New COVID-19 variants and extreme heat drive spike in cases across Maryland and Virginia
by John Gonzalez
At-home COVID tests (WGME)
LARGO, Md. (7News)
All of a sudden, many states are reporting spikes in COVID-19 cases --Maryland and Virginia are among them.
Health officials believe abnormally hot weather, lower vaccination rates, and two new variants are causing the spike.
Nationwide, positivity rates are up about 20%, and emergency room visits are also up about 20%. This is alarming for those who are more vulnerable and considered high-risk.
COVID-19 cases are rising across the country this summer, and health officials worry that the heat is playing a factor in the spread. The latest Virginia numbers from last week show just 1.2% of emergency department visits were diagnosed for coronavirus. But that is 30% higher than the previous week. In Maryland, 1,114 cases were reported this past weekend, with seven deaths. Metric levels in D.C. are low currently.
Two new highly contagious variants make up more than half of the cases nationwide. The extreme heat locally is also keeping more people indoors in the A/C and closer together. In the meantime, vaccination rates have severely dropped.
Immunity to the virus might be waning a bit.
Dr. Brandon Eilertson, a specialist in Infectious Diseases with Kaiser Permanente said vaccines and wearing a mask for those in high-risk groups should never be out of the question.
Only 22% of people in the U.S. received the most updated vaccine.
The newest variants are mutating to spread more easily. Since June, the FLiRT variants have accounted for more than 60% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.
For now, it doesnt appear that these mutations are making the virus more dangerous. The newest vaccine is expected to hit pharmacies this fall. While CDC guidelines have softened, and testing has gone way down, positivity numbers are showing uncomfortable spikes.
This is not alarming for the vast majority of people. But for those with weak immune systems, it could be very dangerous.
That's driving people to be indoors and air conditioning. And that is similar to some of the conditions that help respiratory viruses spread so well in winter. People are not outside, they're not meeting in a park or a playground with their kids and friends. They're going instead and sitting in the living room and in closer contact, added Dr. Eilertson.
COVID-19 infection cases doubled from the beginning of June to the beginning of July, according to new data from the Virginia Department of Health. The good news is that while the number of cases is climbing, deaths from COVID-19 continue to drop. Infections are growing in at least 43 states.
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A new prevalence study of the common foodborne bacterium Campylobacter in North Carolina chickens shows it is almost twice as common in backyard flocks than on commercial farms, and isolates are often resistant to antibiotics.
The authors say the findings are significant because chicken is the top consumed meat worldwide, and backyard poultry production is increasing in the United States. The results were published in JAC - Antimicrobial Resistance.
North Carolina State investigators obtained samples from 10 backyard and 10 commercial broiler farms in North Carolina to follow flocks throughout production. They collected fecal and environmental samples at days 10, 31, and 52 days post-hatch in backyard flocks and on days 10, 24, and 38 on commercial farms. Environmental samples were collected from the soil, litter/compost, and feeders and waterers.
Of samples collected from backyard flocks, 21.9% tested positive for Campylobacter, compared with 12.2% of the farm samples. Most of the isolates were identified asC jejuni(70.8%), with the restC coli(29.2%). The breakdown of positive sample locations in backyard farms was 70.2% from fecal samples, 6.4% from soil, 3.5% from litter/compost, and 19.9% from swabs of feeders and waterers. For commercial farms, the rates were 84.2%, 0%, 12.6%, and 3.2%, respectively.
We found a higher proportion of resistant isolates in commercial farms, with unprecedented higher levels inC. jejuniversusC. coli.
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed phenotypic resistance to ciprofloxacin (40.2%), an important treatment drug forCampylobacter, and tetracycline (46.6%). The researchers found a higher proportion of resistance inC jejuniisolates and on the commercial farms.
The authors concluded, "Despite higher prevalence in backyard farms, we found a higher proportion of resistant isolates in commercial farms, with unprecedented higher levels inC. jejuniversusC. coli."
By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas and is experiencing mild symptoms including general malaise from the infection, the White House said.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden will fly to his home in Delaware, where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. The news had first been shared by Unidos US President and CEO Janet Murgua, who told guests at the groups convention in Las Vegas that president had sent his regrets and could not appear because he tested positive for the virus.
US President Joe Biden, alongside Maritza Rodriguez (in white), a campaign advisor for the Biden Nevada state team, greets people as he arrives at Lindo Michoacan restaurant ahead of a radio interview in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP) (Photo by KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden greets people as he arrives at Lindo Michoacan restaurant ahead of a radio interview in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP) (Photo by KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden (L) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus visit Marios Westside Market grocery store in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16, 2024. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP) (Photo by KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden (C) visits Marios Westside Market grocery store alongside US Representative Steven Horsford (D-NV) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16, 2024. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP) (Photo by KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT US President Joe Biden (C-L) greets a young girl during a visit to Marios Westside Market grocery store in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16, 2024. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP) (Photo by KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Dr. Kevin OConnor, the presidents physician, said in a note that Biden presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise. After the positive COVID-19 test, Biden was prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and has taken his first dose, OConnor said.
Biden was slated to speak at the Unidos event in Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon as part of an effort to rally Hispanic voters ahead of the November election. Instead, he departed for the airport to fly to Delaware, where he had already been planning to spend a long weekend at his home in Rehoboth Beach.
Biden gingerly boarded Air Force One and told reporters traveling with him, I feel good. The president was not wearing a mask as he walked onto Air Force One.
The president had previously been at the Original Lindo Michoacan restaurant in Las Vegas, where he was greeting diners and sat for an interview with Univision.
Originally Published: July 17, 2024 at 6:23 p.m.
Respiratory illness viruses as a whole remain at low levels, but many parts of the countries are experiencing consistent increases in COVID-19 activity, which has been trending upward from very low levels, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest updates.
Test positivity, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizationsthe main markers the CDC uses to gauge virus activityare all rising, especially in seniors and especially in western states.
Earlier this week, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said on X that COVID-19 infections are increasing in the city, and it urged peopleespecially seniors and people with underlying medical conditionsto consider wearing masks in crowded indoor settings.
The percentage of ED visits for COVID, considered an early indicator, rose 23.5% last week compared to the week before. Levels were higher in the West and the South than in the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, test positivity at the national level rose slightly, to 11%, with levels higher in the West and South.
Wastewater detections of SARS-CoV-2, considered another early indicator, have risen from low to high, according to a CDC update this week.
Levels in the West are highest, but appear to be flattening out. The South is also experiencing a sharp rise in detections, with smaller rises seen in the Midwest and Northeast.
The dashboard at WastewaterSCANa national wastewater monitoring system based at Stanford University in partnership with Emory University, shows SARS-CoV-2 detections at the high level, especially in the West, South, and East, with an upward trend over the past 21 days.
In its latest variant update, posted on July 6, the CDC said the proportion of KP.3 detections continues to rise, up from 31.3% to 36.9% over the 2-week monitoring period. KP.3 is one of the JN.1 offshoots with mutations that allow it to better evade immunity from earlier infection or vaccination.
Another variant that expanded its proportion is LB.1, up slightly, from 13.0% to 14.9%.
President Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 while travelling in Las Vegas and is experiencing mild symptoms from the infection, the White House said.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr Biden will fly to his home in Delaware, where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.
The news had first been shared by UnidosUS president and CEO Janet Murguia, who told guests at the groups convention in Las Vegas that Mr Biden had sent his regrets and could not appear because he tested positive for the virus.
Dr Kevin OConnor, the presidents physician, said in a note that Mr Biden presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise.
After the positive Covid-19 test, Mr Biden was prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and has taken his first dose, Dr OConnor said.
Mr Biden was due to speak at the Unidos event in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon as part of an effort to rally Hispanic voters ahead of the November election.
Instead, he departed for the airport to fly to Delaware, where he had already been planning to spend a long weekend at his home in Rehoboth Beach.
Mr Biden gingerly boarded Air Force One and told reporters travelling with him: I feel good.
The president was not wearing a mask as he walked onto Air Force One.
The president had previously been at the Original Lindo Michoacan restaurant in Las Vegas, where he was greeting diners and was scheduled to have an interview with Univision.
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ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) Health workers in Ivory Coast began giving children the latest malaria vaccine on Monday, the beginning of a regional campaign that experts hope might curb the impact of one of Africas top killers.
The West African country became the first to start rolling out the newest shot targeting malaria in an effort that aims to cover about 250,000 children under two. The three-dose vaccine known as R21/Matrix-M was developed by Britains Oxford University and was authorized by the World Health Organization last October.
Research suggests it is more than 75% effective at preventing severe disease and death in the first year and that protection is extended for at least another year with a booster.
Alice Kanga was one of many who brought their children to get vaccinated Monday. Its really important for the children, for their health, she said.
In 2021, WHO endorsed the first malaria vaccine, known as Mosquirix, made by GSK. But that vaccine requires four doses and protection fades within months. GSK also previously said it would only be able to make about 15 million doses.
But Indias Serum Institute has already made 25 million doses of the Oxford vaccine and says it plans to make at least 100 million every year, at a cost of about $4 per dose.
More than 94% of the worlds roughly 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 deaths every year are in Africa. The parasitic disease is spread by mosquitoes and most often strikes children under five and pregnant women.
Pierre Demba, Ivory Coasts health minister, said the malaria vaccination launch was an indication of the governments commitment to invest in the countrys children.
They are the future of our country, he said.
Adrian Hill of Oxford University said in a statement that the Ivory Coast roll-out marks the start of a new era in malaria control, adding that he hoped the shot would soon be available to all countries in Africa who wanted to use it.
Still, because malaria vaccines dont stop the spread of the disease, experts have long warned that other measures like insecticide spraying, improved treatments and the use of bed nets will still be critical.
The Gavi vaccine alliance, which helps poor countries buy vaccines, said other countries including the Central African Republic, Chad and South Sudan have also received supplies of the Oxford-developed shot.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
LONDON
The world's second vaccine against malaria was launched on Monday as Ivory Coast began a routine vaccine program using shots developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India.
The introduction of the World Health Organization (WHO)-approved R21 vaccine comes six months after the first malaria vaccine, called RTS,S and developed by British drugmaker GSK, began being administered in a routine program in Cameroon.
Some 15 African countries plan to introduce one of the two malaria vaccines this year with support from the Gavi global vaccine alliance.
Ivory Coast has received a total of 656,600 doses of the Oxford and Serum shot, which will initially vaccinate 250,000 children aged between 0 and 23 months across the West African country. The vaccine has also been approved by Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic.
The rollout of a second vaccine is the latest milestone in the global fight against malaria and should help address a problem that emerged well before either of the two shots was launched: demand for them is likely to far outstrip supply for several years.
Experts say having safe and effective malaria vaccines is important to meet demand. The shot is meant to work alongside existing tools such as bed nets to combat malaria, which in Africa kills nearly half a million children under the age of five each year.
The Serum Institute of India, which manufactures the vaccine, has produced 25 million doses for the initial rollout of the shot and "is committed to scaling up to 100 million doses annually," the company said on Monday about the launch in Ivory Coast.
Serum said it is offering the vaccine for less than $4 per dose, in keeping with its aim to deliver low-cost vaccines at scale.
Results from a large trial in February showed the vaccine prevented around three-quarters of symptomatic malaria cases in young children the first year after they got the shots.
Experts told Reuters at that time that comparing the two malaria vaccines head-to-head was difficult because of the many variables involved in the trials, but overall their performance was similar a conclusion endorsed by WHO.
Global childhood immunization coverage stalled in 2023, leaving 2.7million additional children un- and under-vaccinated compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to data published today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
The latest WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage (WUENIC) which provide the worlds largest and most comprehensive dataset on immunization trends for vaccinations against 14 diseases underscore the need for ongoing catch-up, recovery and system-strengthening efforts.
The latest trends demonstrate that many countries continue to miss far too many children, said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. Closing the immunization gap requires a global effort, with governments, partners, and local leaders investing in primary healthcare and community workers to ensure every child gets vaccinated, and that overall healthcare is strengthened.
According to the findings, the number of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) in 2023 a key marker for global immunization coverage stalled at 84% (108million). However, the number of children who did not receive a single dose of the vaccine increased from 13.9million in 2022 to 14.5million in 2023.
More than half of unvaccinated children live in the 31 countries with fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings, where children are especially vulnerable to preventable diseases because of disruptions and lack of access to security, nutrition, and health services.
Additionally, 6.5million children did not complete their third dose of the DTP vaccine, which is necessary to achieve disease protection in infancy and early childhood.
These trends, which show that global immunization coverage has remained largely unchanged since 2022 and more alarmingly has still not returned to 2019 levels, reflect ongoing challenges with disruptions in healthcare services, logistical challenges, vaccine hesitancy and inequities in access to services.
The data further show that vaccination rates against the deadly measles disease stalled, leaving nearly 35million children with no or only partial protection.
In 2023, only 83% of children worldwide received their first dose of the measles vaccine through routine health services, while the number of children receiving their second dose modestly increased from the previous year, reaching 74% of children. These figures fall short of the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks, avert unnecessary disease and deaths, and achieve measles elimination goals.
Over the last five years, measles outbreaks hit 103 countries home to roughly three-quarters of the worlds infants. Low vaccine coverage (80% or less) was a major factor. In contrast, 91 countries with strong measles vaccine coverage did not experience outbreaks.
Measles outbreaks are the canary in the coalmine, exposing and exploiting gaps in immunization and hitting the most vulnerable first, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. This is a solvable problem. Measles vaccine is cheap and can be delivered even in the most difficult places. WHO is committed to working with all our partners to support countries to close these gaps and protect the most at-risk children as quickly as possible.
The new data also highlight some brighter spots in immunization coverage. The steady introduction of new and under-utilized vaccines, including for human papillomavirus (HPV), meningitis, pneumococcal, polio and rotavirus disease, continue to expand the breadth of protection, particularly in the 57 countries supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
For example, the share of adolescent girls globally who received at least 1 dose of the HPV vaccine, which provides protection against cervical cancer, increased from 20% in 2022 to 27% in 2023. This was largely driven by strong introductions in Gavi-supported countries, such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nigeria. The use of the single-dose HPV vaccine schedule also helped boost vaccine coverage.
"The HPV vaccine is one of the most impactful vaccines in Gavis portfolio, and it is incredibly heartening that it is now reaching more girls than ever before, said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. With vaccines now available to over 50% of eligible girls in African countries, we have much work to be done, but today we can see we have a clear pathway to eliminating this terrible disease.
However, HPV vaccine coverage is well below the 90% target to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem, reaching only 56% of adolescent girls in high-income countries and 23% in low- and middle-income countries.
A recent poll of over 400000 users of UNICEFs digital platform for young people, U-Report, revealed that over 75% are unaware or unsure of what HPV is, underscoring the need for better vaccine accessibility and public awareness. When informed about the virus, its link to cancers, and the existence of a vaccine, 52% of respondents indicated they want to receive the HPV vaccine but are hindered by financial constraints (41%) and lack of availability (34%).
While theres been modest progress in some regions, including the African region and low-income countries, the latest estimates highlight the need to accelerate efforts to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) targets of 90% coverage, and no more than 6.5million zero-dose children globally by 2030.
The IA2030 Partnership Council calls for increased investment in innovation and ongoing collaboration. The council also recommends partners step up their support for country leadership to improve routine immunization as part of their integrated primary health care programmes, backed by robust political support, community leadership, and sustainable funding.
Based on country-reported data, the WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage (WUENIC) provide the worlds largest and most comprehensive dataset on immunization trends for vaccinations against 14 diseases given through regular health systems - normally at clinics, community centres, outreach services, or health worker visits. For 2023, data were provided from 185 countries.
The IA2030 is a global strategy endorsed by the World Health Assembly aiming to ensure everyone, everywhere, at every age benefits from vaccines for improved health and well-being by 2030. It focuses on increasing vaccine coverage, equity, sustainability and pandemic preparedness while promoting life-course immunization and integrating immunization with other health services.
Dedicated to the health and well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations leading the worlds response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.
About UNICEF UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
For more information about UNICEF and its work, visit:www.unicef.org Follow UNICEF onTwitter,Facebook,InstagramandYouTube.
Conflicts have hampered efforts to vaccinate children across the world, health leaders have warned, as new figures showed about 14.5 million children had not received a single immunisation dose.
More than half of the children live in countries where armed conflicts or other humanitarian crises had created fragile and vulnerable situations, according to data from the UN childrens agency, Unicef, and the World Health Organization.
The war in Sudan has led to a huge rise in numbers of unvaccinated children, from about 110,000 in 2021 to an estimated 701,000 last year. Yemen has 580,000 unvaccinated children, up from 424,000 three years ago.
In addition to the 14.5 million zero-dose children in 2023, 6.5 million children were under-vaccinated, meaning they had not received all their recommended doses.
Both figures were up from 2022, officials said on Monday, warning that despite progress in some regions, an international goal to halve the number of zero-dose children by 2030 was off-track.
Dr Katherine OBrien, the director of the WHOs immunisation and vaccines department, said: This puts the lives of the most vulnerable children at risk.
She said children in humanitarian settings also lack security, they lack nutrition, they lack healthcare, and are most likely as a result of those things to die from a vaccine-preventable disease if they get it.
Global vaccine coverage has yet to return to 2019s levels, before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted immunisation programmes. That year, 12.8 million children were classed as zero-dose and a further 5.5 million as under-vaccinated.
More than half of the worlds zero-dose children live in 10 countries, which officials said were a mix of those with large birth cohorts, weak health systems or both.
They include Nigeria, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia. In 2023, Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan joined the list.
Douglas Hageman, Unicefs Sudan representative, said the countrys health system had collapsed during the war.
National vaccination coverage has plummeted from 85% before the war to around 50% currently, with rates averaging 30% in active conflict areas and as low as 8% in South Darfur, he said.
Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, rubella and polio were common, Hageman added.
Vaccinations in Yemen were alarmingly low, said Peter Hawkins, Unicefs representative in the country.
A combination of factors that have further worsened in recent years, including a lack of access to healthcare, vaccine hesitancy and worsening socioeconomic and political crisis, have exacerbated the situation, he said.
OBrien warned that misinformation circulating during the pandemic was continuing to reverberate in many countries, and is actually resulting in deaths.
The UN report said there had been a strong increase in coverage of the HPV vaccine, which can protect against cervical cancer, but it still needed to be introduced in 51 countries, including China and India.
The headline of this piece was amended on 15 July 2024 to better reflect the content of the article.
