Doctors urging RSV vaccines for seniors and pregnant women

NEWSWATCH SEVEN AT FIVE. TONIGHT, WE’RE GETTING THE FACTS ABOUT RSV SHOTS. AS CASES SURGE HERE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M QUANECIA FRASER. I’M BILL SCHAMMERT. DOUGLAS COUNTY HEALTH SAW 170 CASES LAST WEEK. THERE ARE TWO VACCINES APPROVED THIS YEAR FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AND PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 60. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S JESSICA PEREZ IS LIVE WITH HOW THOSE SHOTS WORK. JESSICA. FOR MOST PEOPLE, RSV CAN FEEL LIKE THE COMMON COLD, BUT OTHERS CAN DEVELOP SEVERE RESPIRATORY ISSUES LIKE PNEUMONIA, ESPECIALLY BABIES. PEOPLE OVER 60 AND THOSE WITH UNDERLYING CONDITIONS. WASHING YOUR HANDS AND DISINFECTING SURFACES ARE ALL THINGS WE SHOULD BE DOING TO PREVENT GETTING SICK. BUT AS RSV CASES RISE IN NEBRASKA, DOCTORS AT CHI HEALTH ARE URGING PEOPLE TO GET VACCINATED. SOMETIMES PEOPLE NEED TO BE HOSPITALIZED AND HAVE HELP WITH BREATHING DURING THESE ILLNESSES. AND YES, SOMETIMES IT IS FATAL. ACCORDING TO THE NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN AND HEALTH SERVICES DASHBOARD, AS OF NOVEMBER 25TH, 283, POSITIVE RSV CASES WERE REPORTED AND. 141 EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS ASSOCIATED WITH RSV. DR. MICHAEL SHOAF WITH CHI HEALTH SAYS TWO VACCINES ARE AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE OVER 60 AND PREGNANT MOTHERS. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR AS MANY MOMS AS POSSIBLE TO GET THE VACCINE DURING THE PREGNANCY. PREGNANT WOMEN CAN PASS ON ANTIBODIES TO THEIR BABIES. ANTIBODIES CAN BE GIVEN AFTER BIRTH. BUT SHOAF SAYS THEY’RE IN SHORT SUPPLY AND DON’T WORK TO PROTECT YOUR BABY RIGHT AWAY. LIKE THE VACCINE DOES. THEY’RE PROTECTED FROM THE MOMENT THEY THEY BREATHE AS OPPOSED TO THEN HAVING TO GET THE THE ANTIBODIES GIVEN TO THEM AND THEN WAITING FOR THAT TO TAKE EFFECT. OBGYN DOCTOR JOHN COTA SAYS BABIES ARE MORE AT RISK FOR RSV WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF BIRTH. THERE’S HUNDREDS THAT ACTUALLY DIE BECAUSE OF THIS DISEASE. SO IF WE CAN HAVE THAT PREVENTION BY GIVING, LET’S SAY, THE VACCINE TO THE MOM. BETWEEN 32 AND 36 AND SIX, SEVEN WEEKS, THEN WE CAN POTENTIALLY DECREASE THESE NUMBERS WAS AS HOLIDAY GATHERINGS APPROACH, SHOAF SAYS, AT RISK PEOPLE SHOULD GET THE VACCINE TWO WEEKS BEFORE EXPOSURE WITHOUT INSURANCE, THE VACCINE CAN COST YOU ANYWHERE FROM $150 TO $300. DR. SHOAF SAYS YOU SHOULD CONTINUE DOING COMMON SENSE THINGS LIKE COVERING YOUR COUGH AND GET VACCINATED FOR OTHER RESPIRATOR