Drs. Ed Dominguez, Theresa Patton answer questions about COVID-19 booster shots, state of East Texas hospitals

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Yesterday, the FDA said transplant patients and others with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Today, Infectious Disease Specialist Doctor Ed Dominguez and OBGYN Doctor Theresa Patton joined us on East Texas Now to clarify who can get these boosters and also addressed what is currently being seen in hospitals.

Dr. Ed Dominguez said following last nights approval by the FDA, his hospital has already started administering COVID-19 booster shots.

“Several of our transplant patients, actually quite a few of them that we have been able to contact that live relatively close and they are already receiving it,” Dominguez said.

He listed some other conditions that would qualify people for the extra dose.

“So that would include Rheumatology patients that are getting certain kinds of immune-suppressing drugs, particularly what they call biologics, that could include biologics that are being given for dermatology issues like Psoriasis, neuralogic processes like multiple sclerosis,” he said

Dr. Theresa Patton also addressed concern about breakthrough cases, or vaccinated people who still have caught the virus. She said that though the vaccine may not prevent you from getting the virus, it has proven to be effective at keeping most out of the hospital.

“Any of the reports that you look at, anywhere between 95 to 97 percent of the patients in the hospital are unvaccinated, so the vaccine is working well to keep people out of the hospital but it may not keep you from getting the virus,” Patton said.

Using the example of Texas Democratic Legislatures who went to Washington D.C., Doctor Patton said many vaccinated people who contract COVID-19 may be asymptomatic.

“When they did that, in order to be in those spaces they had to be tested, so many of them were asymptomatic meaning they had no symptoms at all and the only reason we knew was because of the additional testing that was done because of protocols,” Patton said. “So as we have more places that mandate either vaccination or testing, we’re probably going to see more individuals who come back with positive tests even if they don’t have symptoms.”

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