Mayo Clinic Q&A Podcast: Don't let down your guard during the COVID-19 pandemic

"People seem to be decreasing travel. More folks are wearing masks. They're following that hand, space, and vaccinate paradigm," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "And it's working."

But he warns that this is not the time to let down your guard during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Poland says there are three COVID-19 vaccines and receiving whichever one is available to you, is the way out of this pandemic. He also reminds people to continue wearing masks, even after being vaccinated for COVID-19.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland answers more questions from listeners, including concerns about persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms following COVID-19, whether a COVID-19 vaccination is needed after having COVID-19, and if COVID-19 vaccines will become seasonal like the flu vaccine.
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For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Dr. Poland has served as a consultant for Merck & Co. Inc., Medicago Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Sanofi Pasteur, Emergent BioSolutions Inc., Dynavax Technologies Corp., Genentech Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., Kentucky BioProcessing Inc. and Genevant Sciences Corp., and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. He is a paid scientific adviser for Johnson & Johnson. Honoraria: Elsevier.