Number Of New Covid Cases Plummeting
New daily cases have fallen by almost 50% in the past two weeks, CIDRAP reports. Meanwhile, hospitalizations have fallen 16% from a Jan. 20 high, according to HHS data.
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Covid-19 Hospitalizations Continue Tracking Downward
Hospitalizations for Covid-19 in the U.S. continued to fall, with the seven-day average of patients with confirmed or suspected cases easing to 134,000 on Wednesday, down 16% from a Jan. 20 high, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. Deaths, a lagging indicator, are ticking upward, reaching a seven-day average of 2,530, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, though they are off the highs recorded in January last year. Public health experts say that while the more contagious Omicron variant of the virus is less likely to cause severe illness than previous variants, the large number of infections this winter means it is continuing to cause a large and growing number of fatalities. (Kostov, Roland and Abbott, 2/3)
CIDRAP:
US COVID-19 Cases Continue Steep Decline
New daily cases have decreased by almost 50% in the last 2 weeks, but the average daily death rate — which lags by 4 to 6 weeks behind case rates — has increased by 35%. An analysis of new federal data shows 100,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 since Thanksgiving. (Soucheray, 2/3)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Schools See Big Decline In Coronavirus Cases
Coronavirus infections have declined about 70% since the start of the spring semester among students in L.A. County, but overall rates remain significantly higher than they were before the current surge. The decline in the latest countywide figures, released Thursday by Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, aligns with other data suggesting that the peak of the explosive growth due to the Omicron variant has passed. Health officials warned, however, that it remains important to take precautions — many of which remain required under local health orders. (Blume, 2/3)
In more news about the spread of the coronavirus —
Bay Area News Group:
COVID: ‘Stealth Omicron’ Is Spreading, But Not So Fast
The new cousin of the super-contagious omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 hasn’t spread as fast as health officials had feared, raising hopes it won’t extend the devastating case surge that has filled hospital wards this winter. The sub-lineage of the omicron variant known as BA.2 has been dubbed “stealth omicron” because it is harder to detect, and its rapid spread in other countries has worried health officials that it could overtake the dominant omicron strain and perhaps prove more virulent or vaccine resistant. But Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said this week that does not appear to be the case. (Woolfolk, 2/3)
The Washington Post:
Yes, It’s Still A Pandemic Of The Unvaccinated — Arguably Even More So Now
New data shows that the gap between vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans remains stark. In fact, when you compare unvaccinated people to those most protected by the vaccines, the gap has grown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data this week from Los Angeles County. The data covered the period between Nov. 7 and Jan. 8, which means the vast majority of cases involved came after the rise of omicron. What you’ll see right away is that there are indeed lots of infections among both unvaccinated people and vaccinated people — more specifically, vaccinated people who haven’t gotten boosters. (Blake, 2/3)
The New York Times:
In New York City Sewage, A Mysterious Coronavirus Signal
Last January, a team of researchers searching for the coronavirus in New York City’s wastewater spotted something strange in their samples. The viral fragments they found had a unique constellation of mutations that had never been reported before in human patients — a potential sign of a new, previously undetected variant. For the past year, these oddball sequences, or what the scientists call “cryptic lineages,” have continued to pop up in the city’s wastewater. (Anthes, 2/3)
Florida Times-Union:
After 164 Days Fighting COVID, A Patient Finally Walks Out Of UF Health Jax
Fabian Granado will celebrate his 27th birthday on Feb. 8. It’s a day his close-knit family feared he wouldn’t live to see. Hospitalized 164 days — often near death including two months in a coma — from COVID-19, Granado walked out of UF Health Jacksonville on Tuesday to tears of joy, cheers, handshakes and hugs from the masked medical staff who cared for him day and night. “I’m feeling wonderful,” said Granado in a soft, raspy voice. “It’s been a long 5½ months at the hospital getting my lungs healed and being able to talk, walk and you know, be alive and a human again.” (Stepzinski, 2/3)
KHN:
A Disabled Activist Speaks Out About Feeling ‘Disposable’
In early January, one of the country’s top public health officials went on national television and delivered what she called “really encouraging news” on covid-19: A recent study showed that more than three-fourths of fatalities from the omicron variant of the virus occurred among people with several other medical conditions. “These are people who were unwell to begin with,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Walensky’s remarks infuriated Americans with disabilities, who say the pandemic has highlighted how the medical establishment — and society at large — treats their lives as expendable. (Scheier, 2/4)
And in covid research —
CIDRAP:
Strokes Most Likely To Occur Within 3 Days Of COVID-19 Diagnosis In Seniors
Among older adults, the risk of stroke is highest within 3 days of COVID-19 diagnosis, and a new scoring system could help predict the risk of stroke, according to preliminary research presented at the International Stroke Conference 2022 this week. (2/3)
CIDRAP:
COVID Severity Doesn’t Depend On Trimester Of Pregnancy, Research Shows
The severity of COVID-19 does not change based on pregnancy trimester, finds research presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM’s) virtual annual meeting. According to an abstract published Jan 1 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG), the research team studied the outcomes of 1,092 pregnant COVID-19 patients who delivered at a Dallas hospital from Mar 18, 2020, to May 31, 2021. (2/3)
CNBC:
Why Do Some People Get Covid While Others Don’t?
One of the great mysteries that has emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic — and one that’s still being investigated by infectious disease specialists — is why some people catch Covid and others don’t, even when they’re equally exposed to the virus. Many of us know entire households who caught Covid and had to isolate over the pandemic, but there are also multiple anecdotes of couples, families and colleagues where some people caught the virus — but not everyone. Indeed, Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, told CNBC that studies indicate the likelihood of becoming infected within a household once one case is positive is “not as high as you’d imagine.” (Ellyatt, 2/3)
Kansas City Star:
How Long Do COVID Symptoms Last And What Is Long Haul COVID?
COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere. While Kansas City’s omicron wave seems to be trending downward, some people, often referred to as long haulers, are still dealing with lingering COVID symptoms for months after they first test positive. You’ve probably heard the phrase “long COVID” before, but what exactly is it? We spoke with Dr. Paramdeep Baweja, Interventional Cardiologist with University Health, to answer your questions about long COVID, how it’s affecting people here in Kansas City and what resources are available if you’re dealing with it. (Hernandez, 2/4)
White House Launches $19M Grants To Boost Residencies
The move is part of an effort to address physician shortages, particularly in underserved and rural communities. Meanwhile, with U.S. hospitals facing staff shortages due to the pandemic, there’s a recruitment drive to attract foreign health care workers.
Modern Healthcare:
Biden Administration Announces $19 Million For New Residency Positions
The Biden administration on Thursday made $19 million in grants available to train primary care residents in rural and under-served communities, part of an effort to address physician shortages. The funding will support an additional 120 residency slots at community-based ambulatory patient care centers. “This funding provides our primary care workforce with opportunities to train in areas where they can make a profound impact, and is one of the many steps we’re taking to address long-standing health disparities,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said. (Hellmann, 2/3)
In related news about health care workers —
AP:
Strained US Hospitals Seek Foreign Nurses Amid Visa Windfall
With American hospitals facing a dire shortage of nurses amid a slogging pandemic, many are looking abroad for health care workers. And it could be just in time. There’s an unusually high number of green cards available this year for foreign professionals, including nurses, who want to move to the United States — twice as many as just a few years ago. That’s because U.S. consulates shut down during the coronavirus pandemic weren’t issuing visas to relatives of American citizens, and, by law, these unused slots now get transferred to eligible workers. (Taxin, 2/3)
The CT Mirror:
Exhausted Health Care Workers Seek Long-Awaited Legislative Relief
Calls to shore up Connecticut’s health care workforce are getting louder, after the latest COVID variant placed heightened stress on the state’s nurses, physicians, behavioral specialists and other medical staff. Advocates and lawmakers say programs they’ve long pushed for — workforce training, medical school loan forgiveness, higher nurse-to-patient ratios, simpler license transfers from other states and medical liability insurance reform, to name a few — are all on the table heading into the Connecticut General Assembly’s regular session, which begins Feb. 9. (Phillips, 2/3)
In other news on the pandemic labor shortage —
Axios:
Long COVID Is Contributing To America’s Labor Shortage
Long COVID is likely keeping a lot of Americans out of the workforce, experts say, — and that could continue for years as people struggle with persistent health problems. Long COVID isn’t confined to older patients, and its symptoms can vary. The U.S. also doesn’t have particularly strong support systems for people who need long-term COVID treatment. (Reed and Peck, 2/3)
USA Today:
Wisconsin Long COVID Patients Lose Jobs, Normalcy; Doctors Seek Answers
Two days into her COVID-19 diagnosis, Kelly Luberda realized while washing her hands that the soap had no smell.Frantic, she raced through her house sniffing coffee, candles — anything with a strong odor. Nothing. Over 15 months later, Luberda, a 54-year-old resident of De Pere, says her sense of smell still isn’t right. She can smell peanut butter, gasoline, beef, garlic, a wood-burning fire and barbecue, but they all have the same repulsive smell, one she compares to vomit. (Eilbert and Heim, 2/3)
NPR:
New Mexico Asks National Guard Soldiers To Work As Substitute Teachers
In a sunny classroom in Pojoaque Valley Middle School, northern New Mexico, a class of lively teenagers is doing a group reading exercise. Specialist Austin Alt paces around, peering over their shoulders. It’s his second day as a substitute teacher, and his arrival came as a surprise. “I went to one of my classes, and I saw him there. I was kind of shocked at first,” says Joshua Villalobos, 14. As of this week, 78 members of the New Mexico National Guard have begun work as substitute teachers. They are responding to a call from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who also asked state employees to volunteer in an effort to keep schools open during an acute shortage of teachers exacerbated by the omicron wave of COVID-19. (Fordham, 2/2)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Expanded COVID Sick Leave In California Could Take Effect Next Week
Many California workers are one step closer to regaining access to expanded COVID-19 supplementary sick pay after a bill published Wednesday outlined who would be eligible and the limits on how much businesses would have to pay. The further details come after Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced a deal last week to revive the emergency sick pay for people affected by the virus and their families. Labor groups have been pressuring the administration and the Legislature to revive the expanded sick leave after it lapsed at the end of September when a federal tax credit for businesses to fund the leave expired. (DiFeliciantonio, 2/3)