LEBANON – Tremendous strides have been made in the treatment and management of COVID-19 in under three years. Vaccination against the virus has proven incredibly effective at boosting immunity and preventing extreme illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 infection. For most people, at this point, being fully vaccinated allows them to largely return to their “normal” lives. However, maintaining a fully vaccinated status means getting booster shots as they become available, including the new bivalent booster vaccines now widely available nationwide.

On Oct. 11, at 4 pm, Dartmouth Health will host a free webinar offering information on the bivalent booster vaccines, which will be open to the community. Michael S. Calderwood, MD, MPH, chief quality officer at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and Sally A. Kraft, MD, vice president of Population Health at Dartmouth Health, will host the webinar and address the science behind the vaccine, its efficacy, age recommendations and community collaboration and access. Calderwood and Kraft will also take questions from participants.

“The case fatality rate of COVID-19 has dramatically declined, due to less deadly variants and improved population immunity through vaccination and/or infection,” Calderwood said. “Our focus at Dartmouth Health at this time is getting the most people up-to-date with vaccination while hoping that we don’t experience another winter surge. The bivalent booster vaccines are highly effective against the contagious Omicron strain and another critical tool in the fight against COVID-19. I hope that people who tune into my conversation with Dr. Kraft will walk away with a better understanding of how vaccines work and how important it is to keep up with boosters to keep COVID-19 at bay.”

To access the webinar, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84744273635.

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