S3, Ep 12- COVID Subvariant: Stay Vigilant My Friends

03/25/22 • 13 min

1 Listener

The new Omicron subvariant BA.2 hasn’t stopped the majority of people from lowering their guard against the virus. Cities are opening, businesses are returning their workers, and even New York City unvaccinated athletes and performers are allowed back.

“I'm trying to stay calm and I'm really grateful for these at-home tests because I had a COVID exposure last week,” says Zoe Rothblatt, Patient Advocate and Community Outreach Manager at the Global Healthy Living Foundation. “I was able to keep testing and I just felt so reassured to have the test on hand and not freak out like I did in Omicron.”

Among the highlights in this episode:

1:25: Listener comment

2:06: Special enrollment opens to sign up for Obamacare

2:50: COVID-19 Patient Support Program Quick Poll: over 90% plan to wear masks in indoor spaces

3:30: Steven receives new duckbill N95 masks

4:35: New Omicron subvariant BA.2 is impacting people’s mental health

5:16: Viruses appearing in wastewater more than in PCR tests

5:50: Congress fails to approve more COVID funding

7:27: “I'm personally just too worried that too many Americans love the phrase, "I'm over COVID. I'm over COVID. It's done," fears Steven

8:28: “Hopefully we won't see a surge,” says Dr. Anthony Fauci

9:06: Researchers say vaccines remain effective at preventing hospitalizations for BA.2

9:45: “I'm trying to stay calm,” says Zoe

12:06: What did our co-hosts Steven and Zoe learn from this episode?

Contact Our Hosts

Steven Newmark, Director of Policy at GHLF: [email protected]

Zoe Rothblatt, Patient Advocate and Community Outreach Manager at GHLF: [email protected]

We want to hear what you think. Send your comments, or a video or audio clip of yourself, to [email protected]

Catch up on all our episodes on our website or on your favorite podcast channel.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Among the highlights in this episode:

1:25: Listener comment

2:06: Special enrollment opens to sign up for Obamacare

2:50: COVID-19 Patient Support Program Quick Poll: over 90% plan to wear masks in indoor spaces

3:30: Steven receives new duckbill N95 masks

4:35: New Omicron subvariant BA.2 is impacting people’s mental health

5:16: Viruses appearing in wastewater more than in PCR tests

5:50: Congress fails to approve more COVID funding

7:27: “I'm personally just too worried that too many Americans love the phrase, "I'm over COVID. I'm over COVID. It's done," fears Steven

8:28: “Hopefully we won't see a surge,” says Dr. Anthony Fauci

9:06: Researchers say vaccines remain effective at preventing hospitalizations for BA.2

9:45: “I'm trying to stay calm,” says Zoe

12:06: What did our co-hosts Steven and Zoe learn from this episode?

Contact Our Hosts

Steven Newmark, Director of Policy at GHLF: [email protected]

Zoe Rothblatt, Patient Advocate and Community Outreach Manager at GHLF: [email protected]

We want to hear what you think. Send your comments, or a video or audio clip of yourself, to [email protected]

Catch up on all our episodes on our website or on your favorite podcast channel.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Previous Episode

S3, Ep 11- COVID at 2: How We’ve Changed

We’ve passed a dubious anniversary we’d all rather forget. This month marks two years since COVID forced the world into a pandemic. In this episode, we look back at how life changed, and what changes may become permanent.

“Folks are really struggling with mental health issues two years in the pandemic,” says Zoe Rothblatt, Patient Advocate and Community Outreach Manager at the Global Healthy Living Foundation. “Even more so for our community with underlying conditions.”

Among the highlights in this episode:

1:21: Listener comment

2:08: COVID down in the U.S., up in China

3:16: Marking two years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic

3:40: What we’ve learned in the two years of COVID

3:48: COVID fueled a growth in telehealth

5:34: Telehealth made it easier to advocate to elected officials

6:03: COVID reveals racial disparities in health care

7:10: COVID led to a new vocabulary, from the “bubble” to “Zoom fatigue”

8:15: COVID brought a rise in outdoor dining

9:04: COVID led to the adoption of wearing masks

9:35: Three COVID vaccines manufactured in one year

9:45: Antiviral therapy created to protect against COVID

10:04: COVID created a dramatic increase in mental health issues

10:20: “It really does feel like people are moving on and don't care,” says Zoe. “And I want to move on and not to care too. But when you're immunocompromised, you really just don't have that luxury.”

10:42: Some formed stronger bonds during COVID, with people and pets

11:22: What did our co-hosts Steven and Zoe learn from this episode?

Contact Our Hosts

Steven Newmark, Director of Policy at GHLF: [email protected]

Zoe Rothblatt, Patient Advocate and Community Outreach Manager at GHLF: [email protected]

We want to hear what you think. Send your comments, or a video or audio clip of yourself, to [email protected]

Catch up on all our episodes on our website or on your favorite podcast channel.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Episode

S3, Ep 13- Overcoming Years of Chronic Pain and Misdiagnoses

Imagine having severe abdominal pain, insomnia, and weight loss- and nobody knows how to diagnose you. For patients like Eric, it took painstaking years to properly diagnose him with chronic pancreatitis. In this episode, meet his sister, Megan Golden, who quit her job and launched a nonprofit to help.

“With many diseases that require specialty care, if you're not near one of the few experts and have the ability to see them, then you're just out of luck,” says Megan, co-founder and CEO of Mission Cure, a nonprofit with the goal of improving patient outcomes.

Among the highlights in this episode:

1:07: Listener comment

1:52: Updated CDC guidance allows visitors to health care facilities are allowed to wear highly protective masks

2:44: FDA authorizes a second booster

3:30: Moderna to request Emergency Use Authorization of its vaccine for children 6 months to 6 years old

4:38: Megan Golden discusses her background with Social Impact Bonds

5:22: It took painful years for her brother Eric to be diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis

6:14: How Megan’s work could benefit patients like Eric

7:18: Defining pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas

7:50: The disease is not cause by alcohol consumption

9:07: What does an ideal patient centered care look like in Eric's journey?

9:46: "I feel better today than I have in almost 10 years since I got this diagnosis,” said Eric

10:58: How Megan’s non-profit has had positive impacts

12:25: Advice for patients looking to speak up and advocate

13:13: Bringing stakeholders together

14:28: What our hosts Steven and Zoe learned from this episode

Contact Our Hosts

Steven Newmark, Director of Policy at GHLF: [email protected]

Zoe Rothblatt, Patient Advocate and Community Outreach Manager at GHLF: [email protected]

We want to hear what you think. Send your comments, or a video or audio clip of yourself, to [email protected]

Catch up on all our episodes on our website or on your favorite podcast channel.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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