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Americans Keep Getting Reinfected With COVID as New Variants Emerge, Data Shows
Despite a rather unpleasant bout with COVID-19 this past January, Jennifer McDonnell was relieved to think that she, and her family, could finally return to normal life, with a potentially strong immune protection stemming from both vaccination and past infection.
“We had been cautious, but once we [got COVID-19] we thought, ‘We’re good,’” McDonnell, who lives in Illinois, told ABC News. “We were vaccinated, boosted. We had natural immunity. We thought that we didn’t need to wear a mask.”
However, four months later, McDonnell was met with an unwelcome surprise, when she awoke in the middle of the night to a high-grade fever and a sore throat. Now, three weeks after testing positive, McDonnell said that she still does not feel like herself, with this second round of COVID-19 feeling “way worse” than the first.
Moderna’s New Omicron-Targeting COVID Vaccine Is Company’s ‘Lead Candidate’ for a Fall Booster
Moderna released data Wednesday showing its newest combination COVID-19 vaccine protects against the highly transmissible Omicron variant, calling the vaccine its “lead candidate” for a booster this fall.
The new booster, called mRNA-1273.214, combines the company’s original vaccine with one designed to target the Omicron variant. Results from a trial involving 437 people showed the combination booster was more protective against Omicron and earlier variants compared to the original vaccine.
In April, the company announced results showing another combination booster candidate targeting the Beta variant protected well against a range of coronavirus variants, including the Beta, Delta and Omicron variants.
Moderna chief executive officer Stéphane Bancel appeared to favor the Omicron-targeting combination booster in a company statement released Wednesday.
As White House Continues to Push Jabs for Kids, FL Surgeon General Questions Safety
As we’ve noted for some time, COVID-19 vaccines have limited efficacy vs. the dominant (and thankfully more mild) strain, Omicron — with CDC researchers finding in one study that Pfizer‘s jab was just 20% effective against symptomatic illness after 60 days for those aged 12-15 years old, and 0% effective after five months.
One Danish study from the University of Copenhagen found that Omicron actually spreads faster in vaccinated individuals vs. Delta, the previous dominant strain.
Yet, despite clear and convincing evidence that Omicron is mild compared to its predecessor strains, the Biden administration continues to peddle fear. As Stanford health policy professor Jay Bhattacharya wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday — White House COVID response coordinator Ashish Jha is engaging in “scare-mongering about the danger of COVID to children.”
On Friday, state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo openly questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. During a press conference to announce an agreement with the Special Olympics to lift a vaccine mandate, the Florida Department of Health boss said: “People will say oh, you know, millions of people have taken these vaccines, they must be safe,” adding “Well, you can’t know the answer to that when it is taboo to talk about having a reaction after vaccines.”
U.S. Diverts COVID Funds to Secure Vaccines Amid Stalemate
The Biden administration said Wednesday that a funding crunch is forcing it to divert more than $10 billion in coronavirus relief from test procurement and other efforts as it tries to come up with the money to secure the next generation of vaccines and treatments for some high-risk Americans.
The White House said it has been left with “no choice” but to cut back on orders of at-home rapid tests that have supported a domestic manufacturing base for the easy diagnostic tests. It also is scaling back funding for research and development of new COVID-19 vaccines and limiting orders of personal protective equipment in an effort to maintain some stockpiles of vaccines and treatments for Americans heading into the winter.
Even then, the Democratic administration says, there will only be enough money available to provide treatments and vaccines to some people. It urged Congress to act to provide enough money to secure doses for all who might want or need them.
Biden Administration Seeks to Suppress Hospital Safety Data
Consumer groups are pushing back against a Biden administration proposal that would block public access to key hospital safety data such as infection rates, falls and incidence of bed sores.
Medicare is accepting comments from the public through June 17 on the rule, saying it is proposing the data suppression “due to the impact of the COVID-19 [public health emergency.]”
“The public has a right to know what happened during the pandemic. We have a right to know when lives are at risk and which hospitals did the best job of protecting their patients,” said Leah Binder, CEO of the Leapfrog Group, an organization that grades hospital care.
A number of studies have shown an increase during the pandemic in preventable hospital-acquired infections, including central line infections.
Hopkins Doctor: This COVID Surge Not as Bad as the Last but Prepare for Another. And Monkeypox.
The country’s latest COVID-19 surge appears to have crested well before reaching anywhere near the pandemic peak seen in January. But the pandemic isn’t done, and new variants already are emerging around the country that could mean another wave this summer or fall and everyone ought to be ready.
So says Dr. Tom Inglesby, a public health expert who just returned to his post at Johns Hopkins University from a COVID-19 advisory position at the White House.
Inglesby said there could be another surge over the summer, as two newer Omicron sub-variants — BA4 and BA5 — have taken root around the country, supplanting the B2.12.1 sub-variant now fueling cases. He and others already say emerging patterns suggest there will be a fall or winter surge.
Inglesby said the nation also needs to better prepare for more cases of monkeypox, a disease that isn’t normally found in the United States. It began emerging after cases were discovered last month in the United Kingdom.
COVID Airborne Transmission v. Monkeypox: Key Differences Between Viruses
More than 1,000 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed around the world in several countries where the disease is not usually found — including the United States — raising questions about how the virus is spreading.
But can monkeypox, a rare disease that is usually restricted to parts of Central and West Africa, spread via airborne transmission like the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic?
SARS-CoV-2 spreads through exposure to respiratory fluids containing the infectious virus, and, while it was not clear in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we now know that this can include aerosols.
With monkeypox, however, not much is known about whether or not the disease can spread via airborne aerosols, although this does not seem to be the primary route of transmission.
COVID Might Raise Odds for Psychiatric Disorders Later: Study
U.S. News & World Report reported:
People who’ve been through a bout of COVID may be more vulnerable to mental health disorders in the months following their infection, a new study warns.
Researchers analyzed data on more than 46,000 people in the United States who tested positive for COVID-19 and an equal number of people with other types of respiratory infections. None had a previous known psychiatric disorder.
COVID-19 patients were about 25% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition in the four months after their infection than those with other types of respiratory infections (3.8% vs. 3%), the study found.
When they focused on anxiety and mood disorders, the investigators discovered a minor but significant increase in risk for anxiety disorders among COVID-19 patients, but no increased risk of mood disorders.
Hospital Studying Long-Term Effects of COVID in Kids
Adriana Vaughan tested positive for COVID-19 in October 2021. Eight months later, the 12-year-old has a string of new medical issues: fatigue, headaches, stomach problems and more.
Vaughan is one of more than 70 kids being treated in the long COVID clinic at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. Alexandra Yonts, an infectious disease specialist who runs the clinic, said fatigue is the top complaint among patients young and old.
“Kids tend to have less respiratory complaints and more gastrointestinal symptoms,” she said of how their symptoms are different than adults.
China Fears Wind Is Blowing COVID Virus in From North Korea
Officials in a Chinese city on the border with North Korea say they can’t figure out where persistent new COVID-19 infections are coming from — and suspect the wind blowing in from their secretive neighbor.
Despite being locked down since the end of April, daily cases have been trending up in Dandong, a city of 2.19 million. Most of the infected people found in the community during the past week hadn’t been outside of their housing compounds for at least four days prior to their diagnosis, according to the city’s Center for Disease Control.
While the virus is flaring elsewhere in China, including in its northern regions, officials say they’re unable to establish a chain of transmission. Their suspicions have instead settled on their neighbor, with authorities urging residents living by the Yalu River that runs between the two countries to close their windows on days with southerly winds, according to a government notice.
COVID Vaccine Rights Waiver Within Reach, WTO Chief Says Ahead of Meeting
An international agreement on waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines is within reach ahead of a global trade meeting next week, the head of the World Trade Organization said on Wednesday.
Since she was appointed more than a year ago, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian minister and chair of the GAVI vaccine alliance board, has prioritized a long-sought deal on a waiver for intellectual property rights for COVID-19 shots.
