If you received a COVID-19 booster before September, the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services encourages you to roll up your sleeve for the updated bivalent booster, especially if you fall into one of the high-risk categories for COVID-19.
“If you look and see what the message is from the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) or the national news, they will always tell you those that are at risk for getting severe COVID-19 are the elderly, people with underlying health issues and smokers,” said Dr. Robert Leon Guerrero, DPHSS interim chief medical officer.
During a COVID media briefing Thursday, health officials placed emphasis specifically on the risk posed to smokers.
“You may be healthy otherwise, but, again, the reason for that high risk is your lungs don’t work as properly as it should be in cleansing out the virus’ mucus produced when you smoke or vape. It interferes with our normal function,” Leon Guerrero said.
The habit subsequently makes catching a case of COVID and other respiratory viruses easier. The bivalent booster is one line of defense, Leon Guerrero said.
“The bivalent booster, we started doing it in September for 18 and above. It’s now approved for 6 months old and above,” he said. “Unfortunately, what we are seeing is that most of the kids are not getting vaccinated.”
Leon Guerrero dispelled misconceptions surrounding the COVID vaccines, which he said have contributed to a decline in the rate of vaccination seen on island.
“There are side effects, but what it accomplishes is it decreases the risk of severe disease, and I’m talking not only bivalent, but any vaccines. We are seeing, if you notice in Ohio they had an outbreak of the measles – over 60 kids had measles. Most people nowadays say, ‘What’s measles?’ They’ve never seen it. The last time Guam had a measles outbreak was in 1994; we had over 800 cases with three deaths,” Leon Guerrero said.
Guam has not seen a more recent outbreak, Leon Guerrero said, because of vaccines.
“People don’t see it so they assume it’s not there. Same thing with COVID-19. We were luckier than most nations in the world because we were able to get COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020 when a lot of places didn’t get their vaccines until 2021, 2022,” Leon Guerrero said. “It does work.”
The reason for the push of the bivalent booster is because the coronavirus has several variants.
“There are variants that are out there that the initial vaccines are not as effective (on). They’re still pretty effective, but not as effective. The bivalent is a little bit more so,” Leon Guerrero said.
More shots ahead
In fact, to keep up with the evolving virus, COVID vaccine shots may become an annual immunization.
“This is probably something that we are going to see, is that every year we have a vaccine just like the flu shot. … But it only works if people take advantage of it, it doesn’t work on the shelf,” he said.
Right now, COVID vaccination is free to the public, but that may not always be the case.
“I don’t know if it’s going to become charged. I am sure the health insurance companies are holding their breath because they benefit the most from not having to pay for them,” Leon Guerrero said. “My guess is once the supply from the federal government is gone, the insurance companies will, hopefully, take up the costs.”
