:50,393 --> 00:29:53,565 for all the work that he has done. We're dealing now with yet 407 00:29:53,565 --> 00:29:56,933 another variant. This is the variant of the Omicron, which 408 00:29:56,973 --> 00:30:01,923 was the variant of the original COVID-19 virus from late 2019. 409 00:30:02,589 --> 00:30:06,060 The good news is that this particular variant appears to be 410 00:30:06,060 --> 00:30:11,034 less powerful so far than the original Omicron variant. The 411 00:30:11,094 --> 00:30:18,770 name of this variant is ERIS. The technical name is EG.5. So 412 00:30:18,931 --> 00:30:23,507 ERIS appears to be less powerful so far than the other variants 413 00:30:23,527 --> 00:30:25,952 that we've dealt with in the past, and that's good news. 414 00:30:26,413 --> 00:30:29,902 We're optimistic that, as we get our booster shots in late 415 00:30:30,001 --> 00:30:35,498 September, in October, that we should be able to do well with 416 00:30:35,538 --> 00:30:40,672 this new variant. If you have certain special circumstances, 417 00:30:41,353 --> 00:30:45,160 you may want to take your booster shot earlier. What do I 418 00:30:45,221 --> 00:30:50,076 mean by special circumstances? If our elderly and my definition 419 00:30:50,076 --> 00:30:53,804 of elderly is over 60, if you have pre-existing medical 420 00:30:53,910 --> 00:31:01,221 conditions and also have travel plans for the fall for August, 421 00:31:01,340 --> 00:31:07,097 september, october you then may want to move up your booster 422 00:31:07,138 --> 00:31:10,949 schedule. My discussion today was about those individuals who 423 00:31:11,028 --> 00:31:14,076 are just the routine and don't fall into those special 424 00:31:14,135 --> 00:31:18,132 circumstances, and what you always want to do is just check 425 00:31:18,172 --> 00:31:21,720 with your healthcare provider, just ask her, tell them what 426 00:31:21,759 --> 00:31:25,414 your circumstances are and ask her or him what you should do. 427 00:31:26,096 --> 00:31:30,391 It's always important to stay up to date with the latest and 428 00:31:30,431 --> 00:31:33,737 what we try to do with these podcasts is provide some of that 429 00:31:33,737 --> 00:31:38,694 with you, but always be informed. Knowledge is power and 430 00:31:38,694 --> 00:31:42,527 that's why we do these podcasts , but if you have certain 431 00:31:42,547 --> 00:31:45,934 circumstances, you can. Again, circumstances meaning 432 00:31:45,994 --> 00:31:51,250 pre-existing conditions, elderly , very young and anything else 433 00:31:51,351 --> 00:31:55,983 that may make you more susceptible to COVID-19, then 434 00:31:56,044 --> 00:32:00,195 certainly follow the advice of your healthcare professional and 435 00:32:00,195 --> 00:32:04,589 do accordingly. In general, we recommend, if you do not fall 436 00:32:04,609 --> 00:32:09,403 into those special categories, that most of you will probably 437 00:32:09,442 --> 00:32:13,795 be able to have those shots, probably again late September 438 00:32:13,954 --> 00:32:16,962 and early October. I realize that we're only talking about 439 00:32:17,002 --> 00:32:19,917 maybe two or three weeks difference, but again, I think 440 00:32:20,358 --> 00:32:23,289 the more you know how, the more important it is, the more 441 00:32:23,431 --> 00:32:27,468 helpful it is for you to take care of yourself. Okay, my basic 442 00:32:27,468 --> 00:32:31,369 principles God is in charge. Principle number one I am a 443 00:32:31,410 --> 00:32:35,373 position of faith and I am grateful and have been blessed 444 00:32:35,393 --> 00:32:40,593 to have God in my life. That is why I have been able to stay 445 00:32:40,653 --> 00:32:43,968 healthy and do the things that I've been able to do. Second 446 00:32:43,988 --> 00:32:47,445 principle no bad days. I don't have any bad days. I decided 447 00:32:47,486 --> 00:32:51,093 about 30 years ago that I'd had enough bad days and I figured 448 00:32:51,192 --> 00:32:55,326 out that my day was good or bad when I said it was. So then I 449 00:32:55,386 --> 00:32:58,934 limited all my bad days and I now have good days and I have 450 00:32:58,994 --> 00:33:02,290 great days. Principle number three don't sweat the small 451 00:33:02,332 --> 00:33:06,429 stuff, and most stuff is small. I have learned that when I have 452 00:33:06,568 --> 00:33:11,518 experienced something that I perceive to be negative or a 453 00:33:11,597 --> 00:33:14,771 problem, that most of the time it's not nearly as important as 454 00:33:14,853 --> 00:33:19,354 I think it is and with a little time I figure out and I'm able 455 00:33:19,394 --> 00:33:23,253 to let it go. Principle number four forgiveness is therapy. 456 00:33:23,765 --> 00:33:28,474 That whenever, again, I perceive that someone has done or said 457 00:33:28,535 --> 00:33:32,069 something negative to me, I immediately have learned, and or 458 00:33:32,069 --> 00:33:36,468 am learning, to forgive them, and that not only is therapeutic 459 00:33:36,468 --> 00:33:41,114 for me, but I have many times prevented the circumstances from 460 00:33:41,114 --> 00:33:45,220 developing unnecessary, regardless of what the issue is. 461 00:33:45,220 --> 00:33:49,090 And finally, everything is a relationships. Relationships are 462 00:33:49,090 --> 00:33:52,617 based on three things mutual respect, mutual trust, good 463 00:33:52,657 --> 00:33:56,112 communication. If you have those three things, you have a good 464 00:33:56,173 --> 00:34:00,885 relationship. If you do not, you have work to do. If you like 465 00:34:00,905 --> 00:34:03,150 these podcasts, I would encourage you to feel 466 00:34:03,550 --> 00:34:08,786 comfortable and enthusiastic about subscribing. You can go to 467 00:34:08,786 --> 00:34:16,719 wwwbuzzproutcom. Forward slash two, one zero one, zero, zero, 468 00:34:16,818 --> 00:34:24,534 three. That's wwwbuzz b-u-z-z-p-r-o-u-t dot com. 469 00:34:24,994 --> 00:34:30,365 Forward. Slash two, one zero. One, zero, zero, three. And 470 00:34:30,405 --> 00:34:36,306 finally, be the change that you want to see in the world. Thank 471 00:34:36,385 --> 00:34:38,371 you and have a wonderful day. 472 00:34:39,704 --> 00:34:41,690 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the healthy, wealthy and wise 473 00:34:41,690 --> 00:34:46,510 podcast with Dr William Choctaw , MD. We hope you enjoy this 474 00:34:46,610 --> 00:34:50,489 episode. In fact, if you found this episode helpful, you can 475 00:34:50,528 --> 00:34:54,795 support and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast 476 00:34:54,795 --> 00:34:59,286 platform with the key words Dr William Choctaw, and you'll find 477 00:34:59,286 --> 00:35:04,231 it very quickly. Also, subscribing helps ensure that 478 00:35:04,291 --> 00:35:08,266 you don't miss any future episodes. And then takes the 479 00:35:08,367 --> 00:35:12,135 next step of action and share it with your family, friends and 480 00:35:12,215 --> 00:35:16,547 or your coworkers. They'll be glad you did so. Until the next 481 00:35:16,586 --> 00:35:21,097 time, live your best possible life the best possible way. 482 00:35:21,485 --> 00:35:23,809 You've been listening to the healthy, wealthy and wise 483 00:35:23,909 --> 00:35:26,693 podcast with Dr William Choctaw, MD.