David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, was featured in a number of COVID-19 articles the week of September 10-15.
NC Reacts to COVID Vaccine Order – News & Observer (September 11, 2021)
As political, medical and business leaders in North Carolina show mixed reactions to President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 mandate, David Wohl, MD, told the News & Observer that a vaccine mandate “makes sense.”
Here’s Why Triangle Hospitals Are Posting Patient Vaccination Breakdowns On Social Media – CBS-17 (September 10, 2021)
A CBS-17 news report says local hospitals want the public to know how many of their COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated. Each of the three main health care systems in the Triangle — WakeMed, UNC Health and Duke Health — published recent breakdowns of their patient totals by vaccine status.
David Wohl, MD, said one of the points is to emphasize how difficult the thousands of unvaccinated patients across the state are making it for everyone else — and to provide even more tangible evidence to persuade the millions of holdouts across the state to get the shots.
U.S. Should Still Prioritize Global Vaccine Assistance While Distributing Boosters, Some Experts Say – ABC-11 (September 14, 2021)
While COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina have stabilized over the past two weeks, there are continued concerns over a surge in cases stemming from the more transmissible Delta variant.
In North Carolina, 67% of the adult population is at least partially vaccinated, which lags behind the national rate of nearly 76%.
While vaccinations remain an extremely important preventative measure, David Wohl, MD, urges people to remain cautious, especially in large crowds. “This is the wrong time to be in denial or to be exhausted, because then you’re going to let your guard down. So I’ve seen photos and videos from some of these mass events and people are not wearing masks, and I think that is foolish,” said Wohl.
Durham Woman Partners With Walgreens to Provide COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines For Her Neighborhood – ABC-11 (September 15, 2021)
Durham resident Marcella Thompson partnered with her neighborhood Walgreens store for a COVID-19 and flu shot vaccine clinic. ABC-11 news asked David Wohl, MD, about the safety of getting both vaccines at same time.
“Absolutely it’s ok,” said Wohl. “We can take both those shots together and there should be no problem at all.” He explained to ABC-11 the last flu season was milder because people wore masks and social distanced. He also recognized the myth that the flu vaccine gives you the flu and said that both shots can bring brief cold-like symptoms, which means they’re working.
“We tell people even with the COVID-19 vaccine, if you start to get a little achy, a little tired the day after getting the shot, that is almost certain just a reaction to the vaccine. But if it’s two or three days later that you are feeling under the weather — you’re coughing, shortness of breath, if you have a fever, then we are suspicious of something else going on. And the same thing if you get the flu shot.”