CDC encourages Georgia residents to get bivalent booster for COVID-19

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Dr. Debra Houry is a scientist, and one of the top doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but she is also, human. She has a family, and she continues to take extra precautions to keep them all safe.

“I’m a mom, I’m a wife, I’m a doctor and a scientist, and my family is vaccinated,” said Houry.

She addressed a room full of healthcare providers in Atlanta on Sunday, asking them to encourage their patients to get the

New bivalent COVID-19 booster.

“The booster is really the up-to-date version of the COVID vaccine and it’s bivalent because there are two parts to it including the omicron variant,” said Houry.

A recent CDC study revealed that more than 60 percent

Of people surveyed did not get the booster, because their doctor didn’t mention it. Houry said Georgia is one of the bottom five states when it comes to getting this shot.

“I think there is a bit of COVID fatigue, and sometimes you think you’ve got your vaccine, so you don’t realize there is a new one and you might not be covered,” she said.

Doctor Sharon Ravinovitz will be recommending this to her patients, in fact, she has already started.

“The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians shares the belief with the CDC and Dr. Houry that physicians and clinicians are the top-rated sources for patients to make health decisions,” said Ravinovitz.

We’ve come a long way since 2020 when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. The virus killed more than 35,000 Georgians according to The Georgia Department of Public Health. But three years later, the numbers are looking better in the United States.

“People are now vaccinated or people have been exposed to COVID so they have that natural immunity,” said Houry.

“Hospitalizations and deaths are down. We have to look at how do we integrate daily life with infections that are out there,” said Houry.

But to keep numbers down, doctors say it will take a nationwide effort.