Covid-19 News and Discussions

[RescueRanger]

Thread moved to World Affairs and given a dedicated title.

 

[RescueRanger]

@Yommie please carry on your discussion here.

 

[Yommie]

Waterloo Region COVID-19 booster uptake below national average

Nationally, 15 per cent of Canadians have received the latest version of the COVID-19 booster vaccine. In Waterloo Region, 11 per cent of residents have gotten a booster dose in the last six months.

kitchener.ctvnews.ca

Waterloo Region COVID-19 booster uptake below national average

Colton Wiens
CTV News Kitchener Videographer
Contact
Updated Dec. 27, 2023 7:05 p.m. EST
Published Dec. 27, 2023 5:19 p.m. EST

Residents in Waterloo Region are not keeping up with the national rate for COVID-19 booster shots.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, as of Dec. 3, 14.6 per cent of Canadians have received the latest version of the COVID-19 booster shot, which targets the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub variant. That includes 15.1 percent of Canadians 5 years and older.

In Waterloo Region, as of Dec. 9, 10.9 percent of residents have received a COVID-19 booster dose in the last six months. Based on age range, just 0.3 percent of kids aged zero to 11 are up to date on their vaccinations, while 12.2 percent of people 12 years and older have received the latest booster.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s surprising, because in any case almost all the provinces are having a low rate of booster vaccination,” said Zahid Butt, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Waterloo.
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According to current guidelines, Region of Waterloo Public Health recommends 71 per cent of residents should receive an additional dose.
“We need to have this annual COVID-19 shot, similar to the flu shot where it takes into account all the current variants at a particular point in time,” Butt said.
WHY IS BOOSTER UPTAKE LOW?
Butt said the slower rates could be a number of reasons.
“Pandemic fatigue, people are not really concerned about the virus now. They don’t want to take more booster shots. Another thing is, recently, thankfully, [COVID-19] hasn’t caused that much severe illness,” Butt said.
The lower vaccination numbers could also be the result of eligibility.
“It is important to be aware that many individuals may not have been eligible to receive the booster, due to a previous COVID-19 vaccination or infection within the three to six months before its release,” Region of Waterloo Public Health said.
LOCAL COVID-19 PICTURE
Deaths caused by or contributed to by COVID-19 have dropped dramatically.
Waterloo Region has reported 40 deaths related to COVID-19 in 2023, versus 190 deaths in 2022.
Currently 42 people are hospitalized in Waterloo Region with to COVID-19. At the same time last year, there were 51.
Waterloo Region is seeing three outbreaks in congregate settings and four in long-term care and retirement homes.
Butt said along with proper handwashing and staying home when you are sick, vaccinations are important to keep people healthy during respiratory illness season.

“I think you should go ahead and get those vaccines. You can get the COVID-19 and flu vaccine together. Then for people who are ages 60 and above, they should get the RSV vaccine,” Butt said.
Butt said he expects after people gather over the holidays, there will be an increase in the number of cases.
According to Region of Waterloo Public Health, the COVID-19 wastewater signal remains elevated with an expected fluctuation from week to week.
Meanwhile, Wellington Dufferin Guelph reported 41 deaths last year, down to seven this year. There is currently two COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes in that health unit.
There are six reported outbreaks in Brant County. That health unit has reported 41 COVID-19 cases since December 12.

 

[Yommie]

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20240119/covid-flu-other-viruses-peaking-at-once

Virus Soup: Many Respiratory Viruses Peaking in Early 2024​

Written by Carolyn Crist
6 min read
Jan. 19, 2024 – The familiar symptoms are back again – a runny nose, coughing, aches, congestion, and maybe a fever. When the at-home COVID-19 test comes back negative, you head to the doctor to see if they can figure out what you’ve caught. At the doctor, though, the typical COVID and flu tests also come back negative. It could seem like a new mysterious respiratory illness is making the rounds.
Instead, several typical respiratory viruses seem to be peaking at once. Doctors are reporting high levels of COVID, the flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as other “flu-like illnesses” that cause similar symptoms, such as the common cold, other coronaviruses, and parainfluenza viruses (which cause typical respiratory symptoms such as a fever, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and a sore throat).
“Respiratory viruses are still very high right now, as you would expect at this time of year,” said Brianne Barker, PhD, who researches viruses and the body’s immune response as an associate professor of biology at Drew University in New Jersey. “Also, a fair number of patients seem to have multiple infections at once, such as flu and strep, which may cause confusion when patients consider their symptoms.”

First-Aid Kit for Flu, Cold, and COVID-19​

1/12

Pain Relievers​

To help lower a fever and get some relief for uncomfortable body aches, be sure to have acetaminophen, naproxen, or ibuprofen on hand. However, if you have hypertension, kidney disease, or diabetes, you should be careful using NSAIDs. Aspirin also works, but don’t give it to kids. Aspirin is linked to a rare but life-threatening condition called Reye’s syndrome in children.

2/12

Other Meds​

Decongestant nose sprays or drops with phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine as the active ingredient take down swelling in your nose and help you breathe better. Decongestant balms you rub on your chest can also help open airways. Cough medicines or drops with dextromethorphan help with a dry cough, while those with guaifenesin can soothe a wet cough.

3/12

Hand Sanitizer​

For the best germ-killing power, wash your hands with soap and water whenever you can. But it’s a good idea to have a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol around, too. Keep it by the bed when you’re sick, and use it after you cover a cough or blow your nose. Caregivers can grab a squirt, too, after checking a temperature or feeling a forehead.

4/12

Tissues​

Coughs and runny noses can be features of colds, flu, and COVID-19. Keep tissues on hand so you can contain those germs that you’re hacking and sneezing. Use a tissue to cover coughs and sneezes. Throw tissues away promptly, and then wash or disinfect your hands.

5/12

Thermometer​

Even if you’re not feeling feverish, it’s a good idea to track your temperature during an illness, so you have a good read on your body. You also need a thermometer in case your temperature spikes and you need to report it to a doctor.

6/12

Mask​

It’s best to keep your distance from other people when you have a virus, but if you share a household or need to go to the doctor’s office, a mask that covers your nose and mouth is a must for keeping your germs to yourself.

7/12

Disinfectant Spray​

The common cold, the flu, and COVID-19 are all airborne illnesses. That means they travel through droplets from your nose and mouth. When you’re sick, wipe down areas you touch so you lower the chances of passing the virus on to others.

8/12

Lots to Drink​

Your body loses a lot of fluids when you’re sick because of fever sweats, a runny nose, and coughing. Water is good, but be sure to stock up on other kinds of drinks, too. Broth, warm tea, or drinks with electrolytes can all be good for hydration.

9/12

Humidifier​

A cool-mist humidifier blows tiny droplets of water into the air to help keep your airways moist and ease stuffiness and dry coughing. Viruses are less likely to survive in humid air than in dry air, so it may help lessen the spread of your sickness, too.

10/12

Zinc Lozenges​

While zinc lozenges won’t treat symptoms, studies show that if you start popping them at the first sign of cold or flu symptoms, they can cut the length of your illness by up to 40%.

11/12

Pulse Oximeter​

A pulse oximeter is a small device that clips to your finger and reads how much oxygen is getting to your red blood cells. You don’t need one for a cold or the flu. But if you’re COVID-19-positive and having symptoms, it could help you keep tabs on how you’re doing. Normal oxygen levels are between 95% and 97%. Readings lower than that mean it’s time to call a doctor.

12/12

When to Go to Urgent Care​

It’s important to know when your home remedies aren’t enough anymore. See a doctor right away if you or a loved one have trouble breathing, chest pain, confusion, trouble waking up, seizures, severe muscle pain, fever over 103 F, or aren’t peeing.
Next
Medically Reviewed by Gabriela Pichardo, MD on November 18, 2022

So, what should you do? Wear a mask in public if you think you have symptoms, Barker said. Stay home if you feel sick, particularly if you have a fever over 100.4 F and signs of contagiousness, such as chills and muscle aches. Antiviral medications – such as Tamiflu for the flu and Paxlovid for COVID – may help if you catch it soon enough, but otherwise, it’s most important to stay hydrated and rest at home.

“The big picture is we’re in the heat of respiratory virus season, and the big player at the hospital right now is the flu, which seems to be superseding everything else,” said Dhaval Desai, MD, director of hospital medicine at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta. “I’m not sure if certain viruses are more aggressive or different this year, so it’s hard to say exactly what’s going on, but we’ve certainly seen an uptick since mid-December, and it hasn’t stopped.”

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What Are the Latest Trends?
The current COVID-19 surge appears to be at the highest point since the Omicron variant infected millions in December 2022, according to the CDC's COVID wastewater data. Test positivity appears to be stabilizing after increasing since November, the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker shows, though the rate was still high at 12.7% positivity during the first week of January.
At that time, COVID-19 emergency department visits began declining, though hospitalizations were still on the rise and deaths were up 14.3% from the previous week. As of Jan. 6, the JN.1 variant is driving most of the spread, accounting for 61.6% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to CDC variant data.
“COVID doesn’t seem as bad right now as in the days of Omicron, but the problem is that it’s tough to compare because COVID cases aren’t reported in the same way as before, and we don’t have that state data,” said Bernard Camins, MD, an infectious disease specialist and medical director of infection prevention at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.

The good news, he said, is that hospitalization rates are lower than last year, considering the number of people getting infected, “so there’s some immunity to it now.”
“The other good news is we have treatments for COVID, such as Paxlovid, that most people can take as long as they talk to their doctor as soon as possible after they get infected.”

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ABOUT TRANSCRIPT

Cold vs. Flu​

Cold and flu viruses share certain symptoms. Here’s how to tell the difference.

Influenza rates, which dropped during the height of the COVID pandemic, appear to be back at typical levels, Camins said. This flu season started earlier than usual in 2023 and will likely peak in the next few weeks. The CDC’s FluView shows that test positivity – now at 14% – is increasing, and hospitalizations and deaths are trending upward as well.
Similarly, the CDC’s national trends data for RSV shows that cases rose as high as last year’s peak in recent weeks but appear to be declining now, especially in the Northeast and South.

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Other viruses are circulating as well, such as adenovirus, which can cause a cold, sore throat, diarrhea, pinkeye, and other symptoms. Parainfluenza viruses peaked in late November and saw another jump at the end of December. Rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold, also returned to normal peak levels alongside the flu this season, Camins said.
“I haven’t gotten sick since 2021 and recently got rhinovirus, and it went through my household. The symptoms weren’t severe, but I still have a lingering cough,” he said. “The trick is that people weren’t getting exposed in previous years due to masking and other precautions, but now people are getting exposed to many of these viruses.”
What Should We Expect Next?
Peak respiratory virus season will likely continue throughout January and February and then begin to fade as the weather warms up, allowing for outdoor activities, better ventilation, and higher humidity.

“One of the reasons why we see so many infections at this time of year is related to humidity, when the respiratory droplets containing these viruses stay in the air longer and the immune response in our nose actually works less well in dry air,” Barker said. “Evidence indicates that having increases in humidity can help get rid of some of the viruses in the air and help our immune response.”
In the meantime, Barker suggests taking precautions, stocking up on at-home tests, and staying home when you're sick. She recently recovered from an upper respiratory infection and has decided to wear a mask in public places again. She tested negative on every possible test at her doctor’s office and doesn’t want to repeat the experience.
“It reminded me how much I don’t enjoy having an infection,” she said. “I’m willing to wear a mask at the grocery store if I don’t have to go through that again. I’m taking care of myself and others.”
In addition, don’t hesitate to get tested, Desai said, especially if an antiviral could help. After getting a respiratory virus in November, he had a high fever and sweating and decided to go to his doctor. He tested positive for influenza A, or H1N1, which the CDC’s FluView says was the most frequently reported flu strain at the end of December.

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“It kicked me harder than other illnesses in recent years, but I did take antivirals, and it was out the door in about 4 days,” he said. “My mom, who is immunocompromised and in her 70s, also got it but took an antiviral even sooner and got over it in about 24-36 hours.”
For the next couple of months, it’s also not too late to get vaccinated against the most prevalent viruses, especially COVID, the flu, and RSV. The most vulnerable groups, such as young children and older adults, could especially benefit from vaccination, Camins said.
“With RSV, for instance, there are vaccines for pregnant women to protect their infants,” he said. “And although we don’t have great data to say whether the current COVID vaccine is protective against infection, we know it still protects against severe disease and death.”
As 2024 continues, experts said they’re looking forward to more effective at-home tests for COVID and the flu, better flu vaccines, and new research on the body’s immune response to these respiratory viruses.
“Disease prevention is key, irrespective of what’s surging and what we’re dealing with right now,” Desai said. “Think about your risk factors and what you’re doing overall this year for your health and wellness – whether routine physical exams or cancer screenings, based on your age. There’s power in staying healthy and advocating for ourselves when we’re feeling well.”

 

[Yommie]

The emergence of JN.1 is an evolutionary ‘step change’ in the COVID pandemic. Why is this significant?

The JN.1 variant has become dominant in Australia and around the world, causing large waves of infections. Here’s what we know about it so far – and why it’s so important.

theconversation.com

The emergence of JN.1 is an evolutionary ‘step change’ in the COVID pandemic. Why is this significant?​

Published: January 25, 2024 3.46pm EST

Authors​

1. Suman Majumdar
   Associate Professor and Chief Health Officer - COVID and Health Emergencies, Burnet Institute
2. Brendan Crabb
   Director and CEO, Burnet Institute
3. Emma Pakula
   Senior Research and Policy Officer, Burnet Institute
4. Stuart Turville
   Associate Professor, Immunovirology and Pathogenesis Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney

Disclosure statement​

Suman Majumdar, through the Burnet Institute receives grant funding from the Australian Government via the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia, the Medical Research Future Fund and DFAT's Centre for Health Security.
Brendan Crabb and the Institute he leads receives research grant funding from the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia, the Medical Research Future Fund, DFAT's Centre for Health Security and other Australian federal and Victorian State Government bodies. He is the Chair of The Australian Global Health Alliance and the Pacific Friends of Global Health, both in an honorary capacity. And he serves on the Board of the Telethon Kids Institute, on advisory committees of mRNA Victoria, the Sanger Institute (UK), the Institute for Health Transformation (at Deakin University), The Brain Cancer Centre (Australia), the WHO Malaria Vaccine Advisory Committee; MALVAC, and is a member of OzSAGE and The John Snow Project, all honorary positions.
Stuart Turville receives funding from NHMRC through an Ideas Grant and MRFF grant related to SARS CoV-2 immunology.
Emma Pakula does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Since it was detected in August 2023, the JN.1 variant of COVID has spread widely. It has become dominant in Australia and around the world, driving the biggest COVID wave seen in many jurisdictions for at least the past year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classified JN.1 as a “variant of interest” in December 2023 and in January strongly stated COVID was a continuing global health threat causing “far too much” preventable disease with worrying potential for long-term health consequences.


JN.1 is significant. First as a pathogen – it’s a surprisingly new-look version of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) and is rapidly displacing other circulating strains (omicron XBB).
It’s also significant because of what it says about COVID’s evolution. Normally, SARS-CoV-2 variants look quite similar to what was there before, accumulating just a few mutations at a time that give the virus a meaningful advantage over its parent.

Written by academics, edited by journalists, backed by evidence.​

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However, occasionally, as was the case when omicron (B.1.1.529) arose two years ago, variants emerge seemingly out of the blue that have markedly different characteristics to what was there before. This has significant implications for disease and transmission.
Until now, it wasn’t clear this “step-change” evolution would happen again, especially given the ongoing success of the steadily evolving omicron variants.
JN.1 is so distinct and causing such a wave of new infections that many are wondering whether the WHO will recognise JN.1 as the next variant of concern with its own Greek letter. In any case, with JN.1 we’ve entered a new phase of the pandemic.

Where did JN.1 come from?​

The JN.1 (or BA.2.86.1.1) story begins with the emergence of its parent lineage BA.2.86 around mid 2023, which originated from a much earlier (2022) omicron sub-variant BA.2.
Chronic infections that may linger unresolved for months (if not years, in some people) likely play a role in the emergence of these step-change variants.
In chronically infected people, the virus silently tests and eventually retains many mutations that help it avoid immunity and survive in that person. For BA.2.86, this resulted in more than 30 mutations of the spike protein (a protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 that allows it to attach to our cells).

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Read more: COVID is surging in Australia – and only 1 in 5 older adults are up to date with their boosters

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The sheer volume of infections occurring globally sets the scene for major viral evolution. SARS-CoV-2 continues to have a very high rate of mutation. Accordingly, JN.1 itself is already mutating and evolving quickly.

How is JN.1 different to other variants?​

BA.2.86 and now JN.1 are behaving in a manner that looks unique in laboratory studies in two ways.
The first relates to how the virus evades immunity. JN.1 has inherited more than 30 mutations in its spike protein. It also acquired a new mutation, L455S, which further decreases the ability of antibodies (one part of the immune system’s protective response) to bind to the virus and prevent infection.
The second involves changes to the way JN.1 enters and replicates in our cells. Without delving in to the molecular details, recent high-profile lab-based research from the United States and Europe observed BA.2.86 to enter cells from the lung in a similar way to pre-omicron variants like delta. However, in contrast, preliminary work by Australia’s Kirby Institute using different techniques finds replication characteristics that are aligned better with omicron lineages.
Further research to resolve these different cell entry findings is important because it has implications for where the virus may prefer to replicate in the body, which could affect disease severity and transmission.
Whatever the case, these findings show JN.1 (and SARS-CoV-2 in general) can not only navigate its way around our immune system, but is finding new ways to infect cells and transmit effectively. We need to further study how this plays out in people and how it affects clinical outcomes.

Is JN.1 more severe?​

JN.1 has some characteristics which distinguish it from other variants. Elizaveta Galitckaia/Shutterstock
The step-change evolution of BA.2.86, combined with the immune-evading features in JN.1, has given the virus a global growth advantage well beyond the XBB.1-based lineages we faced in 2023.
Despite these features, evidence suggests our adaptive immune system could still recognise and respond to BA.286 and JN.1 effectively. Updated monovalent vaccines, tests and treatments remain effective against JN.1.
There are two elements to “severity”: first if it is more “intrinsically” severe (worse illness with an infection in the absence of any immunity) and second if the virus has greater transmission, causing greater illness and deaths, simply because it infects more people. The latter is certainly the case with JN.1.

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Read more: How long does immunity last after a COVID infection?

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What next?​

We simply don’t know if this virus is on an evolutionary track to becoming the “next common cold” or not, nor have any idea of what that timeframe might be. While examining the trajectories of four historic coronaviruses could give us a glimpse of where we may be heading, this should be considered as just one possible path. The emergence of JN.1 underlines that we are experiencing a continuing epidemic with COVID and that looks like the way forward for the foreseeable future.
We are now in a new pandemic phase: post-emergency. Yet COVID remains the major infectious disease causing harm globally, from both acute infections and long COVID. At a societal and an individual level we need to re-think the risks of accepting wave after wave of infection.
Altogether, this underscores the importance of comprehensive strategies to reduce COVID transmission and impacts, with the least imposition (such as clean indoor air interventions).
People are advised to continue to take active steps to protect themselves and those around them.
For better pandemic preparedness for emerging threats and an improved response to the current one it is crucial we continue global surveillance. The low representation of low- and middle- income countries is a concerning blind-spot. Intensified research is also crucial.

 

[Yommie]

Covid inquiry no go zone​

 

[Yommie]

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/picture-covid-19-europe-complex-2024a10001qs?form=fpf

Picture of COVID-19 in Europe Is Complex​

Andrew R. Scott
January 24, 2024

"COVID is here to stay," emphasized World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, MD, at a press briefing on January 16, 2024. He stressed the need for continuing vigilance and efforts to keep the disease at the top of the political and healthcare agendas, while attention may be drifting to other major global events.
The WHO estimated that COVID-19 vaccines have saved at least 1.4 million lives in the WHO European Region, which encompasses 53 countries across a broad geographical area including the European Union (EU) and countries like Russia and Israel. Kluge said that at present, COVID-19 rates "remain elevated but are decreasing." However, he emphasized that the region is seeing widespread circulation of other respiratory viruses, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and measles. The WHO was concerned that health services should prepare for an upsurge in the full range of respiratory virus hospitalizations in the next few weeks.
Kluge said that the unpredictable nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus means that the emergence of new variants could cause the current situation to rapidly worsen.

A Complex Picture​

Edoardo Colzani, MD, the Principal Expert on Respiratory Viruses at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), told Medscape Medical News that in the EU and European Economic Area, "Countries report a mix of increasing and decreasing trends in SARS-CoV-2 activity, COVID-19 hospitalizations, and ICU admissions and deaths, with severe outcomes predominantly among those aged 65 years and above."

The ECDC monitored the results of COVID-19 tests in selected sentinel sites chosen to give a representative sample. The percentage of positive tests in primary care sites increased from week 44 to week 49 of 2023 but fell since week 50.

Colzani said that many countries also conduct testing at non-sentinel sites, such as hospitals, schools, primary care facilities, laboratories, and nursing homes. "At the EU and EEA level, SARS-CoV-2 detections and testing in non-sentinel data were similar to those reported for sentinel data, with most countries reporting decreasing trends. However, in some countries, SARS-CoV-2 positivity and detections in non-sentinel data are notably increasing, especially in those aged 65 years and above," he explained.
Despite a decreasing trend in COVID-19 across Europe overall, data from the WHO reported an increasing trend in SARS-CoV-2 positivity in four EU reporting countries in the second week of January: Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, and Slovakia.

In terms of disease severity, Colzani said, "We wouldn't go as far as saying that there is declining severity, but surely it's not increasing...But if [vaccination] is not kept up to date, then we may see an increase in severity due to waning immunity, particularly among groups at risk."
The data available collectively from the ECDC and WHO revealed a complex picture of increasing and decreasing trends, covering rates of positive testing, hospital admissions, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and COVID-19–associated deaths. The values were changing significantly from week to week.
In terms of death rates, the WHO stated that although levels remained relatively low in the second week of January, Malta reported a marked increase in COVID-19 death rates in people aged 65 years and older, while 10 of the 14 countries reporting age-specific death data documented a marked decrease.

Challenges, Lessons, and Plans​

"Member States should be ready for the possible need to increase emergency department and ICU capacity, in terms of adequate staffing and bed capacity, for both adult and pediatric hospitals," said Colzani. "Hospital administrators and managers should ensure that resources, such as medical and nursing staff and equipment, are also available."

As the virus continues to evolve, the ECDC view, generally shared by the WHO, is that there are currently no new variants of concern, but there are some variants of interest that are being closely monitored. "JN.1, which is a sub-lineage of the BA.2.86 variant, has been particularly increasing in proportion recently, but without so far causing a visible impact on the epidemiological indicators," said Colzani.
The prevalence of the diverse range of issues characterized as long COVID is another major aspect of the disease. The WHO estimated that 36 million people across the WHO European region may have developed long COVID over the first 3 years of the pandemic.
Several speakers at the WHO briefing highlighted lessons learned from the pandemic to help prepare for future ones, including the importance of regional resilience, with nations and regions needing to become self-sustainable in the manufacturing of medical and other supplies and in conducting clinical trials.

Looking to the future, Catherine Smallwood, MD, COVID-19 Incident Manager of WHO/Europe, told the press briefing, "We are working…in the European region and beyond to revise and update pandemic plans [to ensure] that what we've experienced in the last pandemic can be documented and included in the pandemic plan for the next one."
Hans Kluge concluded, "…It's so important [to get] an international agreement, a pandemic accord…to tackle some issues like much quicker exchange of information, of data on clinical trials, and of sharing also the different medical countermeasures."

 

[Yommie]

New COVID-19 variant triggers biggest case spike in a year | 9 News Australia​

 

[Yommie]

This guy went to the same university and the same department as I did.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1750633449105277429

https://twitter.com/x/status/1750928612558041093

 

[Yommie]

Brits always post far more information than anyone else. The content is too big to post so I will simply post the link.

Covid in Wales: What do the stats tell us?

Analysis of the past four years, and what are the figures could tell us.

www.bbc.com

 

[Yommie]

COVID by the Numbers

See coronavirus cases, death rates, and new cases this fall in the United States.

www.verywellhealth.com

COVID by the Numbers: Winter 2024​

By Team Verywell Health
Updated on January 26, 2024
Fact checked by Marley Hall

• 
  

Print

Joshua Seong / Verywell

The Verywell COVID-19 tracker updates monthly. The data reflects what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) continue to report after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
For the most current information about COVID where you live, check your state's public health department website.

What is the CDC Tracking?​

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is no longer tracking COVID-19 cases in the United States. The CDC is reporting hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID, as well as vaccinations. For the most up-to-date information about COVID cases where you live, check with your state's public health department.1

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, states reported data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the number of COVID cases they had. Over time, states stopped reporting this info and with the end of the public health emergency in the United States, the CDC dropped its case counting as part of its COVID Tracker.

Instead, the CDC has continued to look for trends in hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID as a way to measure the activity of the virus in the U.S. The CDC is also tracking how many people are getting vaccinated against COVID.

For the most current COVID case counts where you live, check with your local public health department.

COVID Hospitalizations​

Instead of tracking COVID cases, the CDC is keeping an eye on hospitalizations related to COVID. The CDC can get an idea of how COVID cases might be increasing in different states (even by individual county) by looking at how many hospital visits are related to the virus.



In the last week, the CDC reported a total of 326,607 new hospital admissions related to COVID in the U.S. That was a -14% change (decrease) from the previous week.

You can use the CDC's County Check tool to get more info about the rates in your community.

COVID Death Rates by State​

The CDC has reported 1,172,229 deaths in the U.S. since tracking started in January 2020. However, as with COVID case counts, the CDC is no longer tracking deaths like it used to.

Now, the CDC shows provisional COVID deaths reported to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) National Vital Statistics Surveillance (NVSS).

As of January 26, 2024, the CDC reported a -7.5% change (decrease) in deaths attributed to COVID.

Does the CDC Track COVID Vaccination Rates?​

The CDC provides estimates for how many people in the U.S. have received COVID vaccines, including booster doses. Your state's public health department may also be tracking COVID vaccinations.

The CDC reports the following percentages of people in the U.S. who are up to date with the most recent COVID vaccine:

• Children: 8%
• Adults: 21.4%
• Pregnant persons: 11.9%

To learn more about how COVID data was gathered and tracked during the pandemic and what it means for you, read through the FAQ below.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS​

• How does the CDC get COVID data?
  Throughout the pandemic, states and the U.S. territories reported certain COVID information to the CDC. In the beginning, data were reported daily. Over time, the reporting frequency decreased to weekly updates. By early 2023, some states had stopped updating the CDC with COVID data.
  A lot of this data was collected and reported at the county level. Even when there is not a pandemic, there are certain infectious diseases that states always need to report, meaning that most public health departments are already aware of the need to collect and share data with the CDC.
  That said, the COVID pandemic demanded more from state health departments, and having to collect and report data on COVID cases, deaths, and transmission was not easy.
  For much of the pandemic, all 50 states were reporting to the CDC, as well as specific jurisdictions. For example, New York City reported its own data separate from New York state.
• What information did states report to the CDC?
  States told the CDC about how many cases of COVID they had in the state, as well as how many people had died from COVID. States reported the total number of cases since they started keeping track (which included both confirmed and probable cases—though not all jurisdictions reported these figures) and the number of new cases and deaths reported within the last seven days.
  Information about COVID testing, hospitalizations, and the number of people who had recovered was also reported. In some cases, the data was presented as a percentage. In other cases, you might see the data displayed as “the rate per 1,000 people” within a given timeframe.
  Since each state is not the same size, looking at the number of cases or deaths relative to how many people live in the state tells you more about the spread of the virus than simply looking at the raw data. A high number of cases in a state with a small population would mean something different than the same number of cases in a state that is three times as big.
  States also reported some information that was not accessible to the public; the restricted data contained more specific fields that could potentially compromise patient privacy. This data was more meant for public health officials and researchers.
  Some states provided data about how communities had been affected by COVID-19. For example, the CDC displayed data that showed how often people were going out in certain parts of the country and related this data on mobility to the level of virus transmission in those areas during specific times.
  Some states also provided information about specific populations, such as healthcare workers and people who are pregnant.
• How accurate is the data?
  The numbers reported to the CDC are as accurate as a state can provide, though they can change. While the numbers were initially updated daily, there were sometimes lags over the weekend or over the holidays. Some states had backlogs of tests from weeks ago, meaning that the data reported was a little behind the current situation.
  The totals that were reported sometimes included probable (or suspected) cases and deaths that had not been confirmed. However, some places did not report suspected cases or deaths—only those that have been confirmed. Later on, it may have turned out that those cases were not related to COVID after all, in which case those cases would be dropped from the report.
  It’s also important to keep in mind that there are people who get COVID and do not have symptoms. If they aren’t sick and do not realize that they were exposed, they are not likely to get tested. Unless states had the ability to do more widespread testing that included people without symptoms, it’s likely that they were undercounting the total number of COVID-19 cases because asymptomatic people were not included if they did not get a test.
  In some circumstances, people who go to the emergency room for symptoms of COVID might be diagnosed with another illness, like the flu or pneumonia. Data on ER visits that could be related to COVID-19 were not reported by all jurisdictions, however.
  The data that was reported did not look the same coming from all the different hospitals in the U.S. because healthcare systems do not code diagnoses in the same way. In some cases, the coding classification changes which could affect whether a case is counted as a COVID case or not.
  Similarly, deaths from COVID might have been missed if something like pneumonia was listed as the cause of death on a person’s death certificate or in a provider's documentation rather than the death being attributed to COVID.
  There were also situations where a person who was sick or had been exposed to someone with COVID did not seek care or did not have access to tests.
  It’s also possible that a state counted cases or deaths that actually “belong” to another state’s totals. This can happen if someone lives in one state, travels to another, and gets COVID while they are traveling.
  Due to these factors, it’s normal for case and death numbers to change—in fact, they are changing often.
• What can I tell about COVID in my state by looking at the numbers?
  There are several pieces of data to consider if you want to understand the COVID situation where you live. While the most straightforward numbers are the total case and death counts, these figures don’t give you the full story. When you’re looking at statistics, context is important.
  It can be more helpful to look at how the number of cases compares to how many tests your state is doing. If your state is not testing many people, the number of positive cases will not really reflect how many people in your state likely have COVID.
  It’s also important to remember that the total numbers—both in terms of testing and confirmed cases—are likely missing people who are asymptomatic. Remember that a person can have COVID-19 without getting sick, but they can still spread it to others without realizing it.
  Additionally, looking at the totals from the beginning of the pandemic to the present doesn’t tell you the same information as looking at 7-day averages. You can get a better sense of how fast cases and deaths are rising by looking at how the numbers have changed in the last week as opposed to nearly a year.
  If you’re looking at the number of deaths, remember that those numbers are slower to change than the total number of cases. There can be a “lag” between a rise in cases and a rise in hospitalizations or deaths because it takes some time for people to get sick.
• How will new variants affect COVID numbers?
  New variants of the COVID virus are always emerging, as it's natural for viruses to change over time. Researchers follow new variants closely to see if the changes in the viruses may make them more of a threat—for example, they might become better at spreading or resisting vaccines and treatments. Some changes can also make the virus more likely to make people very sick if they catch COVID.
  Learn More: Why BA.2.86 Stands Out From Other COVID Variants

 

[Yommie]

Study: Cognitive slowing is associated with long COVID

More than half (53.5%) of patients with PCC had a response speed slower than 2 standard deviations from the control mean.

www.cidrap.umn.edu

Study: Cognitive slowing is associated with long COVID​

News brief

Today at 11:07 a.m.
Stephanie Soucheray, MA
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COVID-19
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In an attempt to establish a definitive objective cognitive marker for PCC, or post-COVID-19 condition, researchers tested long COVID patients in Germany and the United Kingdom with cognitive speed tests, and found long COVID patients have a significant lag, suggesting cognitive slowing.
The study, published yesterday in eClincialMedicine, was based on findings on an initial 194 long COVID patient seen at a PCC clinic in Germany. Findings were then replicated in a follow up COVID clinic in the United Kingdom.
All study participants had one or more symptoms of PCC at least 12 weeks following a lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection. They were compared to two control groups, one group that had never had a COVID-19 infection and one group that had COVID-19 12 or more weeks prior but no evidence of PCC.
Cases and controls completed the same series of computer-based cognitive tests, which measured reaction time and number vigilance. They also completed questionaries about perceived PCC symptoms and mental health.

No association between mental health and cognitive slowing​

The average reaction time (RT) for healthy controls (both no-COVID and no-PCC groups) was 0.34 seconds, but patients with PCC responded significantly more slowly, with a mean of 0.49 seconds, the authors said. More than half (53.5%) of patients with PCC had a response speed slower than 2 standard deviations from the control mean.

The present study reported a significant psychomotor slowing in individuals diagnosed with PCC.

There was not a significant correlation between the severity of mental health symptoms and chronic post-COVID cognitive deficit.
"The present study reported a significant psychomotor slowing in individuals diagnosed with PCC," the authors said. "This might be an important factor contributing to some of the cognitive impairments reported in patients with PCC."

 

[Yommie]

The article is behind a pay wall so I will only post a part of it.

Researchers contest early findings that Wuhan was epicentre of Covid pandemic

Mathematicians from Germany and Hong Kong say ‘the market is not more likely to be the origin’ when compared to other nearby landmarks, although they do not offer a hypothesis on where the outbreak started.

www.scmp.com

Covid-19 origins: researchers challenge early paper pointing to Wuhan market as epicentre of pandemic​

• Mathematicians from Germany and Hong Kong say ‘the market is not more likely to be the origin’ when compared to other nearby landmarks
• Lead author of 2022 study cited in paper says he is ‘working with a colleague on a scientific response’

Holly Chik
+ FOLLOW
Published: 12:16pm, 29 Jan, 2024

 

[Yommie]

Amid fourth winter of death, COVID excess death toll approaches 30 million globally

After a two-month hiatus, <em>The Economist</em> resumed publishing their daily global excess deaths estimates, showing that more than 700,000 people have died than expected above pre-pandemic levels during the ongoing JN.1 wave.

www.wsws.org

Amid fourth winter of death, COVID excess death toll approaches 30 million globally​

Benjamin Mateus
26 January 2024​

After more than two months of silence, on Wednesday the London-based weekly financial outlet, The Economist, finally updated their global daily estimate of excess deaths attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to their projections, the cumulative global excess death toll now stands at 28.5 million, 4.1 times higher than the official COVID death toll, which surpassed 7 million at the end of 2023.
For inexplicable reasons, The Economist’s tracker, which uses a machine-learning model that provides estimates of excess death for every country on every day since the pandemic began, suddenly stopped updating in mid-November, just as the winter surge of the JN.1 variant began.

Global excess death estimates through November 8, 2023, before the latest update by The Economist [Photo by Our World In Data, The Economist / CC BY 4.0]
To place this into context, in the US, the winter surge began to accelerate in mid-October and peaked just before the New Year. In the aftermath of the Biden administration scrapping the COVID public health emergency (PHE) declaration last May, this wave was completely covered up in official figures. Only estimates of the actual toll of infections were provided through wastewater collection data tracking levels of SARS-CoV-2 across the country’s sewage systems, in particular those curated by Biobot Analytics.
Principled data scientists, based on their own initiative, like Jay Weiland and Dr. Mike Hoerger, model these wastewater data and provide estimates of the actual infection rates through their social media accounts. They also provide ample warning and guidance on how to protect oneself and take measures to minimize the impact of infections on one’s health, performing essential roles of public health abandoned by the CDC and the entire political establishment.
Although daily COVID-19 infections are trending down again in the US, the rates of infection continue to remain high, with an estimated nearly 1 million cases per day earlier this week. In all, more than 100 million Americans are believed to have been infected in the past three months of the current surge, accounting for nearly one-third of the population. The overwhelming majority of these are reinfections, which have been proven to compound one’s risk of Long COVID, heart attack, stroke and other long-term consequences associated with COVID-19 infection.

Daily COVID infections in the US during winter wave 2023-2024. [Data from Dr. Mike Hoerger]
Extrapolating these infection estimates to the rest of the world, this could very well mean that upwards of 1-2 billion more infections have transpired during the ongoing global wave of JN.1, meaning that tens of millions or more Long COVID cases should be expected to develop in the coming weeks to months. More concerning, the cumulative long-term impact of these repeated infections remains a disturbing unknown, but all data indicate that this will increase cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological disorders being diagnosed.

With respect to immediate mortality from acute COVID infections, at their first press conference in 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) remarked that the pandemic continues to rage and close to 10,000 people officially died of COVID-19 in December, pushing the cumulative toll above 7 million. This grim statistic passed with virtually no comment from the mainstream media to commemorate the horrific milestone or issue a reminder of the deadly nature of the ongoing pandemic.
The WHO also acknowledged that the deaths were significant undercounts. Fewer than 50 countries, mostly in Europe and the Americas, were reporting these figures to the international health agency. Considering the complete dismantling of all pandemic tracking measures and attempts to obfuscate the real figures, even these numbers must be viewed as misrepresenting the real scale of mortality that is being covered.
Returning to The Economist’s excess death tracker, with the benefit of hindsight, a clear surge in mortality was well underway in October, peaking at over 10,000 daily deaths at the end of November. These figures remained elevated through December. The data for January, which shows a sudden drop in deaths, may be the lag factor in obtaining data from a host of countries and institutions that inform their models, and will likely be revised upwards in the future.
What is evidently clear though, is that official COVID deaths and excess deaths now differ by as high as 50-fold or more. Specifically, while on November 27, only 183 COVID deaths were officially reported, there were 10,200 excess deaths above the pre-pandemic period.

MEHRING BOOKS
COVID, Capitalism, and Class War: A Social and Political Chronology of the Pandemic
A compilation of the World Socialist Web Site's coverage of this global crisis, available in epub and print formats.
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What is most concerning is that excess deaths remained stubbornly high throughout the entirety of 2023. While official COVID deaths for 2023 stood at only 284,000 globally, the excess death toll was 3.2 million, a figure that is more than 11 times higher. During the JN.1 surge, while official public health agencies have counted a mere 31,802 COVID-related deaths across the globe, excess deaths have been estimated at over 700,000 so far, or 22-times higher.
Relatedly, the actual figures for hospitalizations and ICU admissions have risen considerably in December but are based on incomplete data provided to the WHO from a handful of countries, underscoring the complete blackout on the real state of the pandemic and its impact on healthcare systems. As World Socialist Web Site writer Evan Blake noted in a recent widely shared thread on the latest excess death figures and the JN.1 surge, “Hospitals have been slammed across North America, Europe and other countries for the fourth year in a row. This wave, as with all others, will have untold long-term consequences for the health of society as a whole.”

There are important parallels between the ongoing pandemic and Israel’s escalating genocide against the Palestinian people, which has the full support of the US and European imperialist powers. In both cases, the ruling elites have sought to normalize mass death and misery, while imposing regimes of censorship to cover up these social crimes that have radicalized masses of people and accelerated the global class struggle.
As the evolution of the highly mutated Pirola variant and its progeny JN.1 has aptly shown, not only has SARS-CoV-2 been given ample berth to infect anyone at any time who is not constantly on guard against the airborne pathogen, it has repeatedly demonstrated that it has the ability to find ever more novel mechanisms to evolve into immune-evasive variants and remain highly infective. This raises many additional concerns, as noted in recent studies on JN.1’s ability to reach the lower respiratory tract and possibly achieve a virulence akin to the pre-Omicron variants.
The declaration to end the emergency phase of the pandemic in May 2023 was more than a mere official ending of any effort to address the dangers posed by SARS-CoV-2 and the ongoing pandemic. It was the acknowledgment that public health as a social obligation by elected officials to their constituents was dead in the water. In fact, it reaffirmed the basic truth of capitalist social relations that profits will always remain the priority regardless of the social crisis at hand. This dying social order must be overthrown and replaced with a planned world socialist economy.

 

[Yommie]

Massive wave of COVID infections throughout Europe

The coronavirus pandemic is spreading unchecked across Europe, causing soaring death rates and pushing hospitals to their limits.

www.wsws.org

Massive wave of COVID infections throughout Europe​

Tamino Dreisam
25 January 2024​

The coronavirus pandemic is spreading unchecked across Europe, causing rising death rates and pushing hospitals to their limits.

People wearing face masks as they wait for a doctor appointment inside a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. A massive wave of COVID-19 infections and other respiratory viruses are putting a severe strain on the system. [AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti]
On January 10, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated: “In December, almost 10,000 deaths from COVID-19 were reported to WHO, and the number of hospital admissions increased by 42 percent compared to November with the number of ICU admissions at 62 percent. However, the trends [on mortality] are based on data from fewer than 50 countries, mainly in Europe and the Americas. It is certain that there is also an increase in other countries that is not being reported.”
The current wave is being driven primarily by the JN.1 (Juno) variant. It is an offshoot of BA.2.86 (Pirola). Pirola has more than 20 mutations on its spike protein, Juno has just one more. However, this makes the variant significantly more immune-resistant.
The British Office for National Statistics also recently reported that, in addition to the normal symptoms of a coronavirus infection, Juno can also cause sleep problems and anxiety. According to the survey by British scientists, 10.8 percent of those infected experienced sleep problems and 10.5 percent reported anxiety disorders.
The variant is already occurring in many European countries, including Iceland, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands. A number of countries in Central and Eastern Europe also reported a significant increase in respiratory illnesses at the end of last year. In Spain and Italy, the rising numbers of patients have pushed hospitals to their limits. The COVID wave also coincides with rising flu and RSV infections across Europe.
In the UK, Juno is causing new record highs. At the end of October, the JN.1 share was still at 1 percent, in mid-November it was at 5 percent, but by Christmas had risen to 51.4 percent. Professor Steve Griffin, a virologist at Leeds University, said, “There has clearly been a massive surge in COVID infections in recent weeks. This is undoubtedly due to socialising indoors over the festive period. It is also likely that the return to schools, universities and businesses will increase this even further.”

Asked if the UK could set a new record this month, he replied, “Yes, I think we could see something similar to BA2 [the previous record wave].” Data scientist Professor Christina Pagel from University College London also expects infections to rise for another week or two, “equalling” or “even surpassing” the record waves at the beginning of 2020.
In Germany, the number of infections reached a record high at the end of the year, with hospitalisation rates on a par with previous waves. Although the wave receded in the first weeks of January, according to data from Fluweb, the incidence rate remains at 500. Almost 8,000 people had to be hospitalised in the first three weeks of the year and 1,316 have already died.
The situation in Spain is particularly dramatic. Hospitals have been under increasing pressure since the beginning of the year as a result of a “triple-demic” of COVID-19, influenza A and RSV. In large parts of the country, emergency departments are heavily overloaded due to the high volume of patients. The Universitario La Paz hospital in Madrid, which treats around 500,000 patients, making it one of the largest hospitals in Spain, has had to postpone operations to make room for new patients.
Due to the dramatic situation, the Spanish government was forced to reintroduce compulsory masks in healthcare facilities. However, local governments, such as those in the Basque Country, have reacted by taking legal action against the mask requirement.
The rising number of deaths from flu and COVID-19 is even putting pressure on funeral services. According to an article in Euro Weekly News, funeral service operators are warning they will struggle to cope with the rising number of deaths by the end of January.
Manuel Tejadas, head of the Interfunerarias funeral service chain in Catalonia, said, “We are overwhelmed. I haven’t seen such an increase in deaths since the pandemic.”
Piles of corpses are also being reported in hospitals in the regions of Madrid and Valencia. “Hospitals are continually calling us to collect bodies and we are very overloaded here,” explains Tejadas. In some cases, families have to wait up to four days for a funeral. That is twice as long as the usual period of between 24 and 48 hours.

MEHRING BOOKS
COVID, Capitalism, and Class War: A Social and Political Chronology of the Pandemic
A compilation of the World Socialist Web Site's coverage of this global crisis, available in epub and print formats.
BUY YOUR COPY TODAY
Doctors and local newspapers in Italy are also warning that hospitals could be overwhelmed by the flu and COVID wave. Hundreds of patients are having to wait days to be transferred to normal hospital wards or intensive care units. According to the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), cases of respiratory infections reached record levels in the last two weeks of 2023, surpassing corresponding periods during the pandemic. At the end of December, the number of deaths peaked at 425 per week, and the figure remained at 371 in the first weeks of January.
Foce, the Italian association of oncologists, cardiologists and haematologists, issued an appeal to the Italian government, warning: “For some weeks now, we have been observing the phenomenon of worsening chaos in our emergency systems. Emergency departments are in a nightmare situation and hospital wards are “under siege.’” It continues: “It is clear that the claim made at the end of July that the COVID pandemic is ‘numerically over’ is not true. The virus never disappeared.”
In Portugal, Health Minister Manuel Pizarro also publicly admitted that he was concerned about the increase in admissions to intensive care units as a result of respiratory infections. “The virus is causing very serious illnesses,” he explained. At the beginning of January, there were long waiting times of sometimes more than 10 hours in hospitals across the country.
The massive new coronavirus wave is a direct result of the ruthless pandemic policy of all European governments. They are putting profits before the lives and health of the population and have long since cancelled all measures to contain the pandemic.
The necessary fight against the pandemic must therefore come from below and be linked to the fight against capitalism and the reorganisation of society on a socialist basis. The only way to stop the pandemic is “a globally-coordinated elimination strategy, in which the entire world’s population acts in solidarity and with a collective determination to enforce a broad-based public health program,” writes the WSWS in its New Year’s perspective.
And further: “After four years of the pandemic, it is abundantly clear that such a global strategy will never arise under world capitalism, which subordinates all public health spending to the insatiable profit interests of a money-mad financial oligarchy. The very idea that an illness should be eliminated or eradicated, a central concept in public health, has been abandoned. Only through world socialist revolution will it be possible to end the pandemic, as well as stop the further descent into capitalist barbarism and World War III.”