News

Just How Much Protection Do You Have if You’re Fully Vaccinated?

You know getting vaccinated and boosted helps protect against COVID-19, including the latest variant. But how well?

Just last week, data showed that only 7% of Advocate Aurora Health’s 1,500 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 had been vaccinated and boosted. In the graphic below, “vaccinated” means patients who have completed a full vaccine series, plus booster, if eligible.

If you do test positive for COVID-19, consider how sick you are to guide what actions to take next. If you’re asymptomatic, you can do a test at home and avoid a trip to the emergency department, say experts like Dr. Jeff Bahr, chief medical group officer for Advocate Aurora Health. And if you’re otherwise healthy and have mild symptoms, you can treat them at home. A positive case should always be followed by masking and isolating.

However, if you’re experiencing symptoms like shortness of breath at rest or during mild activity, or if you have any underlying conditions like asthma, diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that are being exacerbated, then it may be time to connect with your doctor, he said.

Resources like the LiveWell app can also help you point you in the right direction, whether that’s doing additional testing or being evaluated by a doctor. You can even check your symptoms online and get an idea of what steps to take next.

If you think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, start with our COVID-19 Symptom Checker or call 866-443-2584.

Article contributed by: Mike Riopell