COVID-19 update: Delta, side effects and kids
June 28, 2021
How bad is the Delta variant? And should you get your teen son vaccinated? In this Q&A, University Health hospital epidemiologist Dr. Jason Bowling addresses the latest questions about COVID-19 and recent reports on myocarditis as a potential vaccine side effect. Feel free to use any part of this interview in your reporting.
Questions and time stamps:
- How prevalent has the Delta variant become in San Antonio? 00:00
- What is involved in isolating variants? 00:44
- How much worse is the Delta variant from other COVID-19 strains? 01:25
- What part of the population are we seeing hospitalized for COVID-19 now in early summer 2021? 02:01
- How protective are the authorized vaccines against the Delta variant? 02:41
- Can you get the Delta variant even if vaccinated? 03:01
- Is one shot of Pfizer or Moderna enough to protect me from Delta? 04:27
- When do we think a vaccine might be authorized for the under 12 age group? 05:10
- What would you tell your family to explain how much more serious this is than a cold or the flu? 05:43
- How protected are you from the Delta variant if you have had COVID-19 but not been vaccinated? 06:21
- How many other variants are out there, and what makes the Delta variant so concerning? 07:16
- If we’ve already been vaccinated, what else can we do to protect others? 08:10
- What are myocarditis and pericarditis? 08:54
- Some people have not gotten their children the second shot because they are concerned about myocarditis/pericarditis. How concerned should we be about heart problems related to the vaccine in young people? 09:22
- People have not been as worried about children being affected by COVID-19. Why is that not a good idea, especially with the Delta variant? 11:00
- Which is more common and serious: side effects of the vaccine or the impact of COVID-19? 12:03
- It has been such a relief to take off our masks and socialize again. But are there some precautions we should still observe? 12:39
