Dr. Ed says it’s time to go back to basics to combat Delta variant

EAST TEXAS (KLTV/KTRE) - Infectious Disease Specialist Doctor Ed Dominguez joined us once again on East Texas Now answering your questions about COVID-19. He covered topics such as COVID-19 boosters as well as the current spread of COVID-19.

Doctor Ed addressed the need for COVID-19 booster shots in those who are not immunocompromised saying at this time, those who do not fit the certain criteria will be ineligible, however, he anticipates in September it will be available for others

“Officially if you are not immunocompromised you won’t be eligible like the rest of us who aren’t until roughly September 20.”

He addressed the wide scale spread of COVID-19 saying the best way to reduce the amount of illness is to go back to the strategies that worked in the beginning.

“What are those strategies? Well nobody is going to like them. You know its the restaurants wearing masks on the inside or just space, only 50-percent full or going back to those original maneuvers and strategies that we had early that the governor supported last year at this point.”

He said he realizes there may not be a lot of support for that, but in the middle of a surge in cases, the actions are necessary.

“We’ve already shown that we can do this for short periods of time, 1, 2, 3 months, and if we do that and the numbers go down we open back up, we tweak the vaccines or whatever we have to do, we are learning how to deal with these waves of infection, but while we are in the midst of a wave is not the time in my opinion to open everything back up.”

Doctor Ed says with the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, these methods may not be as effective as they were last year, but the higher rate of vaccinated people may help with that.

“We’re worried because this virus Kayla is two times more transmissible than the virus last year, these strategies even if we employ them, they may not be as effective because it is easier to transmit this virus, but there are a lot more vaccinated people out there.”

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