“Razor Blade Throat” Covid Variant Concerns
OAK GROVE EMMY, VICTOR WGN, NEWS. >> MICAH MATERRE: THERE IS A NEW COVID VARIANT SPREADING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. THE STRAIN EARNING THE NICKNAME A RAZOR BLADE THROAT COVID IS DUE TO ITS MAIN SYMPTOM. THAT’S SCARY. DR. ROBERT CITRON BIRD IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT WITH ADVOCATE HEALTH CARE. THANK YOU, DOCTOR FOR JOINING US. THANKS FOR HAVING RAZOR BLADE THROAT. THAT IS SO SCARY. THE SOUND OF IT WILL THE COVID VACCINES YOU KNOW, TAKE CARE OF THAT. WELL. >> IT’S AN INTERESTING SYMPTOMS. SO IT DOES APPEAR THAT THE CURRENT STRAIN OF COVID THAT CIRCULATING WHICH WE CALL BEEN IN THIS TRAIN DOES PRODUCE A PRETTY SEVERE SORE THROAT. NOW IT’S NOT THE FIRST VIRUS EVER TO DO THAT. THERE’S BEEN LOTS OF VIRUSES THAT CAN DO THAT. AND IT’S IMPORTANT IF YOU HAVE THAT SEVERE STRESS OR THROAT TO GET CHECKED OUT TO MAKE SURE IT’S NOT A STREP THROAT, WHICH CAN ALSO HAVE SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. SO THE COVID VACCINE STILL DOES HELP TO PREVENT MORE SERIOUS ILLNESS, HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH. BUT IT’S UNCLEAR RIGHT NOW IF IT HAS THE SPECIFIC EFFECT ON THIS SORE THROAT. BUT I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING IS IF YOU HAVE A VERY SEVERE SORE THROAT, BUT THE SO-CALLED RAZOR BLADE THROAT, IT’S A GREAT IDEA TO GO TO YOUR DOCTOR. GET CHECKED OUT, HAVE THEM LOOK AT YOUR THROAT AND DO THROW CULTURE IF NECESSARY. JUST IN CASE IS THIS MORE. >> CONTAGIOUS THAN THE OTHER STRAIN? >> IT DOES APPEAR TO BE. SO IT’S GOOD. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO CAUSE MORE SEVERE ILLNESS. IN FACT, CAUSES FAIRLY MILD ILLNESS COMPARED TO PRIOR STRAINS OF COVID. IT DOES APPEAR TO BE MORE TRANSMISSIBLE. SO WE’LL SEE MAYBE A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH MORE MILD DISEASE COMPARED TO STRAINS IN THE PAST. >> NOW, LOT OF PEOPLE WORRIED BECAUSE THE NEW COVID RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE CHANGED QUITE A BIT RFK GOT THE IN AN OFFICE, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. TELL ME THIS. IT SAYS IT’S NOT RECOMMENDED FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PREGNANT WOMEN. BUT DOES THIS ALL CHANGED WITH THIS NEW STRAIN? >> I DON’T THINK THE NEW STRAINS GOING TO CHANGE ANY OF THE VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THERE STILL A ROLE FOR COVID VACCINES OF PARTICULARLY FOR KIDS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 MONTHS IN 17 YEARS, WE RECOMMEND WOULD CALL SHARED CLINICAL DECISION MAKING, WHICH IS FOR THE PARENTS AND THE PATIENT. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF THE VACCINE. AND THE SAME IS TRUE WITH PREGNANT AS WELL TO LOOK FOR ANYBODY WHO WHO HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COVID VACCINE. IF THEY WANT KNOW IF IT’S THE RIGHT THING FOR THEM, ENCOURAGE THEM TO TALK TO A DOCTOR AND HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS? WELL, I CAN TELL YOU OUR RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE REALLY CHANGED VERY MUCH FIRM IN OUR ORGANIZATION. WE STILL RECOMMEND COVID VACCINE FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE MOST RISK FOR GETTING SEVERE ILLNESS, HOSPITALIZATION AND DYING, WHICH ARE PRINCIPALLY THOSE WITH A WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS THERE. STILL, EVEN THOUGH WE DON’T TALK ABOUT COVID AS MUCH IN THE COMMUNITY THERE STILL A FAIR AMOUNT AROUND, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE PEOPLE WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM. SO THOSE PEOPLE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY GET A COVID VACCINE AND OTHERS WHO FEEL THAT THEY MAY BE AT RISK FOR SEVERE COVID. JUST TALK TO THE DOCTORS. BUT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS REALLY HAVEN’T CHANGED THAT MUCH WITH THE NEW GUIDANCE YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T TALK ABOUT COLLEGE AS MUCH THINGS ARE REALLY BLURRY. NOW, AS FAR AS HOW MANY SHOULD TAKE OR HOW MANY WE SHOULD HAVE. >> WHERE SHOULD WE BE ON OUR COVID VACCINES? BECAUSE I MEAN, I KNOW I GOT 1, 2, 3, 4, AND THEN KIND OF STOPPED. >> THERE’S A NEW UPDATE THAT’S PRETTY MUCH AVAILABLE EVERY YEAR. THE CURRENT ONE THAT’S AVAILABLE AS THE 2020 FOR 2025 VACCINE. SO TYPICALLY WHEN THE NEW AND COMES OUT, IT’S TIME TO GET A NEW ONE. IF ELIGIBLE FOR COVID VACCINE, THAT’S TIME TO DO IT. WITH A NEW VACCINE COMES OUT. AND THIS ONE, THIS NEW MEMBERS OR THE NEW RAZOR BLADE THROAT THINGY. >> MICAH MATERRE: FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND. IT COULD CAUSE MORE LONG COVID THAN THE OTHER STRAIN RIGHT? >> HONESTLY, I THINK IT’S A LITTLE BIT TOO EARLY TO TELL. THIS IS A FAIRLY NEW OBSERVATION. BUT WE DO KNOW THAT LONG COVID IS STILL THIS STILL A THING. IT’S STILL AN ENTITY, BUT IT’S UNCLEAR RIGHT NOW IF PARTICULAR STRAIN AND THOSE WHO GET THIS SO-CALLED SEVERE SORE THROAT ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET LONG COVID AND AND SUMMER TIMES HERE, WE DON’T USUALLY GET COLD. WE DON’T USUALLY GET THE FLU. BUT IF YOU THINK YOU’VE GOT SOMETHING AND YOU THINK IT COULD BE STREP THROAT ISH, GO TO YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT? >> JOSH FRYDMAN: YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT. YOU THE OTHER WINTERTIME, RESPIRATORY VIRUSES REALLY ARE PRESENT IN THIS TIME OF YEAR. BUT COVID ISRAELI PRESIDENT ALL DURING THE YEAR, IT STARTS TO PICK UP, ESPECIALLY LATE SUMMER INTO THE FALL. SO IT’S WITH NGU ALL YEAR
Right now, a new Covid variant is spreading throughout the country. The strain, earning the nickname “razor blade throat” Covid due to its main symptom.
DR. Robert Citronberg, Executive Medical Director of Infectious Disease and Infection Prevention with Advocate Health Care joins WGN’s Micah Materre to discuss.
