Author Topic: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info  (Read 109426 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #425 on: December 27, 2021, 06:04:45 PM »
A significant development in the handling of isolation and quarantine time periods for asymptomatic people with positive test results or who were exposed to people with positive tests:

http://hill.cm/N2s1IJV

Quote
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is cutting its recommended isolation time for people infected with COVID-19 from 10 to five days, as long as they are asymptomatic.

The agency on Monday said that change applies to everyone, regardless of vaccination status and that after the five days is up, people should wear a mask around other people at all times for another five days.

Additionally, CDC said it was shortening the recommended quarantine to five days for people who are unvaccinated or vaccinated but not boosted if they are exposed.

For people who are vaccinated and boosted, CDC said there's no need to quarantine.

Isolation is the recommended course of action when someone tests positive for COVID-19, while quarantine is suggested for a healthy person with an exposure to someone who tested positive.

CDC said the change was driven by science showing that the majority of virus transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the first two days prior to onset of symptoms and the two to three days after.

"CDC's updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses. These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

For anyone exposed to the virus, CDC said best practice would also include a coronavirus test five days after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.

"This is a great example of following the science," said Megan Ranney, an emergency physician and a dean at the Brown University School of Public Health. "We don't need to continue to do things the same way, just because they've always been done that way. We should follow what we're learning about the virus."

But Ranney said she was concerned that people wouldn't wear masks after the five days in isolation or quarantine, particularly people who are not vaccinated.

She also said she wasn't sure why CDC would apply the same isolation standard to everyone regardless of vaccination status, since studies show the period of infectiousness is shorter for people who have been vaccinated.

Monday's announcement follows the agency's move last week to change guidelines to allow health care workers to reduce their time in isolation from 10 days to seven, or even five in times of a staffing crisis.

As the omicron variant stretches many hospitals and health workers to near breaking, federal officials said they want to make sure there are enough staff when there's a COVID-19 outbreak.

On The Money — Stocks set new highs amid omicron surge
Study suggests coronavirus lingers in organs for months
The changes announced on Monday extend the guidance to the general public.

"If it's good enough for health care workers, it should be good enough for everyone," Ranney said. "If the rules truly are that if you are asymptomatic, you can shorten your isolation, that's fair. And that's backed up by the science."
-- theschnauzers

Online Alenaveda

  • RFF Moderator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13492
  • R.F.F. Game Host A.A.R.G. 11
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #426 on: December 30, 2021, 07:52:22 AM »
Update from Argentina:

The number of cases have suddenly increased in the last week in similar levels to those we had during the second wave.

The authorities have stated that we're in the middle of the third wave of cases, and both Delta and Omicron variants are circulating in the country. However, and despite the high number of positive cases detected in the last week the  occupation in the Intensive Care units in the whole country remains around the 35 % only and the number of daily deaths until now are less than 50.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"No person deserves your tears, and who deserves them will not make you cry." - Gabriel García Márquez


Online Alenaveda

  • RFF Moderator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13492
  • R.F.F. Game Host A.A.R.G. 11
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #427 on: January 02, 2022, 02:35:23 PM »
New restrictions for the foreigner visitors have been announced to enter the country on December 30th:

Negative PCR made within the 72 hours before to the beginning of the travel.

Also an affidavit provided by Migrations where it must be certificated that there's no observations from the traveler's medical authorities. This includes a medical discharge if the person has suffered the infection during the previous 90 days of entering the country - including the corresponding positive PCR -.

Certificate proving that the person have complete the full vaccination scheme according to the respective country's directives.

A COVID-19 health insurance covering hospitalization, isolation and / or medical transfer services, for those who are positive cases, suspects or close contacts.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"No person deserves your tears, and who deserves them will not make you cry." - Gabriel García Márquez

Online Alenaveda

  • RFF Moderator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13492
  • R.F.F. Game Host A.A.R.G. 11
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #428 on: February 03, 2022, 08:47:56 PM »
Update from Argentina:

It's been a long time reporting, sorry.

The third wave hit us really hard, specially in the first three weeks of January with number of cases counted over one hundred thousand every day. Also the number of deaths is still in similar numbers to the second wave. Only good thing was that the ICU occupation in the whole country has barely passed the 50 %, what is seen as a effect of the vaccination program mostly. Omicron has becoming the dominant variant during the wave with a small part of Delta variant cases still detected.

A decrease in the number of cases almost to the half of the numbers of January has been reposted in the last ten days.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"No person deserves your tears, and who deserves them will not make you cry." - Gabriel García Márquez

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #429 on: February 18, 2022, 01:47:41 AM »
A pre-print study from Japan suggests that the recently identified BA.2 sub varian of the Covid-19 omicron variant may be far more serious and even more transmissible, and highly mutated compared to the original Covid-19 coronavirus. Tests and treatments may not work, and new vaccine boosters may be necessary.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html
-- theschnauzers


Online Alenaveda

  • RFF Moderator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13492
  • R.F.F. Game Host A.A.R.G. 11
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #430 on: February 24, 2022, 11:07:13 AM »
Update from Argentina:

The number of cases here are contantly decreasing in the last couple of weeks, with last Sunday only reporting a little more of three thousand, the lowest amount since last year.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"No person deserves your tears, and who deserves them will not make you cry." - Gabriel García Márquez

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #431 on: March 26, 2022, 04:41:21 AM »
The BA.2 sub variant of the Covid-19 Omicron variant is now driving a majority of the Covid-19 cases worldwide, per the WHO, and is now rapidly spreading in Los Angeles. It is said to cause more severe cases than Omicron, and vaccinations and treatments are not handling the sub variant.

See, e.g. The W.H.O. says the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is driving most cases around the world

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/world/who-omicron-variant-ba2-cases.html

BA.2 or 'stealth' subvariant of omicron is more contagious: medical expert explains what is known so far

https://www.9news.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/ba2-stealth-subvariant-omicron-contagious-medical-expert-explains/73-0e50f957-af56-48ed-a13e-fae0e0809769

A roundup of items from The New York Times including Covid Updates: Glaxo Antibody Drug Is Restricted in the Northeast

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/25/world/covid-19-mandates-cases-vaccine

Omicron subvariant BA.2 spreading rapidly in L.A. and across the nation (Los Angeles Times)

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-03-25/percentage-of-omicron-subvariant-ba-2-rising-in-l-a-county




-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #432 on: March 29, 2022, 07:02:04 PM »
The CDC is now reporting that the BA.2 sub variant is now the most common strain of Covid-19 in the U.S.:

https://apple.news/A2_3QJQPlTkS5H6RJHaF0MQ
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #433 on: March 30, 2022, 02:00:54 AM »
Same, with additional details, and second booster shot approved for those 50 and older or with immunocompromised conditions
BA.2 sub variant now dominate Covid-19 strain in U.S., has 30% greater transmission rate than original Omicron variant.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/600172-omicron-subvariant-ba2-now-dominant-strain-in-the-us-cdc
-- theschnauzers

Online Alenaveda

  • RFF Moderator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13492
  • R.F.F. Game Host A.A.R.G. 11
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #434 on: April 18, 2022, 08:29:19 AM »
Update from Argentina:

For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic authorities have reported zero deaths related to COVID-19.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"No person deserves your tears, and who deserves them will not make you cry." - Gabriel García Márquez


Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #435 on: April 18, 2022, 05:11:50 PM »
A federal district judge in Florida has struck down the CDC public transportation mask mandate, ruling that theCDC did not have the legal authority to issue the mandate, and that the process it used violate federal law on administrative procedure.
Public transportation includes aircraft, trains, taxis, busses and other modes of public transportation.
It’s not clear yet whether the order will be appealed or if its effect will be stayed pending an appeal.
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #436 on: April 18, 2022, 08:50:17 PM »
The Transportation Security Agency and major airlines have announced that they will no longer enforce a mask mandate. The CDC has stated that pending their review of the decision the mandate is not being enforced.
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #437 on: April 21, 2022, 10:43:16 AM »
At the request of the CDC, the US Justice Department is appealing the federal district judge order overturning the public transportation Covid-19 mask requirement. Cases of the BA.2 sub variant continue to spread, but hospitalizations and death rates are not rising.
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #438 on: May 04, 2022, 10:27:15 PM »
After seeing a federal district judge terminate a mask mandate for public transportation two weeks ago, the CDC has now issued a recommendation about mask wearing in public transportation; the new guidance is not a mandate.

https://deadline.com/2022/05/cdc-reissues-mask-planes-public-transportation-1235015720/
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #439 on: May 05, 2022, 05:57:27 PM »
From CNN breaking news

Quote

The US Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it is limiting the emergency use authorization of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Covid-19 vaccine to people 18 and older for whom other vaccines aren't appropriate or accessible and those who opt for J&J because they wouldn't otherwise get vaccinated.

The FDA said in a statement that the change is being made because of the risk of a rare and dangerous clotting condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after receiving the vaccine


-- theschnauzers

Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54219
  • TAR Detective
RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #441 on: May 21, 2022, 01:37:08 AM »
It’s confusing as infection rates slowly rise literally in every state due to the various Omicron sub variants. These sub variants are more infectious but less likely to result in hospitalizations or deaths. Large indoor and possibly outdoor settings seem to be the likely factor in transmission. (Various political and entertainment figures have been testing positive, but news reports aren’t being specific as to which variant or sub variants. Two finalists on the current season of American Idol tested positive in the same week, after the then remaining contestants filmed segments at Disneyland. One contestant had to perform live remotely from his hotel room, while prerecorded rehearsals were used for the other contestant. Both recovered within a week, and completed the following week.(One of the contestants is one of the Final Three, and recorded a hometown visit and performance for the finale Sunday.
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #442 on: May 21, 2022, 01:38:51 AM »
On the monkeypox situation, the disease is frequent in some areas of Africa. What’s unusual about this outbreak is that it’s being detected inEurope and North America.
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #443 on: June 01, 2022, 11:48:57 AM »
The latest on the Omicron subvariants, the lack of effective vaccines and the greater transmissibility of the sub-variants:

https://www.axios.com/2022/06/01/coronavirus-vaccine-omicron-variants

Omicron is outrunning the vaccines designed to fight it
.
Efforts to update COVID vaccines can't seem to keep up with changes in the virus itself.

State of play: New variants appear to be even more immune-resistant than the original Omicron strain, raising the possibility that even retooled vaccines could be outdated by the time they become available this fall.

Driving the news: Preliminary data suggests that the most recent Omicron subvariants are significantly different from the original version that began spreading late last year.

One preprint released last week found that BA.4 and BA.5, which originated in South Africa, are substantially more resistant to antibodies — compared to an earlier strain, and also to the one that's dominant in the U.S. right now — and thus more likely to lead to breakthrough infections.
Other preliminary research has found that the latest subvariants are more pathogenic and can potentially evade even the immune protection that comes from a previous Omicron infection.
The big picture: Clinical trials are underway to study tweaked versions of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and the FDA has said it will decide this summer whether to recommend these updated versions for use later this year.

A leading option is to target multiple variants, including Omicron, with the same vaccine. But the Omicron version that's around in a few months may be significantly different than the strain the vaccine was designed to target.
Between the lines: Although the vaccine manufacturers have said they can quickly adapt to produce new vaccine versions, collecting data on those vaccines' effectiveness through real-world clinical trials takes time.

"It takes six months for the omicron BA.1 vaccines to be properly tested and then longer to produce them. That's inevitable," Cornell virologist John Moore said.
What they're saying: "It's unclear what the mix will be in the vaccine that's used in the fall, but there's a very good chance that it'll be against the original Omicron," said Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and KHN editor-at-large.

"But it's really unclear that it's going to be much of an improvement versus the original vaccine when BA.4 and BA.5 are so significantly different than the original Omicron."
"It's pretty challenging. We're very much behind the virus given the speed at which it's moving," Gounder added.
Yes, but: The jury is still out as to whether an Omicron-specific vaccine has significant benefits compared to the original version in the first place.

"I'm not convinced they are going to be a meaningful upgrade anyway," said Moore, who also thinks the two latest subvariants "are not game changers."
Three doses of the existing vaccines are still very good at preventing severe disease and death, despite the drop in effectiveness against infection.
The bottom line: Keeping up with a virus that is evolving this quickly is inherently in tension with collecting the data traditionally required to make big regulatory decisions.

In this case, the implications are likely relatively minor. But if a more dangerous variant that requires new vaccines emerges, the current situation suggests that very tough choices will have to be made.
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #444 on: June 01, 2022, 08:15:02 PM »
More on the rapid changes about the various Omicron sub variants from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (via Deadline.com):

https://deadline.com/2022/05/omicron-ba-4-ba-5-variants-increase-1235035960/

“Battle Of Omicron” Being Won By New BA.4 And BA.5 Variants As Overlapping Covid Waves Hit U.S.

Estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today indicate that the share of cases tied to Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 increased 79% in the past week. That means, even as the more transmissible BA.2.12.1 Omicron subvariant became officially dominant in the U.S. last week, it’s already being pushed out by newcomers BA.4 and BA.5. The result would seem to be overlapping waves of Omicron.

While BA.2.12.1 gained an advantage by being more transmissible than BA.2 before it, the two newer variants are said to be making inroads at least in part because of their abilities to reinfect.

We now report findings from a systematic antigenic analysis of these surging Omicron subvariants,” says a recent paper published to the BioRxiv preprint server. “BA.2.12.1 is only modestly (1.8-fold) more resistant to sera from vaccinated and boosted individuals than BA.2. On the other hand, BA.4/5 is substantially (4.2-fold) more resistant and thus more likely to lead to vaccine breakthrough infections.”
If true, that means the new variants have a much larger population that they can potentially access via breakthrough infections, where previous variants like BA.2.12.1 produced far fewer breakthrough infections.

The result has been what epidemiologist and biostatistician Dr. Katelyn Jetelina — who blogs under the moniker Your Local Epidemiologist — calls the “battle of Omicron.”

“After our first massive BA.1 wave,” Dr. Jetelina wrote today in her email newsletter, “BA.2 tried to take hold only to be overtaken by BA.2.12.1. Now, BA.4 and BA.5 are gaining traction very quickly and seem to be easily outcompeting the rest. Given recent lab studies, though, this isn’t a surprise. BA.4/5 are particularly good at escaping antibodies and reinfecting people previously infected with Omicron, as well as boosted individuals.”

The CDC data released today show BA.4 and BA.5, which are folded into the B.1.1.529 designation but likely make up the vast majority of the new cases in that grouping, still with a modest 6.1% share of new cases analyzed at the end of last week. Compare that to 59% for BA.2.12.1 and 6.1% doesn’t seem like much, but the fact that BA.4 and BA.5 are making inroads at all is remarkable.

Even as BA.2.12.1 continues to expand, the new South African variants are slowing its spread. While BA.2.12.1 accounts for 59% of variants identified, that’s only up from 52% last week, a roughly 7% increase overall. As previously mentioned, BA.4 and BA.5 increased 79%, from 3.4% to 6.1%.

Like BA.2.12.1 before them, the new Omicron strains have taken root more rapidly some parts of the U.S. than others. While BA.2.12.1 spread quickly first the Northeast, it’s now the Midwest — specifically Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri — that are feeling the brunt of BA.4 and BA.5.

While the national share of cases attributed those variants is 6.1% this week, in that four-state region it’s 12.4%. The area seeing the smallest share of the new strains is the region of the Northeast that’s been hit hardest by BA.2.12.1: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

the majority of cases in the U.S., we should expect another (or extended) case surge,” wrote Dr. Jetelina this week. So as the BA.2.12.1 wave seems to be cresting, with a 7-day national average 106,000 new cases on May 21 per the CDC and hospitalizations potentially peaking this week, a new wave is building right behind it, which likely means a much higher trough after BA.2.12.1 and a rise from there.

BA.4 was first identified on January 10, 2022 in cases sequenced in South Africa, per Outbreak.info. That country was likewise the first to identify BA.5 on February 26. It took some time for the new variants to take hold, with daily recorded cases in South Africa averaging about 12,000 through early April.

BA.2 — including BA.2.12.1 — accounted for nearly all of South Africa’s daily cases at the end of February. By the end of April, however, BA.4 and BA.5 were found in 90% of all positive test samples analyzed in that nation. Of those, 70% were BA.4 and 22% were BA.5, according to CovSpectrum.org which sources data from GSAID.

In Europe, the South African variants have hit Portugal hard. They were first detected in that nation the week of April 3. In the roughly eight weeks since then, BA.5 has come to account for 87% of new cases, the country’s National Institute of Health reported today.

Why BA.4 came to dominate in South Africa and BA.5 took over in Portugal is still an open question. For an overview of how each of those variants have fared in different countries, click here.

In the U.S., it’s hard to tell which will win out. It’s still early days and many variant trackers do not break them out separately. In fact, as lab testing becomes less prevalent and local surveillance budgets are cut, it’s increasingly difficult to detect new strains.

California, for instance, doesn’t even separate the newer Omicron variants from the older ones. Instead, its reporting page lumps them all in together under the heading “Omicron,” and that category has completely dominated the chart since January 20, offering little new data. But there are some hints.

The the California Department of Public Health confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that one case of BA.4 was identified in March and one case of BA.5 was documented in April.

When contacted by Deadline last week, California’s public health department said in a statement, “CDPH is not currently producing internal growth or variant proportion estimates for BA.4 or BA.5 due to their relative rarity at the moment and the high number of circulating subvariants in competition with BA.4 and BA.5.”

The statement went on, “Per CDPH data, B.1.1.529 (as categorized by CDC Nowcast to include BA.1, BA.3, BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants) make up 1.5% of circulating variants in CA in the month of May.”

But the CDC data reported today puts the share of those variants in the category “B.1.1.529” at 6.6% (see map above). While still proportionally small as a share of the whole, the category is up an eye-popping 440%.

News reports have BA.4 and BA.5 showing up around the state in the Bay Area last week. A cluster of potential cases was also identified recently in Yolo County, near Sacramento. Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said earlier this month that they had been identified in L.A., as well. So while the state doesn’t have the data on these variants, local health officials do have some visibility into their spread, and the evidence seems to point to increasingly rapid, overlapping waves of new variants.

As Ferrer said on Tuesday, “Within weeks of one variant of concern dominating, there are reports from other parts of the country or other parts of the world of other either subtypes or different strains, and this has been especially true with Omicron.”
-- theschnauzers


Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #445 on: June 02, 2022, 02:49:16 AM »
CNN has other details:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/01/health/covid-new-omicron-variants/index.html

New variants are poised to keep Covid-19 circulating at high levels throughout the summer
By Brenda Goodman, CNN
Updated 5:07 PM ET, Wed June 1, 2022

CNN)Even as the US grapples with its most recent wave of Covid-19, new research suggests that variants on the horizon may keep case levels high.

The next influx of infections will probably come from the newer Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, two closely related viruses that were first characterized in South Africa and that landed in the United States around late March, according to the gene sequence sharing site GISAID.
These variants are gaining ground against BA.2, particularly in the central part of the country. Recent research suggests that they escape immunity created by vaccines and past infections.

According to the most recent updates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the genomics company Helix, BA.4 and BA.5 together accounted for an estimated 6% to 7% of new infections in the US in late May.

It's a serious threat," Dr. David Ho, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University in New York City, wrote in an email. "Only a month ago, it was .02 percent."
BA.4 has been detected in at least 30 countries, and BA.5 has been sampled in 32 countries, according to the website Outbreak.info, which is maintained by the Scripps Research Institute.
Ho and his co-authors recently tested antibodies from the blood of vaccinated and boosted people, as well as the antibodies of people who'd recovered from breakthrough Covid-19 infections, against engineered BA.4 and BA.5 viruses in the lab. In each case, they found a drop in potency against BA.4 and BA.5.
They found that that BA.4 and BA.5 viruses are more than four times as likely to escape antibodies in people who've been vaccinated and boosted compared with BA.2 viruses.
More breakthrough infections
All of this means BA.4 and BA.5 are more likely to lead to breakthrough infections, even in people who've had Covid-19 before.
Without upgraded vaccines or boosters, Ho expects that a lot of Americans will get sick in the coming weeks to months. "I think we will see lots of infections but not necessarily more severe disease or deaths," he said.
Ho's research is posted as a preprint, which means it has not been scrutinized by outside experts or published in a medical journal.

South Africa, which is ahead of the US in its BA.4/BA.5 cycle, has seen infections rise but has not seen a corresponding increase in deaths, said Shishi Luo, associate director of bioinformatics and infectious disease at Helix.
"So I think if we extrapolate from South Africa, what we'll see in the US is that BA.4 and BA.5 will increase, because it has some competitive advantages compared to existing strains, but fingers crossed, it is not going to lead to more severe outcomes," Luo said.

One question variant hunters have asked is whether BA.4 and BA.5 can outcompete BA.2.12.1, the highly contagious strain that's currently the main cause of Covid-19 infections in the US.
These branches of the Omicron family tree rose to prominence about the same time; BA.2.12.1 quickly took over the US while BA.4 and BA.5 were establishing themselves in South Africa.
They share some similarities, including changes at location 452 of their genome, a genetic address known for helping variants escape our immunity.
Viruses square off
"It's like boxing," said Dr. Alex Greninger, assistant director of the University of Washington's clinical virology laboratory. "It's like the national champion from South Africa going against the national champion in the United States.
"You don't know how to rank them if they haven't ever fought," he says.

But BA.4 and BA.5 have gone up against BA.2.12.1 in other parts of the world, like the UK. There, scientists found that the time it took the number of infections caused by a variant to double was about 5½ days for BA.2.12.1 and about a day less for BA.4 and BA.5, indicating that those viruses are spreading faster. The doubling times were included in a recent technical report from the UK Health Security Agency.
"The betting favorite now suggests that BA.4 and BA.5 would be able to take out BA.2.12.1," Greninger said.

Ho and his team think they may have figured out what's giving BA.4 and BA.5 an extra edge.
In addition to all the changes in other Omicron variants that help them shrug off our vaccines, these viruses pulled off a F486V mutation. That's a big change that helps disguise them from our immune system. In the past, it came with a downside: It made the virus' spike less likely to be able to bind to our cells, so they were less competitive. But BA.4 and BA.5 have an additional mutation, called R493Q, that restores their ability to bind to cells, restoring their ability to infect us.

Though BA.4 and BA.5 seem capable of overpowering BA.2.12.1, they haven't squared off in the US, and the fitness of these strains depends a lot on the playing field. The variants aren't following a rulebook.

But for the next few months, experts say, there's just going to be a lot of Covid-19 around us.
"For the summer, going into the winter, I expect these viruses to be out there at relatively high levels," Greninger said. "Just the number of cases, the sheer disruptions of the work force -- It's just a very high, high burden of disease."
« Last Edit: June 02, 2022, 02:52:53 AM by theschnauzers »
-- theschnauzers

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #446 on: June 13, 2022, 06:12:42 PM »
The US CDCP is lifting the requirement for inbound travelers to th US to have a negative test result

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjj7fSGw6v4AhWsoY4IHfxbBMcQvOMEKAB6BAgGEAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2022%2F06%2F10%2Fpolitics%2Fus-to-end-pre-departure-testing-requirement%2Findex.html&usg=AOvVaw2a5R_CwFx9BRCOwFj9NU0W

US will end Covid-19 testing requirement for air travelers entering the country

(CNN) - The Biden administration is expected to announce Friday that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will lift its requirement for travelers to test negative for Covid-19 before entering the US, according to a senior administration official and a US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention official.

The move, which CNN was first to report, will go into effect for US-bound air travelers at midnight on Sunday, the officials said.

The CDC is lifting the restriction that the travel industry had lobbied against for months after determining it was no longer necessary "based on the science and data," the senior administration official said. The CDC has the ability to reassess the order at any time and potentially reinstate it, especially if a new variant develops and poses concern. The measure has been in place since January 2021.

That official said the Biden administration plans to work with airlines to ensure a smooth transition with the change, but it will likely be a welcome move for most in the industry.

In a statement to CNN, the CDC said, "The Covid-19 pandemic has now shifted to a new phase, due to the widespread uptake of highly effective Covid-19 vaccines, the availability of effective therapeutics, and the accrual of high rates of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity at the population level in the United States. Each of these measures has contributed to lower risk of severe disease and death across the United States."

Travel industry officials have been increasingly critical of the requirement in recent weeks and directly urged the Biden administration to end the measure, arguing it was having a chilling effect on an already fragile economy, according to Airlines for America chief Nick Calio, whose group met recently with White House officials.

The travel industry, and some scientific experts, said the policy had been out of date for months.

Lawmakers, including Democrats, had also advocated for lifting the requirement in recent weeks.

Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said, "I'm glad CDC suspended the burdensome coronavirus testing requirement for international travelers, and I'll continue to do all I can to support the strong recovery of our hospitality industry."

White House officials met last month with travel industry officials, who pressed the Biden administration to end its requirements that vaccinated international travelers take a coronavirus test before flying to the United States.

Airlines for America said its members -- including American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines -- had believed lifting the requirements would lead more foreigners to visit the US.

The trade association told CNN that in mid-May, domestic travel came within 7 percentage points of pre-pandemic levels, but international travel lagged at 14% below normal.

US Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow praised the decision.

"Prior to the pandemic, travel was one of our nation's largest industry exports. The lifting of this requirement will enable the industry to lead the way toward a broader US economic and jobs recovery," Dow said in a statement.

The industry has criticized the policy as out of date for months, and some medical experts have also questioned its utility

Testing international arrivals doesn't make much sense to Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

"I've been bemused about that for a long time because we've got plenty of Covid here! It's not as though we're trying to keep Covid out," Schaffner told CNN in March. "It's here already."

-- theschnauzers

Online Alenaveda

  • RFF Moderator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13492
  • R.F.F. Game Host A.A.R.G. 11
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #447 on: June 16, 2022, 08:03:39 AM »
Wow, lot of time since I posted an update here. Ok, here we go:

The Health Ministry of the City of Buenos Aires has announced that starting today the use in closed areas and public transportation of the face masks is not longer a requiriment, as the numbers of cases of coronavirus have been decreasing for the last 14 days (we've been through the fourth wave during the last couple of months, however numbers are not nearly close to what we experienced in the previous waves in cases, ICU occupation and deaths, thanks to the vaccination plan).
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"No person deserves your tears, and who deserves them will not make you cry." - Gabriel García Márquez

Online Alenaveda

  • RFF Moderator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13492
  • R.F.F. Game Host A.A.R.G. 11
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #448 on: June 16, 2022, 12:28:23 PM »
Wow, lot of time since I posted an update here. Ok, here we go:

The Health Ministry of the City of Buenos Aires has announced that starting today the use in closed areas and public transportation of the face masks is not longer a requirement, as the numbers of cases of coronavirus have been decreasing for the last 14 days (we've been through the fourth wave during the last couple of months, however numbers are not nearly close to what we experienced in the previous waves in cases, ICU occupation and deaths, thanks to the vaccination plan).

Just to clarify things, face masks are no longer a requirement on the city's public transportation what means the Buenos Aires Metro system only. On buses and trains - that are under national jurisdiction - that requirement is still on.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"No person deserves your tears, and who deserves them will not make you cry." - Gabriel García Márquez

Offline theschnauzers

  • RFF Moderator
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • An original TARfly
Re: Coronavirus: OFFICIAL Updates/ Health Info/Travel Info
« Reply #449 on: July 06, 2022, 12:28:31 AM »

https://deadline.com/2022/07/omicron-ba-5-covid-variant-dominant-ba-five-one-1235058423/

Omicron BA.5: One Variant To Rule Them All…For Now

Today, the more-infectious Omicron BA.5 subvariant is officially the dominant Covid strain in the U.S. Up until how, BA.5 has been tied to its sister Omicron subvariant, BA.4, as both had steadily outcompeted BA.2.12.1 — which itself had been driving cases for the past month or so.

After the original Omicron variant appeared on U.S. shores late last year and caused the deadliest wave of the pandemic, a succession of Omicron subvariants have come and gone: BA.1.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1 and now BA.4 and BA.5.

BA.5 was first identified in South Africa on February 26. Less than a month ago, on June 4, it only accounted for 9.6% of cases in the U.S., while predecessor BA.2.12.1 sat atop the heap at 62%. Today, the CDC estimates the subvarient is responsible for about 54% of new cases here. That’s double BA.2.12.1, which now accounts for 27% of infections. BA.5’s rise also leaves sister subvariant BA.4 in the dust at 16%. It’s a faster ascention than that of any other variant over the course of the pandemic. And there’ve been a lot of them.

One reason BA.5 is so dominant is that it seems to be more transmissible than even BA.2.12.1 — (BA.4 has some of the same key spike protein mutations as BA.5, but hasn’t had the same impact.

“The Omicron sub-variant BA.5 is the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen,” said Eric Topal, who is Founder and Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, Professor of Molecular Medicine and Executive Vice-President of Scripps Research, in a substack post last week. “It takes immune escape, already extensive, to the next level, and, as a function of that, enhanced transmissibility, well beyond Omicron (BA.1) and other Omicron family variants that we’ve seen.”

In other words, BA.5 is much better at evading the immunity provided by vaccines and especially good at dodging the immunity conferred by previous infection.

For example, BA.4 and BA.5 drove a substantial surge in South Africa recently that was not impacted by the county’s high level of immunity.

Per the journal Nature, those who have “hybrid immunity” from vaccination and a past infection are less able to ward off the BA.4 or BA.5 than they were previous strains. That’s because the vaccines we have now are targeting the spike proteins of previous strains. And the new variants have some very different mutations.

While vaccines are less effective, they’re and still more effective than immunization through infection. The jabs also help those infected with BA.4 and BA.5 better ward off the virus’s nastiest effects.

While cases have remained fairly static across the U.S., the New York Times notes that that may be more a result of the measuring stick than the actual measurement. The paper reports that with local and federal cuts to testing services, “lab-based P.C.R. testing capacity in July will be only half of what it was in March.” Add to that the increased use of at-home tests, the results of which are generally not reported, and virus surveillance across the nation is greatly reduced from what it was even six months ago.

Hospitalizations and deaths have not risen meaningfully, either, but then in Portugal it took three weeks after the BA.5 peak in cases for deaths to peak.

A more potent ability to reinfect also means that BA.5 has a larger pool of potential carriers. While other variants are limited by the protection afforded by inoculation, BA.5 can make its way back through populations who assume they’re more protected than they actually are.

“BA.4/5 drove a substantial case wave in South Africa regardless of their high level of immunity,” observed Kaitlyn Jetelina about two weeks ago. Jetelina tweets and blogs under the moniker Your Local Epidemiologist.

She goes on to note that “in South Africa, the BA.4/5 wave contributed to excess deaths, but fewer than past waves.”

In Europe, Portugal is the country hardest hit by the new Omicron subvariants. It experienced a peak in cases on May 16, according to the World Health Organization. Deaths in that country peaked almost exactly three weeks later, on June 6.

What does that mean for the U.S.?

Our future is harder to predict based on other countries’ experiences than it was previously. Portugal got hit much harder than the States in the winter 2000-2001 Delta wave and less hard by last winter’s Omicron surge, which ravaged the U.S. That might be good for us, since the original Omicron is likely more closely related than Delta to BA.5. Previous Omicron infections may provide more protection. Our winter Omicron wave was more recent, as well, which helps. But Portugal has a higher booster rate than the U.S.

One thing is for certain: This won’t be the last variant we see.

Topol warns that “new versions of the virus…are accelerating and we’re not done yet, by any stretch.”

Indeed, like tropical storms in the Caribbean this summer, there is a line of new variants already on their way. And experts say significant mutations — especially in the Omicron subvariants — are coming with increasing speed.

A new strain known as BA.5.1 caused the largest outbreak of cases ever in Macau last week, which prompted local officials to put a large swath of the region under lockdown.

BA.5.1 has turned up in the U.S. in small numbers, as well as the U.K. and Portugal. The strain has been described as “the daughter of BA.5,” and Christine Pagel, Professor and Director of University College London’s Clinical Operational Research Unit, wrote in a piece last month that “it looks like BA.5 and 5.1 will likely win out to become the overall dominant variants.”

Since then, however, BA.2.75 has reared its head. While it’s not in the U.S. yet, the subvariant of BA.2 has been detected in England, Germany and India, where it reportedly has been found in 18% of samples. And it’s spreading fast. See chart below for graph of its growth in India.

More, unfortunately, to come.
-- theschnauzers