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It’s been quite a ride through this pandemic, and yet much about life with COVID-19 in our midst remains to be explored. Every day, I answer questions posed by my patients and their parents regarding the virus that has affected our lives such as these below.

Q. Who needs a booster and when is the best time to receive it?
A. Pharmaceutical companies are researching booster shots and they may be available later this year. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla recently commented that the research to date supports the need for a booster somewhere between eight and 12 months. Another of the leading manufacturers, Moderna, is studying three potential boosters: a one-time, lower-dose shot that targets the original coronavirus; a shot that specifically attacks the B.1.351 (South African) and P.1 (Brazilian) variants; and a third, also a lower-dose combination of the two (original and variant boosters). A booster that works on the Delta variant is likely to be developed also. Moderna is working with the FDA to see if people who received another brand of vaccine can get a booster by Moderna safely. This would make it logistically easier for everyone if we can prove that mixing and matching of different vaccines is safe and as effective.
 
Q. Do you recommend that people wear masks to walk into a restaurant, even though most of us take it off at the table?
A. This question doesn’t have an easy, logical answer but illustrates the difficulty that we in the public health community have when making recommendations. We all know that if you are indoors and in close proximity to others without masks, there is a higher chance of spreading or contracting COVID-19. At the same time, you can’t eat or drink with a mask on. A compromise chosen by most restaurants is to ask patrons to wear their masks until they reach their tables and when they get up again to use the restroom or for any other reason. It’s not any ‘safer’ to be in a restaurant/bar within six feet of another person without a mask than it is anywhere else. I tell patients that it is still important to take precautions such as wearing masks and using hand sanitizer when in public. Otherwise, we would allow COVID-19 to continue to spread and mutate.
 
Q. I’m about to deliver my second child. Should I limit visitors? Should my older child, who is four, wear a mask around the baby?
A. Newborns can have visitors, but with precautions. I do recommend that parents consider limiting the number of visitors the baby is in close contact with, which was also true before the pandemic. Babies are unprotected when they are separated from the placenta, so I recommend that households with an infant limit their exposure to people outside of the household for the first two to three months. Your older child and visitors should wear a mask around the baby. These precautions will help you avoid all the common viruses, not just COVID-19. The flu, RSV and rotavirus are dangerous for infants.