Q&A about the sublineages of the COVID-19 Omicron variant - WHO Youtube Channel
WHO’s Science in 5: Upcoming new vaccines
Omicron as severe as other COVID variants -large U.S. study
From Reuters [1]:
The Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV2 virus is intrinsically as severe as previous variants, according to a preprint version of a large U.S. study that counters assumptions in other studies that it was more transmissible but less severe.
- The findings, which estimated Omicron's severity after accounting for the impact of vaccines, should reinforce the importance of inoculations and booster shots, experts said.
- Vaccines helped keep hospitalizations and deaths relatively low during the Omicron surge compared with previous variants.
- The study, which is undergoing peer review at Nature Portfolio, was posted on Research Square on May 2.
- The authors, from Massachusetts General Hospital, Minerva University and Harvard Medical School, declined to comment until peer review is completed.
"We found that the risks of hospitalization and mortality were nearly identical" between the Omicron era and times in the past two years when different variants were dominant, the researchers said in their report.
- The new study, based on records of 130,000 COVID patients in Massachusetts, is unique and "pretty strong," said Dr. Arjun Venkatesh of Yale School of Medicine and the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, who was not involved in the research.
- Rather than just looking at numbers of deaths and hospitalizations, as earlier studies have done, it accounted for patients' vaccination status and medical risk factors and compared similar groups of people, Venkatesh said.
The authors cited potential limitations in their report, including the possibility that the analysis underestimated the number of vaccinated patients in more recent COVID waves, and the total number of infections, because it excluded patients who performed at-home rapid tests.
- The study did not account for treatments patients may have received, such as monoclonal antibodies or antiviral drugs "that are known to reduce hospitalizations," Venkatesh noted.
- "It's possible that if we didn't have these treatments available today, Omicron would be even worse."
- Countries around the world have found that a significant percentage of their citizens were unwilling to get a COVID vaccine, even during surges of apparently deadlier variants.
When the Omicron variant was first identified late in 2021, public health officials said it caused much milder symptoms in the vast majority of infected people.
- That may have encouraged the vaccine hesitant that they were less in need of a shot.
- But Venkatesh said the new preprint adds to evidence that vaccines helped spare people from the worst impacts of Omicron.
- "Don't make the mistake" of thinking vaccines and boosters are not important, he said.
WHO: 14.9 Million Died Because of COVID in 2020-21
From WebMD [2]:
The World Health has issued new estimates on the deadliness of the COVID pandemic, saying 14.9 million people died “directly or indirectly” because of coronavirus between January 2020 and December 2021.
- In a news release, WHO said its analysis included indirect COVID deaths, defined as occurring when people could not obtain medical treatment because the pandemic overburdened health systems, even if the people were sick with something besides COVID. WHO did not break down the numbers into direct and indirect deaths.
- WHO said it determined between 13.3 million and 16.6 million deaths occurred during the first two years of the pandemic.
- While most health experts said the death toll was undercounted, these numbers are much higher than the current official death toll of 6.2 million reported by Johns Hopkins University that’s based on deaths directly attributed to the virus.
“These sobering data not only point to the impact of the pandemic but also to the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services during crises, including stronger health information systems,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, MD, said in the release.
- “WHO is committed to working with all countries to strengthen their health information systems to generate better data for better decisions and better outcomes.”
- About 84% of the excess deaths were concentrated in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas, WHO said, with 68% of the excess deaths happening in 10 countries including the United States.
- The death toll was still higher for males – 57% compared to 43% for females.
- According to STAT, WHO estimated almost 1 million people had died because of COVID by the end of 2021 – about 13% more than the number of COVID deaths reported at the time.
- In the Johns Hopkins count, the United States has only reported about 996,000 deaths up to now, more than four months into the new year.
The WHO methodology found that 4.74 million people died in India because of COVID in the first two years of the pandemic, a figure disputed by the government, STAT said.
- India had counted only 481,000 deaths during that time, but on Tuesday said there were an extra 475,000 deaths in 2020 alone, though India didn’t say how many were COVID-related.
- “This may seem like just a bean-counting exercise but having these WHO numbers is so critical to understanding how we should combat future pandemics and continue to respond to this one,” Albert Ko, an infectious diseases specialist at the Yale School of Public Health, told the Associated Press.
- He was not involved in the WHO estimates.
Latest COVID Subvariants Create New Waves, Evade Immunity
From WebMD [3]:
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations begin to increase again in the U.S., public health officials are monitoring several new Omicron subvariants that are contributing to the case numbers.
- In some parts of the U.S., a spinoff of the BA.2 subvariant called BA.2.12.1 is the main culprit. In other countries, Omicron subvariants called BA.4 and BA.5 are driving up cases, according to CNN.
- All three subvariants appear to be spreading more quickly than BA.2 and creating their own COVID-19 waves.
- The U.S. is now reporting an average of more than 62,000 daily cases, according to the data tracker from The New York Times, marking a 50% increase in the past 2 weeks.
- Cases are increasing in all but four states and have increased by more than 50%, compared with the previous week, in Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, and Washington, CNN reported.
- In New York, more than a quarter of the state’s population is in a county with a “high” community level.
- About 18,350 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized across the country, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Hospitalizations have increased about 18% in the past 2 weeks.
Subvariant Growth
- BA.2.12.1, which was first tagged by New York health officials in April as a subvariant to watch, is growing about 25% faster than BA.2.
- It now makes up about 37% of new cases across the U.S., according to the latest CDC data. BA.2 makes up about 62% of new cases, down from 70% the week before.
- Health officials are also watching BA.4 and BA.5, which appear to have a growth advantage over BA.2 as well, CNN reported.
- About 500 BA.4 sequences have been reported in 15 countries and 10 states in the U.S., and nearly 240 BA.5 sequences have been reported in 13 countries and five states, according to the latest data from Outbreak.info.
- BA.4 and BA.5 have contributed to a rise in cases in South Africa during the past 2 weeks, according to CNN.
- There are also more positive tests and hospitalizations.
- At the end of April, the two subvariants accounted for about 60% of new cases in the country.
Subvariant Immunity
- BA.4 and BA.5 can escape antibodies from previous infections caused by the original Omicron variant, BA.1, which created the COVID-19 surge in December and January.
- The newer subvariants also appear to escape antibodies in people who have been vaccinated and had breakthrough BA.1 infections.
- In a new preprint study, researchers in South Africa tested antibodies in the blood to understand whether they could knock out the BA.4 and BA.5 viruses.
- People who were unvaccinated but had a recent BA.1 infection were seven times less likely to have their antibodies wipe out BA.4 and BA.5.
- People who were vaccinated but had a recent BA.1 breakthrough infection were three times less likely to have such antibodies.
By comparison, the World Health Organization uses an 8-fold drop in neutralization as the starting point for requiring an update to seasonal flu vaccines, CNN reported.
- The researchers concluded that BA.4 and BA.5 have the “potential to result in a new infection wave.” The research lab was the same one that characterized the first Omicron variant.
- “Just because you were infected does not mean you have a lot of protection from what’s coming next,” Alex Sigal, PhD, the senior study author and a virologist at the Africa Health Research Institute, told CNN.
- In another new preprint study, researchers in China found that BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.12.1, and another subvariant called BA.2.13 all contain mutations at location 452 of their genomes.
- The area allows the virus to bind to cells better and dodge antibodies.
- The Delta variant and some others have a mutation at this location. BA.4 and BA.5 also have changes at location 486, which could be related to escaping previous immunity, the researchers said.
Now scientists across the world are trying to understand how these subvariants are mutating so quickly and escaping immunity.
- Before the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers thought coronaviruses didn’t change much, but now their views have shifted.
- “The virus has shown that it mutated slowly, but when it started to pick up good mutations, they just kept coming and coming and coming,” Andy Pekosz, PhD, a virologist and professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University, told CNN.
Subvariant Reinfections
- With BA.4 and BA.5 cases increasing in South Africa, scientists are particularly paying attention to reinfections among those who recently had an Omicron case, according to the Los Angeles Times.
- About 90% of South Africa’s population has immunity to the earlier Omicron variants through a previous infection or vaccination.
- So far, only a few dozen sequences of BA.4 and BA.5 have been reported in the U.S. Researchers aren’t sure whether the two subvariants will surge in the U.S. or other countries, but without the reassurance of protection from vaccination or previous infection, surges could be likely.
“It really came out of the blue over the weekend. We were already settling down with BA.2.12.1, then BA.4 and BA.5?” Peter Chin-Hong, MD, an infectious diseases expert at the University of California, San Francisco, told the newspaper.
- “It just seems like the latest chapter of a never-ending saga,” he said.
- Current data suggests that BA.4 and BA.5 don’t cause more severe disease than other Omicron variants or lead to higher rates of hospitalization or death.
- But they’re more transmissible and able to get around immunity, Chin-Hong said, and those who are unvaccinated and haven’t had a previous infection are more likely to have a more serious case.
Subvariant Protections
- As the Omicron variants create their own pockets of infection in the U.S., public health officials recommend watching local data, the Los Angeles Times reported.
- When transmission appears to be growing, especially with variants that escape protection from previous infections, people should consider safety measures again, such as wearing masks indoors and in crowded spaces.
- The CDC has also recommended that people continue to wear masks on planes, buses, trains, and other public transportation and places where lots of people congregate, according to The Washington Post.
- Despite last month’s ruling that struck down the federal transportation mask mandate, the CDC stressed this week that masks continue to stop the spread of COVID-19.
- “CDC continues to recommend that all people – passengers and workers, alike – properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator in indoor public transportation conveyances and transportation hubs to provide protection for themselves and other travelers in these high volume, mixed population settings,” Rochelle Walensky, MD, the CDC director, said in a statement.
- “It is important for all of us to protect not only ourselves, but also to be considerate of others at increased risk for severe COVID-19 and those who are not yet able to be vaccinated,” she said.
- “Wearing a mask in indoor public transportation settings will provide protection for the individual and the community.”
Lack of Covid testing leaves researchers blind to evolution patterns, WHO warns
From The Guardian [4]:
Potentially dangerous mutations of the virus could go unnoticed due to testing cuts, UN health agency says
- A dramatic drop in testing for Covid-19 has left the world blind to the virus’s continuing rampage and its potentially dangerous mutations, the head of the World Health Organization has warned.
- The UN health agency said that reported Covid cases and deaths had been dropping dramatically. “Last week, just over 15,000 deaths were reported to WHO – the lowest weekly total since March 2020,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.
- While saying this was “a very welcome trend”, he warned that the declining numbers could also be a result of significant cuts in testing for the virus.
“As many countries reduce testing, WHO is receiving less and less information about transmission and sequencing,” he said.
- “This makes us increasingly blind to patterns of transmission and evolution.
- “When it comes to a deadly virus, ignorance is not bliss.”
William Rodriguez, who heads the global diagnostics alliance FIND, also decried that many governments in recent months simply stopped looking for Covid cases.
- Speaking at the press conference hosted by WHO, he pointed out that in the past four months, amid surging Covid cases from the Omicron variant, “testing rates have plummeted by 70% to 90% worldwide”.
- The plunging testing rates came despite the fact that there is now more access to accurate testing than ever before.
- “We have an unprecedented ability to know what is happening,” Rodriguez said.
- “And yet today, because testing has been the first casualty of a global decision to let down our guard, we’re becoming blind to what is happening with this virus.”
The Covid-19 pandemic has officially caused more than 6 million deaths since the virus first surfaced in China in late 2019, but the true toll is believed to be at least three times that high.
- While many countries have been removing measures and trying to move back to a semblance of normality, the WHO stresses that the pandemic is still not over.
- “This virus won’t go away just because countries stop looking for it,” Tedros said. “It is still spreading, it is still changing, and it is still killing.”
- He cautioned that “the threat of a dangerous new variant remains very real”.
- “And although deaths are declining, we still don’t understand the long-term consequences of infection in those who survive.”
FDA Warns of Counterfeit Home COVID Test Kits
From WebMD [5]:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning Americans to watch out for phony at-home, over-the-counter COVID-19 tests that look a lot like the real things.
- The counterfeit test kits may put you at risk of unknowingly spreading the disease or not seeking appropriate medical treatment, the agency cautions.
- The phonies "are made to look like authorized tests so the users will think they are the real, FDA-authorized test," the FDA said in a statement about the fakes.
- "The FDA is concerned about the risk of false results when people use these unauthorized tests."
- If you get a false reading that you don't have the coronavirus, you could inadvertently infect others at home, at work or in medical and long-term care facilities.
- Also, you might not seek or could discontinue treatment for COVID-19, the agency explained.
Two fakes the FDA knows of are counterfeit Flowflex COVID-19 test kits and iHealth Antigen Rapid Test Kits — you can find more details on how to spot the fakes at the FDA statement.
- The package and components of the Flowflex imitation could easily mislead consumers looking for the authorized Flowflex test.
Certain red flags might help you spot the counterfeits, according to the FDA. They include:
- Poor print quality of images or text on the outside box label or in the instructions for use included in the box.
- Missing information on the outside box label for the product, such as the lot number, expiration date or barcode or QR codes.
- Grammatical or spelling errors in product labeling.
- Kit components that do not match the content description. For example, missing instructions for use, missing or unfilled components, different number of components than listed.
- The tradename for product printed on component or box labels differ from the authorized labeling found on the FDA website.
- The box label or printed instructions for use look different from the authorized labeling found on the FDA website.
The FDA has a list of authorized at-home OTC COVID-19 tests. It is not aware of any counterfeit tests distributed by federal government test distribution programs.
What should you do if you have one?
If you suspect you have a counterfeit test, do not use it. Contact the distributor or store where you bought it to tell them that you have a counterfeit test, and also inform the manufacturer of the authorized test, the agency said.
- The manufacturer may ask for additional information such as photos of the packaging to further investigate the issue.
- After providing any requested information to the distributor and/or manufacturer, follow the manufacturer's instructions for returning or disposing of the test.
Talk to your health care provider if you think you were tested with a counterfeit test and you have concerns about your results, the FDA advised.
- If you think you had a problem with a COVID-19 test, you can report it through the FDA's MedWatch Voluntary Reporting Form.
More information
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines what you need to know about COVID-19 testing.
What makes tuberculosis (TB) the world's most infectious killer? - TED-Ed
UNICEF warns against global measles outbreaks after cases surge across the globe - WION
Worst TB Outbreak in 20 Years Reported in Washington State - WebMD [9].
WHO: Third Ebola patient dies in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo - Reuters [10].
Note: I cannot copy the news from the links above due to forum character limit. Please check out links number [6], [9], [10] at the bottom of this post for details. Thanks.
Measles FAQ: Symptoms, Prevention, and More
From WebMD [7]:
What is measles?
- Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. It can have life-threatening complications. The CDC calls it the "most deadly of all childhood rash/fever illnesses."
- It spreads easily, but the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine can prevent it.
- The CDC recommends that all children, and some adults, get the MMR vaccine.
- The U.S. declared measles eliminated from the nation in 2000, but there have been outbreaks since then, and it's still common in other countries.
What are the first symptoms, and how quickly do they usually show up?
- People usually get a fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes first.
- Within a few days, a red rash starts on the face and can spread to the rest of the body. If you notice those signs, tell your doctor right away.
What are the possible complications?
- Diarrhea and ear infections, which may lead to hearing loss, can happen as a result of measles.
- Pneumonia and brain swelling are other potential complications.
- About 1 or 2 of every 1,000 children with measles dies of it, the CDC estimates.
How is measles spread, and how easily?
- You can catch measles from anyone who has measles.
- If you're not immune, you're very likely to get it if you're around someone who has it, because the virus spreads so easily.
- Just a cough or sneeze from an infected person launches the measles virus into the air, where you can breathe it in.
- People can spread it 4 days before they first get the measles rash, and for 4 days after the rash starts.
- The virus can live for up to 2 hours on a surface or in the air. You can get it if you touch an infected surface and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes.
- Measles is so contagious that 90% of people who aren't immune will get the disease if they're close to someone who has it.
How do you prevent measles?
- It's simple: Get vaccinated.
- You get two doses of the MMR vaccine.
- Children usually get the first dose when they are 12 months old, and a second before kindergarten.
- However, if the child is under 12 months old and is traveling to an area where measles is common, a first dose may be given at 9 months of age and a second at 12 months.
- On its website, the CDC calls the vaccine "very effective" and states that "one dose is about 93% effective at preventing measles and two doses about 97% effective."
- Before the vaccination program started, 3-4 million people per year in the U.S. got measles, and 400-500 of them died, the CDC estimates.
Do adults need the MMR vaccine?
- If you got two doses as a child, you're covered for life. You don't need a booster shot.
- If you weren't vaccinated, you may need it.
- "Generally, anyone 18 years of age or older who was born after 1956 should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine, unless they can show that they have either been vaccinated or had all three diseases [measles, mumps, and rubella]," the CDC's web site states.
- Pregnant women shouldn't get vaccinated until after they've had their baby.
- People who are allergic to the vaccine's ingredients shouldn't get it, either.
Not sure? Ask your doctor.
- If you think you’ve been exposed to measles and haven't been vaccinated, can you still get the vaccine?
- Yes, but you have to get it within 72 hours of exposure to be effective.
COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic
From World Economic Forum [8]:
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
- Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 514.2 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University.
- The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 6.23 million. More than 11.6 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
- Measles cases jumped by 79% in the first two months of this year compared to 2021, after COVID-19 and lockdowns disrupted child vaccination campaigns around the world, according to data from UNICEF and the World Health Organization.
- It was announced last week that face masks will remain mandatory in Italy on public transport and in some indoor venues until 15 June.
- Russia's total number of COVID-related deaths has exceeded 803,000 since the start of the pandemic in April 2020, Reuters calculations based on new data from the Rosstat state statistics service showed on Friday.
- South Korea has lifted its outdoor mask mandate, although its incoming government has said it believes the move is premature.
- Costa Rica is set to roll out a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines to the immunocompromised and those over 50, the country's health ministry has announced.
- Two new sub-lineages of the Omicron COVID-19 variant can dodge antibodies from earlier infection well enough to trigger a new wave, but are far less able to thrive in the blood of people vaccinated against COVID-19, South African scientists have found.
- Hong Kong, SAR, is set to further ease COVID-19 restrictions, allowing bars to open until 2am and raising the number of diners permitted at a table to eight from four currently.
2. Africa seeing uptick in COVID-19 cases
- Africa is seeing an uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases, largely driven by a rise in cases in South Africa, the World Health Organization warned last Thursday.
- South Africa has recorded the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths on the continent, with authorities now monitoring for the potential start of a fifth wave of COVID-19.
- "This week new COVID-19 cases and deaths on the continent increased for the first time after a decline of more than two months for cases and one month for deaths," Benido Impouma, Director for Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases at the WHO's Africa office, told an online news conference.
- Impouma said there was no evidence as yet to suggest the rise in cases was linked to any new sub-lineages or a new coronavirus variant.
3. EU estimates up to 80% of the population has had COVID-19
- The European Commission has estimated that between 60% and 80% of the EU's population has been infected with COVID-19.
- The EU public health agency said reported cases had covered about 30% of the European population so far, but if unreported infections were added, cases could be as high as 350 million, about 77% of the European population.
- The EU is entering a post-emergency phase in which mass reporting of cases is no longer necessary, reported Reuters.
- But fresh COVID-19 surges are likely as the virus is expected to continue mutating, and therefore countries should have in place plans to shift back into emergency mode, and should ramp up vaccinations, the Commission said.
Global daily statistics - Reuters COVID-19 Global Tracker
[1]
https://www.reuters.com/business/he...-covid-variants-large-study-finds-2022-05-05/
[2]
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220505/who-nearly-15-million-covid-deaths-worldwide-2019-2021
[3]
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220504/latest-covid-subvariants-new-waves-evade-immunity
[4]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-to-evolution-patterns-who-warns?fr=operanews
[5]
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220503/fda-warns-of-counterfeit-home-covid-19-test-kits#1
[6]
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20220428/who-unicef-increased-risk-measles-outbreaks
[7]
https://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/measles-faq
[8]
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic-news-3-may-2022/
[9]
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220502/worst-tb-outbreak-washington-state
[10]
https://www.reuters.com/world/afric...rthwest-democratic-republic-congo-2022-05-06/
PS: Thanks for reading.
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