DENVER (KDVR) Three presumptive positive cases of avian flu have been identified in workers at a commercial egg layer operation in Weld County.
So far, the three workers at the egg-laying farm have exhibited mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis and common respiratory infection symptoms. None of them have been hospitalized.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the workers were culling poultry at a farm in northeast Colorado and said they suspect the cases were a result of working directly with infected poultry. The department also noted that the risk to members of the public is still low: All cases in humans have been after the infected individuals came in direct contact with infected animals.
One case of avian flu was identified in a man working at a northeastern Colorado dairy farm earlier this month. Officials said he exhibited only symptoms of pink eye, or conjunctivitis, and recovered from the infection, but also noted he had direct exposure to dairy cattle that were infected with avian flu.
Northeast Colorado is where the first case of highly pathogenicavian influenza in the state this year was detected on April 25, when dairy cattle were found to have highly pathogenic avian influenza. The outbreak has led to at least 10 facilities being placed in quarantine.
The infected egg-laying farm, which has about 1.8 million chickens, prompted Gov. Jared Polis to issue a disaster emergency declaration on July 5 for the H5N1 avian flu outbreak in Weld County. State health officials told FOX31s Matt Mauro that all of the birds would be culled to prevent the spread of the virus.
The bird-borne virus can be transmitted to cattle and humans but has also been found in other mammals. According to the World Health Organization, symptoms of the virus are primarily respiratory, but the most recent human case involved conjunctivitis (pink eye).
According to CDPHE, it is safe to drink pasteurized milk and eat properly handled and cooked dairy, beef, and poultry products, because the process kills bacteria and viruses, including avian flu.
The state health agency is also reminding Coloradans not to touch dead or sick animals, but if its unavoidable:
If you work with dairy cows that may have avian flu and start to feel ill, CDPHE encourages you to call 303-692-2700 during regular business hours, or 303-370-9395 outside of those hours. H5N1 must be reported to the Colorado Veterinarians Office. There is also an emergency rule enacted for mandatory testing of lactating dairy cattle moving interstate.
(Photo by Jakob Cotton on Unsplash)
AMES, Iowa In a surprising twist of events, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1, a virus typically associated with birds, has made an unexpected leap to dairy cattle (cows) in the United States. This development, first detected in March 2024, has sent ripples through the scientific community and raised concerns about the viruss ability to adapt and spread to new species potentially threatening the health of humans and animals around the globe.
The H5N1 virus, part of the broader family of flu viruses, has long been a concern in the poultry industry and among wild bird populations. Its ability to cause severe disease and high mortality rates in birds has earned it the highly pathogenic designation. However, its recent appearance in dairy cows marks a significant shift in our understanding of the viruss capabilities.
Researchers from Iowa State University, led by Rahul Nelli and Todd Bell, conducted a study to understand how this avian virus could infect and replicate in mammals like cows. Their findings, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, shed light on the molecular mechanisms that allowed this cross-species jump.
At the heart of the matter are structures called sialic acid receptors. These receptors, found on the surface of cells, act like docking stations for viruses. Different types of sialic acid receptors exist, and traditionally, bird flu viruses prefer to bind to one type (2,3-linked), while human flu viruses favor another (2,6-linked).
The research team examined tissues from infected dairy cows and found that, surprisingly, their respiratory tracts and mammary glands contained both types of receptors. This dual presence potentially explains why these cows were susceptible to the avian flu virus.
Whats particularly concerning is the discovery that the virus could replicate in the cows mammary glands, leading to its presence in milk. This finding has triggered public health alerts and new testing requirements for dairy products, especially unpasteurized milk.
The infected cows showed signs of illness, including reduced milk production and unusual changes in milk consistency. Upon closer examination, researchers found evidence of the virus in both the lungs and mammary tissues of the affected animals.
This unexpected jump from birds to dairy cattle raises questions about the viruss ability to adapt and potentially infect other mammalian species, including humans. While theres no immediate cause for panic, the situation underscores the importance of ongoing surveillance and research in the field of zoonotic diseases those that can pass between animals and humans.
The discovery also highlights the interconnectedness of animal and human health, a concept known as One Health. As viruses continue to evolve and adapt, understanding these complex relationships becomes increasingly crucial for public health preparedness.
As research continues, scientists and health officials are working to develop strategies to monitor and contain the spread of this virus in dairy cattle populations. This event serves as a reminder of the ever-present potential for new infectious disease challenges and the need for continued vigilance and scientific inquiry.
Paper Summary
The researchers used a combination of microscopic examination and molecular techniques to study tissues from infected cows. They employed a method called lectin histochemistry, which uses plant proteins (lectins) that bind to specific types of sialic acid receptors.
By applying different lectins to tissue samples and observing where they bind, the team could map out the distribution of various receptor types in the cows respiratory tracts and mammary glands. They also used fluorescent labeling techniques to visualize the virus and receptors simultaneously under a microscope.
The study found that both types of sialic acid receptors (2,3-linked and 2,6-linked) were present in the respiratory tracts and mammary glands of the infected cows. The avian-type receptors (2,3-linked) were particularly abundant, which likely facilitated the initial infection.
The virus was detected in the epithelial cells lining the mammary glands and milk ducts, explaining its presence in milk. Interestingly, some immune cells (macrophages) also showed signs of infection, suggesting the virus could potentially affect the immune response.
The study was conducted on a small number of naturally infected cows, which limits the generalizability of the findings. The researchers didnt have the opportunity to study the progression of the infection over time or in experimentally controlled conditions. Additionally, while the presence of receptors explains the possibility of infection, it doesnt fully account for why this particular outbreak occurred now, suggesting other factors may be involved.
This research provides crucial insights into how an avian virus can adapt to infect mammals. The presence of both types of sialic acid receptors in cows suggests they could potentially be infected by both avian and mammalian influenza viruses, making them possible mixing vessels for new viral strains.
The study emphasizes the need for continued surveillance of influenza viruses in livestock and highlights the potential risks associated with unpasteurized dairy products. It also underscores the importance of a One Health approach, considering the health of humans, animals, and the environment as interconnected. Moving forward, more research is necessary to understand the full implications of this virus jump and to develop strategies to prevent and control such outbreaks in the future.
Three poultry workers tested positive for bird flu and more who showed symptoms of infection are being tested, state health officials announced Friday evening.
The outbreak of human cases, if confirmed, is the largest in the United States from the strain of bird flu also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza currently circulating across the globe.
The workers who tested positive were responding to an outbreak of bird flu at a commercial egg-laying operation in Weld County, where nearly 1.8 million chickens were being culled following the viruss discovery. None of the workers required hospitalization. Their symptoms ranged from pink eye to what the state described in a news release as common respiratory infection symptoms.
Samples taken from the workers tested positive at the state lab. They have now been sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for official confirmation.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment wrote in a news release that additional samples from symptomatic workers will be tested over the weekend.
Before Friday, there had been only five known human cases of bird flu in the United States since 2022. One of those, the first discovered in the country from the current strain, was in a worker at a poultry farm in Montrose County in 2022. Another was identified last week in a dairy worker in Weld County. There have also been three other infections discovered in dairy workers in Texas and Michigan.
So far, every person infected in the United States has experienced mild symptoms and recovered with the help of antiviral medication.
Colorado has emerged as the epicenter of the bird flu epidemic in the United States. In addition to its at least five human cases, Colorado now has the nations worst outbreak of bird flu among dairy cattle.
State agriculture officials identified eight new infected dairy herds this week, bringing the states total number of cases in dairy cattle to 35 since April. That places Colorado first among states, seven cases ahead of Idaho, which like most other states with large numbers of outbreaks has a far larger dairy industry than Colorado. About a third of Colorados dairy herds have now been infected.
Bird flu, as the name indicates, typically circulates in birds, and it can be particularly devastating if it infects domestic poultry. But the current strain circulating the globe has distinguished itself by its ability to infect a wide variety of animals. Bears, mountain lions, seals, skunks, cats and more have all died from bird flu in recent years.
Humans have occasionally been infected by bird flu in the past with some strains carrying a high fatality rate but there has never been sustained person-to-person transmission of the virus. Instead, infections tend to occur following close contact with infected animals, which is what state health officials speculate occurred for the newest human outbreak in Weld County.
There has been no documented instance in the U.S. of person-to-person transmission from the current bird flu strain, and health officials believe the risk to the general public remains low.
Where we need to ramp up the level of concern in the population is when we see those workers get infected and spread it to their families, Elizabeth Carlton, an epidemiologist at the Colorado School of Public Health, told The Colorado Sun earlier this month.
Eating poultry, eggs or beef remains safe, so long as they are cooked to the appropriate temperature. Drinking milk is also safe, so long as it is pasteurized.
People who work with cows or poultry should be especially vigilant about hand-washing and other good-hygiene practices. If they start to feel sick, they should seek medical attention or call CDPHE at 303-692-2700 or 303-370-9395 after normal business hours.
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
The virus has so far caused only minimal illness among humans, yet has spread rapidly among birds, sea mammals and other species with devastating effect.
Although U.S. health officers have repeatedly assured Americans that H5N1 bird flu poses little risk to their well-being, some experts have become increasingly critical of what they see as the governments failure to aggressively monitor the spread of virus among cattle and other farm animals. The virus has been reported in 145 dairy herds across 12 states, but critics say this is likely an underestimate.
They point to stories they have heard anecdotally from physicians and veterinarians in farming communities about mystery illnesses and cover-ups. And they point to perplexing hits of H5N1 in municipal wastewater far from any infected dairy herds.
I think our government officials are are not doing the thorough investigation they should be doing, said Rick Bright, a virologist and the former head of the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. I think they are continually minimizing this outbreak and this virus.
The worry among some experts is that H5N1-infected farm animals could serve as mixing vessels for new viral strains that could more easily infect people. They point to research released this week showing that the virus has receptors for both birds and humans. And they note that up to 75% of human infectious diseases are derived from pathogens that originated from animals.
Now, amid this heated debate over viral monitoring, a raw milk dairy farmer and longtime critic of the Food and Drug Administration has accused the government of ignoring his tip about a suspected H5N1 outbreak among a herd of dairy cows in early May.
Cows leave a dairy barn after milking.
(Tomas Ovalle / For The Times)
Although it remains unclear whether an outbreak actually occurred, neither federal nor state officials investigated the matter for weeks. Raw milk is not allowed to be sold across state lines, the FDA pointed out. In states that allow it, including New Mexico and California, regulation falls to state agencies. Only after inquiries by The Times did New Mexico officials look into the report. The state said the herd veterinarian did not find symptoms of H5N1 bird flu.
The delayed response, some experts say, suggests a disturbing lack of oversight on the part of government officials.
I think that once everybody decided it wasnt going to kill people and pasteurized milk and herds could get over it, then all that was left was to take these stopgap measures voluntary reporting, voluntary testing, testing when going across state lines that dont look anything like a really serious effort to go ahead and stamp it out, said Michael Payne, a researcher and outreach coordinator at the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at UC Davis.
The outbreak claim comes from Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farms, a raw milk dairy producer with herds in Fresno and Hanford. On June 17, McAfee who is also the president of the Raw Milk Institute, an advocacy group emailed the FDAs acting director, Donald Prater, to say that hed been told a raw milk dairy herd had been infected and that people had probably consumed the contaminated milk.
According to McAfees email, which was shared with The Times, a subset of a farmers cows were suffering yellowish, runny diarrhea; low milk production; thick, yellowish colostrum; and general weakness. The farmer told McAfee he had separated the sick cows about 10% of his herd and discontinued milking them.
Mark McAfee walks by cows feeding at his raw milk dairy.
(Tomas Ovalle / For The Times)
The farmer reported that for certain, humans had consumed the raw milk at some level, McAfee wrote to Prater, adding that the farmers veterinarian told the farmer to not report anything to anyone because the virus would pass and he did not want the FDA to swoop in and cause a media frenzy.
McAfee said he fields lots of questions and calls from raw milk farmers around the nation. Because hes president and founder of the Raw Milk Institute and the largest producer of raw milk in the country his advice and counsel is often sought by smaller dairy farmers.
Within 90 minutes of sending the email, Prater responded that he appreciated the time McAfee had taken to write the note and for sharing these perspectives. He then added that he and his agency would take note of the points you raised and come back to you if we have any questions.
According to McAfee, the FDA did not follow up with him. The state of New Mexico, where McAfee says the herd was infected, was made aware of the tip only last week, after the Times inquired.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would not comment for the record on the matter, referring questions to the state.
Critics say whether the outbreak occurred or not, the lack of an immediate, or even timely, response underscores the absence of urgency and leadership in the face of a potential health threat.
If you turn your back on this virus, youre kind of inviting it in to bite you in the ass, said Bill Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology and co-director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard Universitys T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Bright, the virologist, said the delay was a problem.
This is the stuff that drives me crazy, Bright said. I always tell people, its not necessarily the data that we have in front of us thats most concerning. It is whats being hid from us thats most concerning.
Farmers do not have to let government officials test their cattle, he said, which makes it hard to verify weeks after the fact whether an outbreak had occurred. If a dairy farmer allowed it, researchers could check for H5N1 antibodies in the blood.
I really dont think they want to know, he said of the U.S. government, and the FDA in particular.
The FDA disputes that. A spokeswoman said the agency has been in contact with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, which is investigating, and hasnt been able to substantiate the claim that raw milk from an infected herd was sold to the public.
And to be sure, the FDA and McAfees Raw Milk Institute have had a long, contentious history.
To be quite frank, your source, Raw Milk Institute, are known advocates for repeatedly amplifying what they say is a lack of evidence that drinking raw milk with H5N1 is bad for you, said Janell Goodwin, an FDA spokeswoman.
The FDA position is that pasteurization makes the U.S. milk supply safe. It and other government agencies recommend that people do not drink raw milk.
McAfee, on the other hand, said he reported the outbreak because he believed it showed that unpasteurized, yet infected, raw milk was not a threat.
No one got sick from that outbreak, he insisted.
Mark McAfee, a raw milk dairy farmer and longtime critic of the FDA, has accused officials of ignoring his tip about a possible H5N1 outbreak among dairy cows.
(Tomas Ovalle / For The Times)
But epidemiologists The Times spoke with expressed skepticism on this point, suggesting that maybe nobody had reported being sick, noting that many dairy workers are migrants who may not relish a government visit. And they pointed to experimental and observational studies of barn cats that consumed H5N1 contaminated raw milk and had about a 50% mortality rate and really unpleasant symptoms, said Hanage, the Harvard professor.
Drinking raw milk is something that is a risk that we would rather people didnt take just for their own sake, he said.
McAfee noted that he has received a certificate of good standing by Californias Department of Food and Agriculture for voluntarily testing his cows milk for H5N1. A spokesman for the agency confirmed that as of July 1, the farms milk was clear of the virus.
About 7 percent of U.S. adults nearly 18 million people had suffered from long covid as of early last year, according to a recent report in JAMA Data Brief.
The paper, published in June, drew on 2023 data gathered in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), an analysis sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The household survey of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population used a nationally representative sample of about 17,000 adults age 18 and older. Of those, 8,275 adults reported having had covid-19, with some 1,200 indicating that they suffered from long covid symptoms.
The MEPS survey also asked participants about their covid-19 vaccination and booster shot history. Just 6 percent of the vaccinated and boosted respondents reported long covid symptoms vs. 8 percent of those who werent vaccinated. The findings suggest booster shots may enhance protection against long covid, possibly because booster shots reduce the risk of severe covid-19, the researchers wrote.
Long covid is defined as a condition with symptoms lasting three months or longer after an initial covid-19 infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Long covid occurs more frequently in those who had severe covid-19, the CDC says.
The study also found significant differences in reported long covid symptoms between men and women, with women more likely to report symptoms in every age group 9 percent of women vs. 5 percent of men. Respondents with underlying health conditions such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma were also more likely to report having long covid, as were White and Hispanic survey respondents.
Long covid can include a wide range of symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, post-exertional malaise, coughing, fever and difficulty breathing. The CDC also notes that there isnt a laboratory test that can definitively diagnose if symptoms are caused by long covid.
This article is part of The Posts Big Number series, which takes a brief look at the statistical aspect of health issues. Additional information and relevant research are available through the hyperlinks.
L.L. Bean has just added a third shift at its factory in Brunswick, Maine, in an attempt to keep up with demand for its iconic boot.
Orders have quadrupled in the past few years as the boots have become more popular among a younger, more urban crowd.
The company says it saw the trend coming and tried to prepare, but orders outpaced projections. They expect to sell 450,000 pairs of boots in 2014.
People hoping to have the boots in time for Christmas are likely going to be disappointed. The bootsare back ordered through February and even March.
"I've been told it's a good problem to have but I"m disappointed that customers not getting what they want as quickly as they want," said Senior Manufacturing Manager Royce Haines.
Customers like, Mary Clifford, tried to order boots on line, but they were back ordered until January.
"I was very surprised this is what they are known for and at Christmas time you can't get them when you need them," said Clifford.
People who do have boots are trying to capitalize on the shortage and are selling them on Ebay at a much higher cost.
L.L. Bean says it has hired dozens of new boot makers, but it takes up to six months to train someone to make a boot.
The company has also spent a million dollars on new equipment to try and keep pace with demand.
Some customers are having luck at the retail stores. They have a separate inventory, and while sizes are limited, those stores have boots on the shelves.
The disease spreads from person to person through infected air droplets that are projected during sneezing or coughing.It can also be transmitted when humans have contact with hands or surfaces that contain the virus and touch their eyes, nose, or mouth with the contaminated hands.
COVID-19 was first reported in China, but it has now spread throughout the world.
More than half of states are now seeing "high" or "very high" levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in their wastewater testing, according to figures published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as this summer's COVID wave reaches a growing share of the country.
Nationwide, the CDC now says that the overall level of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is "high" for the first time since this past winter. Levels remain "high" across western states, where trends first began to worsen last month, while other regions are now seeing steeper increases at or near "high" levels.
Friday's update is the first since last month, due to the Fourth of July holiday.
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The uptick is in line with a growing number of COVID-19 patients showing up in emergency rooms. The District of Columbia and 26 states are now seeing "substantial increases" in COVID-19 emergency room visits, the agency says.
Nationwide, the average share of emergency room patients with COVID-19 is also now the highest it has been since February and has increased 115% from a month ago.
Overall emergency room visits and hospitalization trends remain at what the CDC deems to be "low" levels in several states, far below the deadly peaks reached at earlier points during the pandemic.
But COVID-19 emergency room visits crossed the threshold into "moderate" levels in Hawaii last month, after a surge that topped the last two waves of the virus. Florida also is now at "moderate" levels, amid a wave that is at peaks not seen since this past winter.
"We are seeing patterns that are consistent with what we have observed over the last couple of years in the summer, where we have seen upticks in activity that have occurred around this time of year that are not quite as large as what we see during the winter peaks," said Aron Hall, deputy director for science in the CDC's Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division.
Health authorities in some communities have said in recent weeks that the uptick is a sign that now could be the time for people looking to avoid COVID-19 infections especially at-risk Americans, with underlying health issues to start taking extra precautions like masking and testing in many parts of the country.
Hall said the recent increase did not look to be any more severe than previous summer waves, but served as a reminder of the importance of getting vaccinated and other steps, like seeking out treatment for those at increased risk of severe disease.
"The activity that we are seeing now is consistent with previous trends. It is not necessarily cause for any additional alarm, but is an important reminder that there are key measures that folks can take to protect themselves," he said.
Most of the first states to reach "high" COVID-19 levels in wastewater last month were in the West, where the share of COVID-19 patients in emergency rooms has also accelerated. Reported infections in nursing homes have also grown in this region.
Other countries have also seen COVID-19 trends rise this summer earlier than last year. In the United Kingdom, COVID-19 hospitalizations are at levels not seen since February.
But there are signs now that this summer wave may have now reached its peak across some states in this region, where the virus first picked up steam.
Forecasts updated by the CDC this week estimate that COVID-19 infections are growing across almost all states, but are "stable or uncertain" in three: Hawaii, Oregon and New Mexico.
"It's hard to predict the future. And if COVID has taught is anything, it's that things can always change. But based on previous trends, where we have seen sort of a summer wave that has peaked around July or August, is what we might expect for this year," said Hall.
Nursing home infections have slowed for a second straight week in the Pacific Northwest, in the region spanning Alaska through Oregon.
In Hawaii, where COVID-19 emergency room trends this summer had peaked at levels worse than both their last winter and summer waves of the virus, patients have slowed for multiple weeks now.
Hall cautioned that while COVID-19 trends have slowed after summer peaks in recent years, they still remained far worse than the low levels seen during past springtime lulls in the virus.
"We don't see necessarily a nadir or bottoming out, between the summer and winter waves, at least historically. So that's important as we think about protecting people that are vulnerable," he said.
The CDC last updated its every-other-week variant projections after the Fourth of July, estimating that the KP.3 variant had grown to more than a third of infections nationwide.
Behind it were the KP.2 and LB.1 variants, two close relatives that are all descendants of the JN.1 strain that dominated infections this past winter. Put together, these three variants KP.3, KP.2 and LB.1 made up more than 3 in 4 infections nationwide.
Hall said there is "still no indication of increased severity of illness" associated with any of these variants, similar to what the agency has said in recent weeks.
Hall said the agency tracks data from hospitals and ongoing studies, as well as detailed analyses of the genetic changes to the virus, to search for signs that the risk from new variants might have grown.
"None of those data sources have given us any indication that these variants cause more severe disease than what we have seen previously," he said.
Through the end of June, the CDC estimated that all regions of the country were seeing a mix of these strains, though some more than others depending on the location.
KP.3 makes up the largest share of infections in several regions of the country, while LB.1 is larger around the New York and New Jersey area and KP.2 is bigger in New England.
For now, Hall said KP.3 and LB.1 are the variants that are spreading fastest, though their relative growth looks to be "considerably lower" than previous highly mutated strains like the original Omicron variant.
"It's not anything as dramatic as some of the earlier shifts in the virus that we've seen," he said.
Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers the Biden administration's public health agencies, including the federal response to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19.
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Seven US states have detected very high levels of Covid in their wasterwater, according to estimates released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It means that levels have reached the agencys high category for the first time this summer. California, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, and Maryland were the states with the highest levels, according to CDC data.
"We are seeing patterns that are consistent with what we have observed over the last couple of years in the summer, where we have seen upticks in activity that have occurred around this time of year that are not quite as large as what we see during the winter peaks," Aron Hall, deputy director for science in the CDCs Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, told CBS News.
In the San Francisco Bay area, Covid levels are comparable to the most recent winter surge, the time of year when Covid cases typically hit their peak, according to separate data from Stanford Universitys WastewaterSCAN project.
The levels were higher than where they were this time last year and on average as high as we saw during the winter peak earlier this year, WastewaterSCANs Amanda Bidwell told KQED.
Meanwhile, 26 states and Washington DC, are seeing substantial increases in emergency room visits because of Covid. The national share of Covid ER patients is up 115 percent since last month, the highest level since February.
Nationwide, test positivity was at 11 percent for the week ending in July 6, up from 9 percent the previous week.
Over the past month, 70 percent of infections have been driven by the KP variants, which descend from the JN.1 strain, one of the so-called FLiRT variants, according to an Axios analysis of CDC data. The FLiRT strains are subvariants of Omicron, Yale Medicine reported.
The combination of record-breaking summer travel, and people congregating inside to avoid the heat, is likely further driving cases. Experts say that despite the summer surge, previous immunity may keep overall hospitalizations and deaths low compared to other spikes in case levels.
About 95 percent of the population currently have identifiable antibodies to omicron, specifically omicron variants, so thats a very good herd immunity and it keeps us from having high levels of hospitalization, according to Dr Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert at Florida International Universitys Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
The immunity, however, is only about 45% effective at preventing mild and moderate disease for these new strains because of those mutations that these new strains have, she told the Miami Herald.
There has been a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Louisiana and across the rest of the United States this summer, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control.
While COVID-19 stopped being a public health crisis last year, CDC data shows that there is a pattern of the sickness rising during the summertime.
Specifically, national data since June 2024 shows that there has been a small spike in COVID-19 test positivity and the amount of emergency department visits related to the sickness. Similar to emergency departments, hospitals in western states are experiencing higher rates of visits, with visitors typically being 65 years or older.
Within the last month, the amount of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 has increased by 6.9% in Louisiana and by 7.3% in the country.
The weekly national percentage of emergency department visits related to the illness is 1.3%. Within the last week, there has been a low percentage of emergency department visits related to COVID-19 in Louisiana, meaning 1.6%.
While there are subtle spikes in certain categories, the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 remains low across the United States. During the week of July 6, there were 147 deaths, which is the lowest number of deaths related to COVID-19 that the country has seen within the last four years.
In Louisiana, the number of deaths in the past 3 months was 34.
The FLiRT variants, KP.2 and KP.3, are from the Omicron family and have recently dominated the charts.
Between June 26 and July 8, KP.3 accounts for 24.5% of COVID-19 cases, while KP.2 accounts for 21.5% of the cases. The CDC says that Omicron variants emerged in November of 2021 and continued to produce new lineages that spread on an international level.
While COVID-19 cases have resurged, the flu and RSV remains low.
Various symptoms of COVID-19 appear 2-14 days after exposure, the CDC says.
Possible symptoms include fever or chills, coughing, shortness of breath, sore throat and a new loss of taste or smell. The CDC recommends seeking treatment if you experience symptoms like trouble breathing, continuous pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion and severe fatigue. You can find a list of all common symptoms on the CDC website.
If you are feeling sick, it is recommended that you stay home and away from others.
