Health & wellness

Exercise Classes with Sharon Devine

Sharon Devine is teaching the following weekly classes in the Fitness Center. All classes include some activities for flexibility, strengthening, stretching, and balance. Space is limited so register with Sharon by calling 617-454-4985.

Chair Dance

Once a month through the end of the year, join certified yoga instructor Caitlin Moore at the Senior Center. Get your cardio right from your chair! Dance to your favorite tunes while improving your posture, strengthening your muscles, and
fine‐tuning balance and coordination. Each class includes a warm‐up and cool‐down. Please register at 617‐730‐2770.

Ask A Geriatrician

Dr. Suzanne Salamon, Chief Associate of Clinical Geriatrics at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, answers your general questions about aging and geriatric medicine in this column every month. Editor’s note: If you have questions, e‐mail them to me at mdeery@brooklinema.gov or call 617‐730‐2790. I will make sure that Dr. Salamon gets the questions and answers them in the Newsletter.

October 2022

Question: I am a 66‐year‐old who has asthma, and received both of my COVID shots and both boosters as soon as I was eligible for them (at least a year ago, if not longer). As far as I know, I have never caught COVID (and have taken home tests if I have been concerned). With all of the additional shots and treatments that have been developed, is there a next step that people like me should take regarding COVID shots, or just continue to try to stay safe?

Answer: According to the FDA, because the COVID virus keeps changing, it is important to keep your protection strong by getting updated COVID boosters as they are developed. The vaccines that we have so far have not completely prevented people from getting COVID (as many of you know!!), but they have been incredibly powerful in helping to decrease the incidence of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID‐19. Despite this, there are still around 25 people who die every day in the USA from COVID. Massachusetts, with one of the highest vaccination rates in the country (81%), has a far lower death rate. Because this clever virus keeps changing so that it can find new “victims,” researchers keep racing to keep up with or even ahead of new strains of the virus. The newest vaccine boosters, just released a few weeks ago, are a combination of the original virus strain as well as the Omicron variant. Therefore it has the name “bivalent” COVID‐19 vaccine. This new vaccine booster is meant to give you broad protection against COVID‐19 as well as better protection against the Omicron variant. This is important because not only has the virus changed, but our immunity against COVID also decreases with time.

So far the FDA has approved 2 of these bivalent vaccines: 1‐Moderna COVID‐19 Vaccine, Bivalent, which is authorized for use as a single booster dose for people 18 years old and older who have completed the original 2 dose primary vaccination. 2‐ Pfizer‐BioNTech COVID‐19 Vaccine, Bivalent also authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 12 years of age and older who also have completed the original 2 dose primary vaccination. These bivalent boosters should be given at least 2 months after your last COVID vaccination (whether original or another booster). The bivalent booster does not need to be the same type of vaccine you had before, so it is OK to “mix and match” Moderna and Pfizer. While no vaccine is 100% effective (remember‐the term “booster shot” has been around for a long time, long before COVID), but we do know that these vaccines can help us get through a bout of COVID without getting very sick. Even for someone who had COVID, those antibodies in your body start to fade with time and do not provide “one and done” protection. Also, trying not to get sick from COVID protects not only you, but young children who are not yet eligible for the shots and can catch it, often with severe consequences. Most people have no or few side effects which last only a day or two. These vaccines are now available at your local pharmacies. I strongly encourage people to get the new bivalent vaccine. I also still encourage people to wear masks at indoor places, especially now that we are heading into fall and winter where more people will be gathering indoors.
(IN ADDITION, I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET THE LATEST INFLUENZA (FLU) VACCINE, BUT I SUGGEST WAITING UNTIL OCTOBER TO GET THIS VACCINE, SINCE FLU ACTIVITY PEAKS BETWEEN DECEMBER AND FEBRUARY, and you don’t want your flu antibodies to fade too quickly.)