NORFOLK, Va. — COVID-19 cases are going down, but a Virginia health expert is reminding people to stay vigilant against the virus.
Marshall Vogt, a senior epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), said the worst of the surge may be behind us, but it’s still too early to let our guard down.
“I think the numbers do look really encouraging right now," Vogt said. "They’re definitely on the decline and that is after a really substantial wave of omicron. But I think it is really too early to kind of relax everything and pull back on all these mitigation strategies that we’re practicing.”
Vogt said there could be another surge in COVID-19 cases later in the year.
“We never know what’s around the corner," Vogt said. "This virus has been very unpredictable, and it continues to be very unpredictable.”
While there is a risk people might become less careful, Vogt said he’s not seeing that right now. He said Virginians are still doing the right thing by getting vaccinated and isolating when sick.
“I don’t think we’re entirely complacent right now," Vogt said. "I think a lot of us still have in our minds that mental framework of wanting to be on the lookout and be protected.”
Vogt said there are more tools available to prepare for another potential COVID-19 wave, including treatments and the vaccine.
He added that time-honed practices like social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a mask are all effective in slowing the spread of the virus. If there is another wave, these strategies combined with the vaccine will help prevent hospitalizations and deaths.
VDH also launched an "Isolation/Quarantine Calculator" to guide Virginians on what to do if they've been exposed to the virus.
But the declining case numbers also come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said protection from vaccine booster shots decreases after four months.
Vogt said although booster protection may decrease, it doesn’t go away entirely and the vaccine is still proven to reduce hospitalizations and deaths.
“The effectiveness of the vaccine might be waning but the vaccine is still overall, very effective," he said.
But this latest update on the booster shot is once again giving rise to questions about a fourth dose.
Vogt said since protection decreases over time and the virus mutates, more booster shots are likely, though that’s still being researched.
“I think that’s a distinct possibility," he said. “As we’re looking at this becoming really more of an endemic kind of illness. I think it very much could be the sort of situation where we get a yearly shot.”
Right now, the CDC recommends a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose for people with compromised immune systems.