JESSICA: THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS HOSPITALEDIZ IN MASSACHUSETTS FOR COVID DOWN TO 210, MORE THAN HALF FULLY VACCINATED. HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT IS DR. TODD ELLERIN, CHIEF OF IN FECTIOUS DISEASES AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. N:BE LET’S BREAK THAT DOWN. THIS IS FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH. THE NUMBER IS TWO HUNDRED 10, DOWN FROM 0033 PATIENTS AT THE HEIGHT OF THE OMICRON SURGEON JANUARY, BUT LOOKING AT THIS WEEK’S DATA, 120 FOUR WERE FULLY CCVAINATED WHEN INFECTED, SO ALMOST 60%. ARYOUE SURPRISED THAT HIGH OF A PERCENTAGE IS IN THE HOSPITAL? >> NOT AT ALL AND LET ME EXPLAIN. IMAGINE 100 PERCENT OF PEOPLE IN MASSACHUSETTS WERE VACCINATED. ANY HOSPITALIZED PATIENT WITH COVID WOULD BE VACCINAD BUT MASSACHUSETTS HAS OVER 80% OF US FULLY VACCINATED, THOSE ELIGIBLE NOW. SO YOU EXPECT TO E SEVACCINATED PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED. HERE IS THE RUB, THOUGH. WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHO IS VACCINATED AND HOSPITALIZED, IT TENDS TO BE THE EXTREMES OF AGE, ELDERLY, LSOT OF CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE UNVACCINATED ARE OFTEN 15, 20 YES YOUNGER, SO YOUNGER UNVACCINATED PEOPLE ARE BEING VACCINATED. AND TO BRING HOME THE POINT, ONLY 18% OF PEOPLE OF MASSACHUSETTS ARE VACCINATED, YET IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR NUMBERS, 41% OF PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED NOW ARE UNVACCINATED, SO THE VACCINES ARE DOING WHAT WE EXPECT. JESSICA: WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT WANTINPRG OTECTION FROM VACCINES AND PRIOR INFECTIONS. DO WE KNOW HOW LONG EACH ONE WILL LAST? DR. ELLERIN: TREHE WAS A RECENT STUDY IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL PUBLISHED TODAY, AND WTHA IT SHOWS,ND A WE KNOW THIS, IS THAT VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS DOES WANE OVER TIME, AND THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONWHY WE MAY HAVE TO CHANGE OUR SHIFT A LITTLE WITH GOALS. ATHE T VERY BEGINNING, WHEN VACCINES FIRST CAME OUT, WE WERE HEARING 95% EFFECTIVE AGAINST INFECTION. THOSE NUMBERS HAVE DECREASED .IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL, THE VARIANT OUT OF THE U.K., EFFECTIVENESS DROPPED TO SIX MONTHS, BUT I THINK THE KEY IS THE VACCINES ARE STILL WORKING SO WELL AT PREVENTING SEVERE INFECTION. I THINK THAT WILL HAVE TO BE WHERE WE ARE LOOKING IN THE FUTURE. BEN: A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE INFECTED WITH COVID DURING THE OMICRON SURGEON AND MANY PEOPLE HAD MILD SYMPTOMS -- OMICRON SURGE AND MANY PEOPLE HAD MILD SYMPTOMS. IS IT SAFE FOR THESE PEOPLE TO SKIP THE BOOSTER SHOTS OR NOT? DRELLERI. ABSOLUTELY NOT. EVEN THOUGH WE LEARNED INFECTION DOES PROVIDE IMMUNITY, A STUDY THIS TIME FROM ISRAEL PUBLISHED INHE JOURNAL, 139,000 PEOPLE OMFR ISRLAE, AND ESSENTIALLY, MOST WERE COMPLETELY VACCINATED, HAD TWO DOSES OF VACCINE, AND WHAT TYHE SHOWED IS THAT THOSE WHO WERE VACCINATED ALONE, THERE WERE ABOUT54 WE 3 INFECTIONS, BUT THOSE WHO WERE VACCINATED AND VACCINATED AND ALSO INFECTED, THEY WERE LESS LIKELY TO GET INFECTED, SO WHAT DOES THAT SAY? INFECTION PLUS VACCINE PROTECTS GREATER THAN JUST VACCINE ALONE. AND AGAIN, ONE THING TO REMEMBER , WHAT YOU DO NOT WANTOT O IS GO AND GET INFECTED BECAUSE THESE STUDIES DON’T TELL ABOUT ETH MORBIDITY, COVID LONG-TERM, PROBLEMS, SEPARATION, ISOLATION, THINGS LIKE THAT, SO THAT, SO THE VACCINE IS STILL THE BEST WAY. JESSICA: ONE LAST QUESTION. I ALSO WANT TO ASK ABOUT SEASONAL ALLERGIES. TREE POLLEN IS A BIG PROBLEM NOW. THE FACE MASKS OFFER ANY SORT OF PROTECTION? DR. ELRILE THEY ACTUALLY DO BUT IT IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD -- THE MASKS PROTECT YOUR FACE FROM POLLEN BUT THE EYES ARE EXPOSED. THE OTHER ISSUE IS WHEN YOU BRING THE MASK BACK TOIN ITSELF, YOU CAN CAUSE MORE POLLEN RELEASE IN THE HOME, SO YOU WANT TO BE CAREFUL OF THAT. JUST LIKE COVID, THESE RESPIRATORS ACTUALLY PROTECT BETTER THAN ETH REGULAR SURGICAL MASKS, SO MASKS DO PROTT AGAINST POLLEN, BUT BE CAREFUL DAN REALIZE IT WILL NOT