The top 3 reasons that an 'alphabet soup of variants' of COVID-19 are rising
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - If it seems like everybody at the office is getting COVID-19 again, it likely has nothing to do with work.
As cases of COVID-19 continue to climb as we head into the cooler months, you may have noticed the virus appears to be spreading quickly at the office, or where you work. Healthcare providers say that's likely due to at least three things.
The first is the rise of global travel. Ask anyone where you work and chances are they took a revenge trip once COVID-19 restrictions lifted.
That likely brought strains of the virus to your office that Dr. Steve Feagins calls “the alphabet soup of variants.”
While people have some immunity to these due to previous infection and vaccines, BQ.1 and BQ1.1 are gaining steam.
The second reason people at work are getting COVID-19 again is because immunities are down overall, according to Tiffany Mattingly with the Health Collaborative.
Tiffany Mattingly says less than one in ten eligible have bothered to get a booster and if it has been more than two months since you are last shot, you have had a drop in immunity.
Finally, the third reason people at work are getting infected has nothing to do with work
You see when we first returned from working from home, people had the luxury of social distance.
“We had a lot of social distancing, a lot of great prevention measures in place,” said Mattingly.
But those shields at the grocery store are gone, as are the limited capacity events and activities.
That means the third reason COVID-19 has popped up where you work is simply the growing proximity of people.
If you do get a booster shot, it is good timing for those you will see around the Thanksgiving holiday. It takes about two weeks for your body to build up full immunity.
