Mitigation protocols should remain after booster shot, Dr. Ed says

EAST TEXAS (KLTV/KTRE) - With COVID-19 numbers continuing to increase, Infectious Disease Specialist Doctor Ed Dominguez and OBGYN Doctor Theresa Patton joined us on East Texas Now for more of your questions on the virus as well as the new booster shots for the vaccine.

With the rollout of the boosters, some people wondered if they can go back to life without mitigation protocols. Doctor Ed said right now, that isn’t the best idea.

Doctor Ed was asked whether those who have received their boosters against COVID-19 can go back to life as normal without masks or preventative guidelines.

“There’s no normalcy during a wave, during a surge there’s no normalcy, we need to just get past this thought that we can go back to what we were doing in June, actually earlier in May and April, we can’t right now we are in the middle of a surge, we’re running out of ICU beds, we’re running out of ventilators, we’re running out of people to take care of the sick people.”

Despite the extra protection, Doctor Ed said with some people getting breakthrough infections and thus still potentially being able to spread the virus, people can’t let their guard down.

“At this point in time, I don’t think that any vaccinated person should act like their vaccinated and stop doing everything else, you can’t, not in this situation.”

Doctor Ed reiterated the fact that the vast majority of vaccinated individuals who contract COVID-19 are not being hospitalized, but stressed the risk of transmission is still there.

“Now fortunately, their not getting sick enough to be hospitalized as far as we know but its happening and as long as they are getting infected, they can spread the infection to other people, please continue using all the stuff we’ve been using, I mean it’s up to you.”

Doctor Patton went a step further for herself saying she doesn’t think another flu season will go by without her being masking up.

“I don’t think another flu season will go by in this office without me masking and seeing as many public faces as I have in the past.”

“We are in a really stressful situation for all of us right now, the only way to keep your family healthy is to get vaccinated and wear a mask.”

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