What COVID Going Endemic Means For You

Short Wave

NPR

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2024

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

U.S. health officials now say COVID-19 is an endemic disease. That means it's here to stay – circulating fairly regularly like the flu. Even though that changes how public health officials think about managing the virus, they say it doesn't mean being less cautious or vigilant during surges, like the current one this summer. COVID still poses significant risks for older individuals and those with underlying conditions — and anyone who gets COVID is at risk of developing long COVID.

NPR science correspondent Rob Stein reported this story. Read Rob's full story here.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt
0:05.2	through the Schmidt Family Foundation working toward a healthy,
0:08.8	resilient, secure world for all. On the web at the Schmidt
0:13.2	dot org
0:15.1	you're listening to shortwave from nPR
0:20.8	hey shortwave roeaver is Regina Barbara here with NPR Health Correspondent Rob Stein.
0:25.0	Hey Rob welcome back.
0:26.0	Hey Regina, it's so great to be back. Do you remember something called COVID-19?
0:32.0	Yes, I definitely do. That is this disease that caused a pandemic that
0:37.9	devastated the world I believe. That's right. Okay, so why the trick question Rob what's going on?
0:43.8	Because you don't really hear much talk about COVID anymore, right?
0:47.1	That's true. Even though we're in the midst of yet another big wave of
0:50.9	infections and lots of people are still getting it.
0:53.6	Yeah funny enough I had it last week and I wasn't in headquarters all last week
0:59.0	luckily I'm testing negative now and I'm back to work but it is strange like it's it's as if
1:04.4	everyone has it yet really no one's really talking about it in the public
1:08.7	conversation yeah yeah exactly but gosh Regina I'm so sorry that you had COVID again. I had it in April and then again in early July, so I know it is no fun, but I'm glad you're feeling better.
1:20.0	And you know, Regina, all this kind of got me thinking.
1:23.2	Rob, you know, thinking can be dangerous.
1:25.5	Tell me about it, that is so true.
1:27.8	Okay, but seriously, what have you been thinking about exactly?
1:30.8	About whether COVID is here to stay on a regular kind of permanent basis
	...

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