COVID-19 cases and coronavirus-related hospitalizations have plunged since the omicron and delta waves. However, according to public-health experts, there will be another surge in cases in the future.
“We have seen that we tend to get wave after wave,” Dr. David Pride of UC San Diego told NBC 7. "We have seen that what goes on in other parts of the world does tend to make its way to us."
Many officials have urged people to prepare for the next potential wave. Among other precautions, getting a COVID-19 booster vaccine shot is one way to prepare.
“We are encouraging people to get out and get that booster,” San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher said. "It’s available for everyone 12 and older. If you’re over 50 and you already had a booster, you may be eligible for a second. It doesn’t mean you won’t get the variant, but it significantly reduces the symptoms and [the chance] that you’d be hospitalized from it."
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Approximately 90% of San Diegans received a COVID-19 vaccination, and approximately 50% of eligible San Diegans received a booster.
Another way to prepare is to stock up on COVID-19 supplies, including tests, masks and pulse oximeters.
“I think, as we go through this, we will see ebbs and flows, ups and downs, just like the flu, so I think having things where you are prepared and ready is a good thing,” Fletcher said.
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Along with traditional supplies, many other household items may be useful to have in the event of another surge.
“So, generally, most of us stock up for the flu season — that’s November to April —so that we’ve got medicines like Tylenol or cough syrup, etc., at home," Pride said. "Those are the things that people should very well have right now.”
Local public-health experts monitoring COVID-19 cases feel confident San Diego will be better equipped than during previous waves if there is a spike in cases.
