Photo Credit: Shutterstock

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented us with extremely trying times over the past year. With the new delta variant spreading throughout the nation, it feels as if we are taking steps backward. Haute Beauty sat down with Haute MD experts to discuss the effects the new delta variant has had on their practices and how they have adjusted. Here’s what they had to say:

Dr. Vineet Sandhu | Concierge Medicine | New York

Yes, I believe that these variants (delta, lambda, and columbia) are concerning and added stress to myself and my practice. With the onset of the pandemic, I started a hybrid practice of inpatient and telemedicine to survive as a business. Now I am 80-90 percent telemedicine. My office staff has children and were also concerned about their own health so we decided as a team that it would be safer to work remotely. The change has been an adjustment as I’m very used to being out in front of patients. I’m learning to enjoy more time to myself and has given me the opportunity to explore my creative sides. I’ve expanded my telemedicine practice to Miami with the opening of houseMDmiami.com and moved here after living in the northeast for my most of my entire life.

For more information, visit Dr. Sandhu’s website or Instagram!

Dr. Brianna Varas | Pediatrician | Miami/Fort Lauderdale

The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports in-person learning this school year. It is extremely important for all children’s social and emotional development to interact with their peers in a healthy learning environment. It has been shown that mask-wearing while indoors, hand and surface-sanitizing and social distancing have greatly reduced the spread of the coronavirus among children while in school. It is important to create a safe atmosphere for all children, including those that have underlying medical conditions such as asthma or immunodeficiencies. Schools that encourage staff members to be vaccinated, as well as adhere to mask-wearing policies while indoors will significantly limit exposure to coronavirus and the Delta variant to children that cannot yet be vaccinated.

Pfizer expects to submit to the FDA for emergency use authorization for 5 to 11-year olds and begin vaccinating children by the end of the year. My partner and I will thoroughly analyze the data presented prior to recommending the vaccine for use in children these ages, as we have with the approval for vaccination in the 12-16-year old category. At this point in time, we strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccination for all individuals over 12 years old. It has been repeatedly shown to protect those vaccinated from hospitalization and mortality. 

The surge of the Delta variant has set us back in terms of imposing restrictions on ourselves and our children. COVID is here to stay and is something we will be dealing with for a very long time. We need to learn to have fun and experience positive social interaction while still keeping our children safe.

My practice has encouraged widespread testing for COVID-19 as well as quarantining when our patients and families have contracted the disease. We recommend daily multivitamins as well as Vitamin D and Zinc supplementation for all our patients. We do not recommend any specific antibiotic or additional treatment for when individuals have contracted COVID-19. 

For more information, visit Dr. Varas’s website or Instagram!