BANGOR, Maine — Maine doctors renewed their call Thursday for people to get the most updated COVID-19 vaccine that targets the predominant variant before families gather for the holiday season.
Dr. James Jarvis, Northern Light Health's senior physician executive, said the majority of new variants are all in the Omicron family, in the XBB subset.
"They continue to track new variants on a daily basis. That's how fast this virus mutates," Jarvis said.
He said these latest variants do not appear to make someone more severely ill, but they are more infectious, spreading more easily.
The most updated booster vaccine came out in October and targets XBB variants.
"Individuals who received an original vaccine back in 2021, that targeted a completely different vaccine," Jarvis said. "That's the reason why we have a new vaccine and we are strongly recommending that everyone over six months of age get that vaccine because it will protect you from the particular family that continues to be the family that we see these variants coming from."
Doctor Jarvis says no vaccine gives someone 100 percent protection, which is why they encourage good hygiene and masking in crowds.
"It's just like a car accident. We can't prevent 100 percent of car accidents. What we try to do is minimize what happens when you're in a car accident," he said.
The U.S. CDC updated guidance around isolating and testing in August, including a calculator that helps you know how long to stay home.
The agency's guidance says regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate from others when you have COVID-19. You should also isolate if you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results. If your results are negative, you can end your isolation.
If your symptoms improve, you can leave your home, but should still wear a mask around others for five more days. Day 0 of isolation is the day of symptom onset, regardless of when you tested positive. Day 1 is the first full day after the day your symptoms started.
You can read more of the CDC guidance here.