COVID-19 at Two Years: BA.2, Best Practices, and an Update on Heart Health

As we pass the second anniversary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, a new subvariant known as BA.2 is making its way across the globe. While the variant is more contagious than omicron, most cases are not resulting in hospitalization. Individuals should still take precautions, according to AtlantiCare’s experts.  
 “With the experience of the initial virus we’re able to path some predictions with future variants,” said Manish Trivedi M.D., chair of Infectious Diseases and co-chair of Infection Prevention and Control, AtlantiCare. “Being prepared and continuing to have expert opinions all moving together in a unified fashion is really important.”  
 “We’ve learned much and know what works and what doesn’t, and we incorporate that right away when we evaluate and treat patients,” continued Trivedi. “Length of hospital stay has been reduced by how aggressive we now are as far as therapeutics are concerned. As we move forward, we will continue to monitor our region.”
 Edward Hamaty, D.O., chair, Department of Critical Care, AtlantiCare, saw firsthand the importance of evolving care throughout the pandemic. “Adopting WHO and National Institutes of Health best practices early on was crucial,” said Hamaty. “These included providing support to keep patients off ventilators, using steroids in our treatment plan when appropriate, admitting patients who met criteria for being hospitalized, and releasing hospitalized patients and Emergency Department patients appropriately.”  
 Hamaty said that communicating the importance of vaccines and providing vaccines at regional sites throughout the third and fourth surges has played an important role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and severe disease.  
 “Once vaccinations became available, most patients admitted to the ICU for COVID or complications of COVID were those who were not vaccinated,” Hamaty explained. “It is still critical that those who are eligible are vaccinated and boosted.”  
 Women, heart health and the pandemic  
The team at AtlantiCare’s Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI) are finding that women who have had COVID-19, including those who had only mild symptoms, are now facing new heart issues. Recent studies confirm that COVID-19 is affecting the hearts of those who, prior to having the virus, had no known heart issues. These include high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, heart attack and other life-limiting and potentially fatal heart issues.  
 “In fact, some women with no known heart health risk factors have suffered heart attacks,” said Sanjay Shetty, M.D., chief medical officer, AtlantiCare HVI. “What is very unusual, is that some of these women did not have a heart blockage. The commonality they share is that they had COVID-19.”
 The AtlantiCare team reminds people of the importance of having routine health visits with their primary care provider and specialists, as well as seeking immediate medical assistance when facing injury or complications from illness. To find a provider, obtain information on specialty services and learn more about current health topics such as COVID-19, visit Atlanticare.org.