COVID vaccines now available: EPH physician shares what you should know
The new Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines against COVID were approved in August. Vaccinations are now widely available.
Dr. Cynthia DiLauro, an internal medicine specialist at Estes Park Health, is also in charge of Infection Prevention and COVID governing at EPH.
“Getting vaccinated with the new COVID vaccine is the best way to reduce your risk of hospitalization and death, and to slow the spread of the virus,” Dr. DiLauro said.
The new vaccine targets the dominant KP.3 omicron variant of COVID, which is the dominant variant nationwide accounting for 52.7% of cases. One vaccine is recommended but may be repeated in immunocompromised patients. If you have tested positive for COVID, you must wait three months for the new vaccine.
The optimal time to get the new vaccine is now through the end of October. The incubation period for the virus is anywhere from two to 14 days.
Symptoms of the KP.3 COVID variant include:
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Aches
- Chills
- Cough
- Headache
- Runny nose
- Loss of taste and smell
- Occasional GI symptoms
If someone is diagnosed with COID, the prescription medication Paxlovid is recommended for the following groups at high risk of hospitalization or death:
- People over 65
- People who are overweight
- People with a high risk with heart or lung disease
- People with dementia
- People with cancer
The current positivity rate for COVID testing at medical facilities in Colorado is 16.6%.
EPH hosting COVID/Flu shot clinics
Estes Park Health is taking appointments for flu and COVID vaccines, with available dates over the next two months.
The next community clinics are slated for:
* Thursday, 9/26
* Thursday, 10/3
* Thursday, 10/10
Times are every 10 minutes from 8 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. with a lunch break from noon to 12:30 p.m.
The vaccine clinic will take place in the Physician Clinic, Hall A, ortho rooms.
Appointments are for one person only, except for spouses or families of up to four. If the family is larger than four people, please book another slot.
People who are booked in a group must have the UCHealth My Health Connection and must complete the online check-in to help the check-in at the front desk faster. If patients don’t want to download the app, their appointments need to be one per slot as the front desk check-in time is longer.
Please arrive 15 minutes early to accommodate for the line and check-in process. Check in at the front desk before going to the clinic location.