Hometown Conversations with Dr. Wilcox

Who better to ask health questions than your hometown doctor? Below is a conversation with New Prague’s Dr. Mike Wilcox, Scott County Medical Director:

What are the current COVID-19 trends?
COVID-19 had a very large uptick the first of the year, due to the Omicron variant. The Omicron strain spread more quickly than previous strains, infecting many people. Now, as we move into late winter, infections have significantly declined. 

Why do you think the COVID-19 infection numbers are down?
I believe between all the people who are vaccinated and people who carry some of their own immunity by having COVID-19, the virus has become less prevalent 

Do you think there will be another surge of the virus?
I believe we will continue to see additional variants, but I’m optimistic that they will not be as lethal as the Delta variant was. While Omicron spread quickly, it did not seem to present major lung or respiratory problems, especially for those who were vaccinated. In moving forward, I believe between all the people who are vaccinated and people who carry some of their own immunity by having COVID-19, the variants will continue to weaken.

Should you get vaccinated – even if you had COVID-19?
While having been infected with COVID-19 does provide some of your own immunity, I believe vaccinations are the best defense to weaken the variant strains. There are still many people who get infected and do not survive.

With the decline of infections, can we stop taking precautions - like masking?
I believe people should continue to wear masks as they are an important step to stop the spread of the virus. There has been talk about the quality of the masks. While the KN95 masks provide the best protection, any mask is better than none.

Will there be a point when the vaccine will prevent people from getting COVID-19?
I see COVID-19 being very similar to influenza. The flu pandemic of 1918 took many lives. Researchers learned they needed to work on identifying and preventing death from each new strain. I see something very similar for ongoing response to COVID-19. The annual boosters will fight the current strain, just like the flu boosters do for influenza.

Outside of personal health, what are some other concerns related to COVID-19?
My biggest concern is our health systems. It is imperative we do all we can to prevent hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Our health system is stretched to its limit. We need to focus on staying healthy so our healthcare community can concentrate on other medical needs, such as cancer and heart disease.