Seasonal Influence on the Northern Hemisphere by COVID-19 and the Influence of Rhoadoviruses

But COVID-19 restrictions started being lifted last year. The surge is only kicking in now. Hensley was concerned that flu and RSV would rebound last year. The Northern Hemisphere has a mild flu season. And although RSV infections did rise, the peak was lower than in pre-pandemic years and came in the summer of 2021 — odd timing that might have helped to dampen the spread of the virus. The peak of the respiratory syncytial parasites was not a time when the virus was safe to get, says Virginia Pitzer, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health.

With both flu and the srsV circulating at high levels early in the season, it is hard to predict what will happen when the holidays arrive, he said.

Young children with small lungs can be especially dangerous to them, because they can’t cough hard enough to clear mucus. Nearly all children contract the virus before the age of 2. More kids are getting sick at the same time, and the hospitals have been overwhelmed due to the sudden surge. In the United States, hospitalizations for kids 4 and younger spiked to 61 per 100,000 in mid-November, according to data from the CDC. The rate peaked at 26 young children per 100,000. Some hospitals are having a hard time finding kids for their beds. Because Covid largely spared children from severe illness, some hospitals pivoted, opening spaces designated for kids up to adults. Some of those beds didn’t go back.

For older children and adults who have been previously infected, the problem is waning immunity. antibody levels decline if there is no exposure to a virus. John Tregoning, an Immunologylogist at Imperial College London, says that exposed to a tiny amount of virus your body will fight it off. But “that kind of asymptomatic boosting maybe hasn’t happened in the last few years”.

There is also a lot that researchers still don’t understand about seasonal viruses. For reasons that aren’t fully understood, COVID-19 restrictions seem to have little impact on rhinoviruses, which are the most common cause of colds. Miller says that it might be because of their hardy nature. They’re less prone to desiccation and can persist for longer in the environment.

How these viruses compete and interfere with each other is an open question. The immune response to a single Viruses can be raised to prevent the spread of another Viruses. Hensley points out that last year’s first wave of influenza declined soon after the Omicron surge began. Maybe Omicron gave some protection against the flu. Or maybe the Omicron surge simply convinced people to mask up and keep their distance.

The State of the Covid-19 Epidemic and its Implications for Coronavirus Anomalies and for the Outbreaks of the Vaccine

Pitzer believes that next year’s peaks and valleys might be like the ones that occurred before the vaccine took effect. She isn’t placing any bets. She predicts this winter is going to be the last unusual winter.

Experts expect that Thanksgiving gatherings will stir up social networks and give new coronavirus subvariants fresh pockets of vulnerable people to infect. As a result, cases and hospitalizations may tick up after the holiday, as they have for the past two years.

“Covid positivity is going up,” said Shishi Luo, associate director of bioinformatics and infectious disease at the genetic testing company Helix, which has been monitoring coronavirus variants. “It’s increasing fastest among 18- to 24-year-olds” in the Helix sampling.

When test positivity increases, it means a greater proportion of Covid-19 tests are returning positive results, and it can be an indication that transmission is on the rise.

“We should expect more cases,” Luo said. “Whether they’re measured in how we measure cases right now, I don’t know, but I think in general, you should see more people who are sick. I definitely am.”

The current State of Covid-19 appears to be relatively mild. The hospitalization rate in most states is up but it’s still small compared to what it was during other times. New hospital admissions have gone up in the last month. The surge in hospitalizations for seniors is nearing its peak and is rising fast.

The Effect of Omicron Variants on the Epidemic Rate: What Do We Expect to Learn from a Few Million More Covid-19 Cases?

The BQ subvariants of Omicron have risen to dominate transmission in the US. BQ.1 and its offshoot BQ.1.1 are descendants of BA.5; they have five and six key mutations, respectively, in their spike proteins that help them evade immunity created by vaccines and infections. Because of these changes, they’re growing more quickly than BA.5 did.

BQ.1 has dominated transmission in the UK, even though cases, hospitalizations and deaths have fallen. Something similar happened in France and Germany, notes Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert who directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

The last four weeks have seen no change in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Over 300 Americans die and 3,400 are hospitalized every day with Covid-19, according to CDC data.

Nobody knows exactly what will happen with the BQ variants. Many experts say they feel hopeful that we won’t see the big waves of winters past – certainly nothing like the original Omicron variant, with its jaw-dropping peak of nearly a million new daily infections.

Bill Hanage thinks that our behavior and social contacts might be more influential in determining whether we see more cases than we are led to believe.

He thinks it’s likely that we’ll see a rise in cases that may peak around the second week in January – as it has in years past – but that it won’t have a big effect on hospitalizations and deaths.

Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says that’s probably because BQ.1’s advantages are incremental, not drastic.

“It’s probably got a bit more of a fitness advantage, so what we’re seeing is gradual replacement without a massive change in the total number of Covid-19 cases,” he said.

The CDC is tracking a soup of more than a dozen Omicron subvariants that are causing cases in the US, and that variety may end up helping dampen any wave over the winter.

When it comes to the effect of variations on a population, the rate of vaccination is more important than any other factor.

Scientists at Los Alamos National Labs recently completed a study delving into what drove the effects of 13 dominant variants of coronavirus as they transitioned from one to another in 213 countries. The study was published before peer review and has data from the end of September.

What Happened When the First Alpha Waves Reached the United States, and When Did They Go Globally? – Bette Korber

The number of previous cases in a country, the percentage of people who wore masks, average income and the percentage of the population older than 65 ran a distant second, third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

When a new variant is added, how many other are in the mix is very important, according to senior study author Bette Korber.

By the time Alpha reached the United States, we were evolving our own variants out of California and New York “that were very distinctive and had a competitive edge compared to what it had to come up against in England,” Korber said, which probably slowed its roll here.

Korber is not making any predictions. She thinks Asia is the source of her uncertainty because it is hard to understand what will happen.

The US has seen waves driven by the XBB but not much of a presence in Asian countries. She thinks the BQ variant looks impressive against XBB, which is also highly immune-evasive.

She said that it was a good time to wear masks. The person wears a mask as well as others around them. “And get the booster if you’re eligible and it’s the right moment for you,” especially as we gather around the table to feast with our friends and family.

Korber said that it was time to make it a smaller wave, by adding a little more caution.

Covid-19, RSV, and the Flu are Up (and Running): A Statement of the Chief Medical Officer at UC San Diego Health

“Air travel is also back to pre-pandemic levels and there are no more restrictions on mask wearing on airplanes or in airports where viruses can easily circulate. There is the same thing for bussing. “Fortunately, we are seeing less RSV in children from our high points earlier in December, so that respiratory illness is stabilizing and becoming less of a part of the triple threat of COVID, flu, and RSV.”

All but seven states are experiencing high or very high respiratory virus activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC advises that people in high Covid-19 levels wear a mask.

Data from Walgreens that tracks prescriptions for Tamiflu and other flu treatments suggests that flu hotspots spread from El Paso to southwest Virginia.

Federal data shows that for the past few months, a majority of the hospital beds have been filled, straining capacity even more than usual for the last few years of Covid-19.

“Workforce shortages have not only made it more challenging for hospitals, but also have diminished the number of patients who can be cared for in nursing homes and other post acute care settings,” the statement said. “Thus, patients are spending more time in hospitals, awaiting discharge to the next level of care and limiting our ability to make a bed available to a patient who truly needs to be hospitalized.”

Mask mandates have not yet returned, but virus spikes in New York, Los Angeles and Seattle have led health departments to recommend people mask up indoor and in crowds.

Hospitals fill with sick patients battling a trio of respiratory illnesses: Covid-19,RSV and the flu, as overflow health care workers struggle to catch their breath.

The chief medical officer of UC San Diego Health said that the hospital is seeing a surge in respiratory cases. “Covid is up. The flu is up and other respiratory viruses are up as well.”

The situation is so overwhelming at UC San Diego Health, the hospital had to create space to triage patients by setting up tents in parking lots and using other unconventional spaces. The hallways in the emergency department are also full of temporary beds for patients who were admitted but are awaiting hospital beds.

A Dr. Edward Jones-Lopez Perspective on Natural Infections for RSV, Covid, and the Flu, and why you should wear a mask

Evidence shows that the number of cases is starting to come down. It will be some time before the impact of the disease is diminished, he said.

Dr. Edward Jones-Lopez, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Southern California said that the vaccines are the most powerful factor by far because they have a cumulative number of immunity which is called natural infections.

“Unfortunately, there’s still about a third of the country … where despite all the evidence of safety and efficacy, people are still not getting vaccinated,” he said.

Covid and the flu do not have vaccines forRSV. Testing is needed to determine which of the three viruses has a specific symptom, and which one should be treated.

One case of three infections occurring at the same time is what I have seen, said Jones-Lopez. The more infections you have the higher the risk that one of them will cause more serious disease.

Smith of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center said that if you have an illness that makes you susceptible to infections, he would encourage you to wear a mask. It is the best thing we have for people who are concerned about transmission.

What do you want to do during the holidays? When you are ready to do it, what are you willing to do? What are you excited about?

“Everyone is prepared to do everything they can, even though many of us have stopped doing it for a couple years,” said Dr. HenryWu, an epidemiologist and travel doctor at Emory University. “We’re entering a new normal, where we have to find a balance between what we want and what’s best for us.”

Now is the time to envision what you want to do over the holidays. Which are the most important events for you? Who do you want to see?

To identify which gatherings are most important for you, my advice is to first do that. From the first event, count backwards. For about a week before the event, try to reduce your risk of catching a respiratory virus.

Thinking through those questions can help you decide which safety measures to take. “Every family and every individual is going to be a little different,” Wu said.

Vaccines, Vaccinations, and the Prevention of Coloviruses: Some Recommendations on the Use and Prevention of Covid-19

Most children are able to receive the booster shots made by Pfizer and Moderna. And for those who need or prefer a non-mRNA shot, the Novavax vaccine is available as a booster to adults who completed an initial vaccine course at least six months ago.

This year’s vaccine seems to be a good match for the strain that’s out there. The flu shots can help prevent hospitalizations, deaths, and transmission, even though they don’t prevent all infections.

He says that Americans should stay home if they are sick, even if they have Covid-19.

The risk of getting a disease from someone who’s not currently sick is much less than it is from someone who has symptoms, according to a scientific review published earlier this year.

If you do feel sick, get tested — COVID tests are widely available this year at pharmacies and grocery stores. It’s possible to arrange a flu test.

Aerosols are tiny droplets that can be spread by the coronaviruses. Good ventilation helps to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses. If you live in a warm weather environment, consider hosting your gathering outdoors — that will be lower risk than indoors.

Not everything can realistically be moved outdoors. The social gatherings and religious services will be indoors. For family members traveling long distances to see each other, spending a lot of time indoors together is inescapable.

Walking in the Park, Ice Skating or Outdoor Holiday Market: A White House Campaign to Prevent and Prevent the Covid-19 Epidemic

If the weather permits, you can consider taking a stroll in the park, ice skating or strolling an outdoor holiday market to catch up with an old friend from high school.

Setting is a factor if the outdoors is not possible. Is it possible to choose a larger space where people don’t need to cluster together? Do you can keep some windows and doors open, or run high quality particulate air filters to improve the flow of air?

“I think that has really come out as the strongest non-pharmaceutical intervention that’s been revealed during this pandemic, because it just eliminates all respiratory pathogens,” she said.

When that happens, “People are together for very long periods of time, and they’re not wearing masks, and they’re weary and tired and stressed, and those are occasions where people are more apt to spread the virus,” Schaffner said, adding that his own granddaughter had four flights canceled over the holidays. He suggests covering up in the airport and on an airplane.

“I don’t think it’s hard to do a mask,” she said. When you find yourself in a crowded and poorly ventilated indoor space, I encourage you to keep that mask handy.

In an interview with CNN laying out the White House’s launch of a new public campaign on Thursday aimed at preparing Americans ahead off what is expected to be a continued rise in Covid-19 cases this winter, White House Covid-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha stressed that the stakes are even higher as the United States confronts a trio of threats.

The Biden administration renewed its effort to encourage people to get a vaccine, use testing, and masks when necessary, in order to keep Covid-19 out of the country.

As a part of its new push, the administration is restarting the free at-home Covid-19 test program, permitting each American household to order up to four free tests this winter from COVIDTests.gov. It is also offering federal resources to local health departments, putting an extra focus on high-risk individuals including by providing a winter playbook for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and permitting nursing home staff to administer vaccinations.

Jha said that the data from the past few weeks show that there is a rise in Covid-19 cases, but he could not say how many would be found this winter.

Someone will have some protection before Christmas if they get a vaccine tomorrow. But it’s not like Christmas Day is the last day people socialize over winter,” Jha said. Getting vaccine as quickly as possible will give you protection for as much time as possible.

There are guidelines from the CDC for what a person should do if they test positive for Covid-19, and it’s not always the same as if they catch the flu. When a person issymptomatic the spread of RSV and the flu largely occurs, whereas when a person isnotsymptomatic the spread of Covid-19 can be much more.

Even if you don’t believe you have Covid-19, don’t cough your way through the family holiday dinner.

Hand Hands & Facial Masks During the Holidays: Advice for Travelers and Runners Against Influenza, Covid-19, and Other Sick Persons

I talked to a professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health who helped me with the questions. She is a doctor and has written about the fight for public health.

“Wash your hands frequently, including after touching high-touch surfaces like shared computer keyboards or elevator buttons,” she said. If you are having a cough or have a flue, stay at home. And people at high risk for severe outcomes from viral illnesses should wear an N95 or equivalent mask while in indoor spaces.”

Do not delay if you have not yet received the flu vaccine or Covid-19 booster. The vaccine can reach optimal protection about two weeks after the inoculation, but if it is less than that, there will still be some additional protection.

Wen: Many respiratory infections like influenza, RSV and the common cold are primarily spread through droplets. Droplets are expelled when someone sneezes. This is why encouraging people not to attend if they are symptomatic is important, and so is good hand hygiene.

For Covid-19 specifically, having everyone take a rapid home antigen test the same day as the gathering can also reduce risk. The tests can be delivered at the door to make sure everyone takes one.

It’s always a good idea to plan ahead and take precautions during the holidays when airports, train stations and bus depots will be very busy. If you want to keep safe during the holidays, I recommend masking in these settings. Even if you have returned to pre-pandemic activities and stopped masking months ago, I think it’s a good idea to get your mask back out in these crowds so that you don’t become sick and end up having to miss holiday gatherings.

High-quality respiratory masks, such as N95, KN95 or KF94, are very protective against droplets. Figure out, if you have not already, which masks you can wear comfortably for long periods of time during transit. Bring several with you in case one of them gets soiled or bent out of shape.

I encourage you to wear masks the whole time while traveling around a lot of people. If you find masks uncomfortable, at least wear them during the highest risk settings — for example, when packed together with dozens of other people waiting to board the plane.

People who are particularly vulnerable should clarify the precautions in advance with the hosts. If the event becomes riskier than they anticipated, they should be free to leave.

Wen: This is a very important point. Everyone should have a plan for what happens if they develop a viral illness while traveling. The USCDC has a list of what a Covid-19 plan looks like. Making sure that you have enough home tests, having a plan for treatment, and speaking with your doctor are all included in that.

Since it’s not just Covid-19 that’s circulating, also have a plan for what happens if you or someone in your party develops the flu or other respiratory infections. Do you know where to go when you need to leave? If a young child becomes ill and you have to take time away from work, what will you be able to do?

The fluids hung in the air as if they were a toy. In a matter of days, that single exhalation had transformed into a chorus of viral aerosols reverberating, unbridled coughs and sneezes and gargled throat clearings working in a sort of crude, sick harmony backed by a nose blowing percussion I envisioned infecting all bystanders, myself included.

There’s not a place I’ve been in the past few days — public transportation, the supermarket, school, the office — where someone hasn’t been hacking, glassy-eyed, congested or hoarse.

To add insult to injury, rather than facing the disease deluge armed with all we’ve learned over the past three years – proper hand washing, masking, social distancing – it seems like many people have crossed enemy lines. It is hard to comprehend that the death toll continues to rise despite the fact we have learned nothing from the Global Pandemic.

There has been an increase in illnesses in schools and the workplace due to vaccine fatigue. We can’t seem to do what we’re supposed to.

After being exhausted by circumstances, people begin to change and function better during high-stress situations such as the flu surge, said therapist Dr. Davis via email. Tuing out is a common psychological defense mechanism where one prevents themselves from feeling uncomfortable by refusing to acknowledge all the facts in an unconscious attempt to protect themselves.

Why would you want to give grandma a trip to the ICU? Explaining the importance of moderation in medical planning during a pandemic

Why on Earth would you want to give grandma a trip to the ICU this Christmas? A dragonfly broach, tea service or the Agatha Christie box set are all vastly preferable options if you ask me. Speaking of grandma, nursing homes have failed to keep pace with life-saving preventive care. Just 50% of nursing home residents have received their covalent boosters — and only an atrocious 25% of nursing home workers.

If you have to go out, put your nose behind a mask. Better yet, stay home if you can. Last time I checked, pretending sickness isn’t in the air (or your body) doesn’t make it go away. Plausible deniability doesn’t have to be our legacy, because it will be our demise.

How can we break through the psychological trauma of surviving a Pandemic while being socially responsible and not throwing caution into the wind? According to the medical director at Newport, moderation helps to practice.

She said that we can exercise our individual rights when it comes to decisions about our own health, as long as we are aware that we often do things to protect others.

It’s reasonable for people to take small steps in care of others, but I’m not going to hold my breath. Unless you are not masking. For now, I’m thinking of swapping my usual Christmas presents for air-tight hazmat suits and gas masks, so my nearest and dearest can get through this winter without catching or spreading something that could take us out.

Colorado Hospital Association Commissioner Jeff Tieman: “I’m all you, but I don’t wanna go home” after the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Colorado Hospital Association said it is disabling the Combined Hospital Transfer Center because cases have stopped.

“Colorado hospitals are prepared to employ our capacity management tools, including the CHTC, if we face another surge,” Jeff Tieman, the Colorado Hospital Association president and CEO, said in a statement.

If you have an infectious group A Strep throat, it can be a problem if you have an underlying viral illness.

Strep A, or group A streptococcus, is a bacteria found in the throat and on the skin that usually causes fever and throat infections, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Invasive group A strep infections are more rare and serious; they include necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which can be deadly.

“In a lot of ways, we aren’t prepared for big epidemics and pandemics because of the way our health system operates. That was what we saw in the Covid-19 Pandemic. And further investment, of course, in public health is always something that’s a good idea, and we see that with emergencies, like the pandemic, but as you’ve probably seen, as the emergency abates, that funding dries up pretty quickly, and then we wait till the next time that something happens,” he said.

A lot of staff and physicians are doing things they would never do in a clinic, and that includes moonlighting. “So people are really stepping up to the plate to meet the need right now, but yeah, we could certainly use a breather.”

Some local health officials are bracing for a possible surge in respiratory illnesses following the winter holidays since that was seen recently following Thanksgiving, Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said in an email to CNN on Monday.

A third of the flu hospitalizations and deaths at the time this season was reported in the first full week of data were after Thanksgiving, and cases also jumped nearly as much.

Overall, “we should expect more respiratory diseases,” he said. The two most important things you can do to reduce your risk are to get the vaccine for those that we have and the new bivalent version.