Alarm Bells Ring Over New Omicron Variants BA.2.75 and BA.5.2.1
BA.2.75 appears to spread even faster than the highly-contagious BA.5, the strain that currently dominates the United States. BA.2.75 is making its way across India and about 10 other countries, including the U.S., where a third case was detected last week. Meanwhile, a new strain of BA.5 has materialized, but its effect is still unclear.
AP:
New Coronavirus Mutant Raises Concerns In India And Beyond
The quickly changing coronavirus has spawned yet another super contagious omicron mutant that’s worrying scientists as it gains ground in India and pops up in numerous other countries, including the United States. Scientists say the variant – called BA.2.75 – may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infection. It’s unclear whether it could cause more serious disease than other omicron variants, including the globally prominent BA.5. (Ungar and Ghosal, 7/11)
And a new strain of BA.5 has appeared —
Axios:
New COVID Omicron Subvariant Discovered In Shanghai
Health officials in Shanghai announced on Sunday that they have discovered a new COVID-19 subvariant, Omicron BA.5.2.1, Reuters reports. (Saric, 7/10)
Bloomberg:
Shanghai Outbreak Grows As First Sub-Variant Case Detected
Covid-19 cases in Shanghai continued to climb as parts of China’s financial hub face more rounds of mass testing, with new sub-variants providing a constant challenge to the country’s zero-tolerance approach to the virus. The city recorded 69 new infections for Sunday, the most since late May and up from 57 the day before. Cases have increased abruptly after a period of little to no trace of the virus, where officials declared victory over Covid and praised their handling of a crisis that left China’s most global city locked down for two months in May and June. (7/11)
More on the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 —
Fortune:
Move Over, Measles: Dominant Omicron Subvariants BA.4 And BA.5 Could Be The Most Infectious Viruses Known To Man
COVID was relatively deadly, but not ultra-transmissible when it burst onto the global scene in late 2019 and early 2020. These days, due a number of factors, the reverse is true: It’s considerably less lethal, but more exponentially transmissible. Globally dominant Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are neck and neck with measles in the competition for the title of most infectious disease known to man, according to an Australian professor of biostatistics and epidemiology. (Prater, 7/9)
The Washington Post:
As BA.5 Variant Spreads, Risk Of Covid Reinfection Grows
America has decided the pandemic is over. The coronavirus has other ideas. The latest omicron offshoot, BA.5, has quickly become dominant in the United States, and thanks to its elusiveness when encountering the human immune system, is driving a wave of cases across the country. The size of that wave is unclear because most people are testing at home or not testing at all. (Achenbach, 7/10)
The New York Times:
What Are The Symptoms Of Omicron Subvariants BA.4 And BA.5?
Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Cleveland Clinic, said people tend to experience upper respiratory symptoms “from the vocal cords to the tip of the nose.” Anecdotally, he said, he has seen more patients with painful sinus congestion and severe sore throats who have tested positive for Covid-19 while BA.4 and BA.5 have been circulating. Some of them thought they had strep throat because they were in so much pain, he said. (Blum, 7/6)
CIDRAP:
Wastewater Surveillance Tool Detects SARS-CoV-2 Variants Earlier, Cheaper
Scientists at Scripps Research Institute and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have developed a wastewater surveillance tool that—with just 2 teaspoons of raw sewage—can identify the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in a population and detect new variants of concern up to 2 weeks before clinical sequencing can. (7/8)
Possible Biomarker For Long Covid Identified In Blood
Boston researchers suggest that finding spike proteins in the blood up to 12 months after covid infections is an indicator for long covid that could help diagnoses of the illness. Other reports say big pharma is being slower to tackle long covid than the speed the industry achieved to fight covid itself.
The Boston Globe:
Boston Researchers May Have Found Biomarker For Long COVID
Researchers say they have found the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein circulating in the blood of long COVID patients up to 12 months after they were diagnosed with COVID-19. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital said the findings suggested the spike protein was a potential biomarker that could be helpful in diagnosing and treating long COVID patients. (Finucane, 7/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Long Covid Is An Elusive Target For Big Pharma
The drug industry developed Covid-19 vaccines and treatments at breakneck speed, saving millions of lives in the process. Yet treatments for the post-viral illness known as long Covid, which is afflicting millions, are nowhere close to being developed. The lack of urgency around developing treatments is both a missed opportunity for the healthcare industry and a drag on the economy as an array of conditions such as dizziness and chest pain force many Americans to at least temporarily stop working. (Wainer, 7/11)
In other news about the spread of covid —
AP:
New York City Health Officials Urge Return To Indoor Masking
New York City public health officials on Friday urged residents to return to indoor mask-wearing, noting how they’re seeing high levels of COVID-19 infection. To help slow the spread, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recommended in a tweet that “all New Yorkers should wear a high-quality mask, such as an N95, KN95 or KF94 in all public indoor settings and around crowds outside.” (7/8)
Bloomberg:
New York City Cuts Back On Covid Testing Amid US Surge In Infections
New York City is scaling back on Covid-19 testing sites despite omicron subvariants that are driving a nationwide rise in new case and hospitalization rates. The city’s public health system has been shutting down hundreds of testing sites as public attention to the virus fades, according to its website. Meanwhile, the rate of positive results to total tests, an indicator of the speed of spread, rose to 15.4% this week, about four times what it was in April. (Taylor, 7/9)
CIDRAP:
Survey Shows Americans Souring On COVID-19 Response
Americans are not happy with the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey from Pew Research Center. The survey of more than 10,000 US adults, conducted in early May, found that 62% think the country’s COVID-19 response has given too little priority to the needs of K-12 students, while significant shares say too little priority has been given to supporting overall quality of life (48%), business and economic activity (46%), and respecting individuals’ choices (46%). (7/8)
CBS News:
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Tests Positive For COVID-19
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has tested positive for COVID-19, his spokesperson confirmed Sunday night. Schumer, who is fully vaccinated and double boosted, is only experiencing “very mild” symptoms, the spokesperson said in a statement. The 71-year-old’s positive test came as part of his regular testing regimen, according to the statement. Per CDC guidance, he will quarantine and work remotely this week. (Albert, 7/10)
In vaccine rollout news —
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Vaccine Uptake For Bay Area Babies, Toddlers Outpaces State And US
In late June, when pediatrician Dr. Nelson Branco opened up COVID vaccine appointments for his youngest patients — babies and toddlers under 5 years old — parents raced to book some 250 slots within the first 48 hours. By late last week, nearly 20% of Branco’s roughly 1,500 patients in this age group had gotten their first shot. The doctor, who practices in Larkspur and Novato, anticipates that over the next few weeks, it will double to 40%. (Ho, 7/10)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Kids Getting Vaccines At Slightly Quicker Rate Than National Average
Caitlin Chmiel was furious and worried when her 2-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 the week the federal government approved vaccines for the nation’s youngest kids in mid-June — when quicker action meant her daughter might have been vaccinated and had more protection against the virus. (Harper, 7/11)
AP:
Court: Health Care Workers In Lawsuit Must Reveal Identities
Nine health care workers who sued Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate have until Monday to reveal their identities. (7/10)
Newsweek:
Trump Avoids Word ‘Vaccine’ At Alaska Rally After Boos Over It In Alabama
Former President Donald Trump appeared to avoid saying the word “vaccine” during his rally in Alaska on Saturday after he was booed for encouraging his supporters to get vaccinated in past rallies. (Stanton, 7/10)
Fortune:
Could A Universal Coronavirus Vaccine Be The Silver Bullet That Ends This Pandemic—And The Next?
First-generation vaccines were not the panacea hoped for in COVID-19’s early days. Nor did herd immunity swoop in and save the day. Could a so-called “pan-coronavirus” vaccine be the long-awaited silver bullet that ends the COVID pandemic—and the next one, too? Answer: It’s complicated. (Prater, 7/10)
