"Nationally, we are at “MINIMAL” SARS-CoV-2 virus levels in wastewater, although here in Santa Clara county, Palo Alto and San Jose are still at “MEDIUM” levels of SARS-2 in wastewater as of May 3rd. In the US as a whole, only about 1 in 185 people is infected with COVID now which is a big improvement from the winter.
"KP.2 now makes up 24.9% of cases in the United States. KP.1, KP.2 and KP.3 are all JN.1 +FLiRT subvariants. According to data from Yunlong Cao’s lab and from the Sato lab, the Fall 2023 XBB.1.5 booster does not protect well against the JN.1 + FLiRT variants. However, prior JN.1 infection does cause neutralizing antibodies that can fight off the JN.1 + FLiRT variants. This week, the WHO stated that they plan to use JN.1 in the next COVID booster. Some scientists recommend using a JN.1 + FLiRT variant instead for better protection since the next variants will probably descend from those. The FDA will decide on the final Fall 2024 vaccine formula on May 16th.
"Originally, we were uncertain if the JN.1 + FLiRT variants would cause a new wave of COVID infection or just a wavelet. According to JP Weiland, newer data shows that the FLiRT mutations should cause less of a wave of infection than previously expected which is good news.
"Hospitalizations for COVID are the lowest that they have been during the entire pandemic. As of May 1, hospitals are no longer required to report their COVID hospitalization data. But, according to JP Weiland and Katelyn Jetelina, we need hospitalization data in order to better predict upcoming COVID waves. Katelyn Jetelina wrote this week, “[Reporting hospitalization data] is an essential system that will protect the health and safety of our communities.” HHS is accepting comments on this change and you can message them here if you want to request that COVID hospitalization data continue to be posted.
Acute COVID infection
"In patients who were hospitalized with severe COVID infection, giving Abatacept, an anti-inflammatory immunomodulating drug used to treat psoriatic arthritis, reduced mortality and improved recovery from acute COVID infection.
"Although it is less accurate than PCR testing, a new study shows that it is possible to do viral genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from home rapid antigen tests. This could be helpful for public health and outbreak surveillance. Potentially, there could be a rapid antigen test exchange program, meaning if you test positive on a rapid home antigen test, you could turn it in so the public health department can do genomic viral sequencing to see if the SARS-CoV-2 virus is getting new mutations. Ideally, the public health department would given you a new rapid home COVID test to replace it.
"A new study shows that vaccination protects against acute COVID infection and it also reduces the risk of Long COVID by 25%.
"Congratulations to The Sick Times, “the nonprofit newsroom focused on Long Covid and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,” who received a $250,000 award from the biotech giving fund Kanro. The award will allow them to expand reporting on Long COVID, acute COVID infections and related chronic diseases.
Societal Costs of Acute COVID infections and Long COVID
"A new report from the Economist shows the enormous economic costs of Long COVID in the US and in other countries because people with Long COVID are no longer able to work. In the United States, Long COVID is estimated to cause a whopping $152.6 Billion GDP loss this year due to lost work hours. In the UK, the equivalent of US$15.5 Billion is expected to be lost in 2024 because of Long COVID disability. The report also reports data on expected economic losses from Long COVID in Brazil, France, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Spain. Preventing COVID infections and Long COVID disability should be a priority for all countries for many reasons.
"Studies have shown that acute COVID infections can result in people losing IQ points. As Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly wrote in February, “Generally the average IQ is about 100. An IQ above 130 indicates a highly gifted individual, while an IQ below 70 generally indicates a level of intellectual disability that may require significant societal support… I estimate that a three-point downward shift in IQ would increase the number of U.S. adults with an IQ less than 70 from 4.7 million to 7.5 million – an increase of 2.8 million adults with a level of cognitive impairment that requires significant societal support.” For many reasons, it makes sense for countries to protect their inhabitants from COVID infections.
"The UK Office of National Statistics reported that every 1 in 100 children in England and Scotland are suffering from Long COVID. We really need to prevent COVID infections in children and help those who already have Long COVID with support services. Not only could Long COVID be personally and financially devastating to these children and their families, future economic and societal costs could be massive.
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"In non-COVID news, there has been a lot of discussion this week about Avian Influenza A (H5N1) that has been found in dairy cattle across the United States. Migratory wild birds like geese and ducks sometimes carry bird flu. When they fly over a farm, they can contaminate the cattle’s feed with their droppings. It appears that many more cows have been infected than previously thought, as testing of commercial milk showed inactivated pieces of the H5N1 virus in 58 of 150 samples tested in 10 states. Pasteurization kills the H5N1 virus, so it is very important not to drink raw milk. It appears that there has been cow-to-cow transmission of the virus.
"There has also been at least one case of cow-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus. The infected dairy worker had conjunctivitis with subconjunctival hemorrhage in both eyes (blood-shot eyes), but otherwise had mild symptoms. While it is good for that person that he had mild symptoms, it can be worrisome on a public health level as there may be more people and animals infected that are asymptomatic or very mildly symptomatic. That could allow the virus to spill over to other animal species. In fact, several cats became infected and died after drinking raw cow’s milk on dairy farms. In cats, as in sea lions and in minks, the H5N1 influenza causes systemic illness with a high fatality rate. The CDC now recommends that people who work with farm animals that could be infected with H5N1 should wear PPE including waterproof aprons, N95 masks, goggles, head cover, gloves and boots. "
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