Category: Corona Virus

KANAS CITY, Mo. On Friday morning, the family of Jordan Waite will say their final goodbyes at the Highland Park Funeral home in Kansas City, Kansas.

The young man fought a hard battle against cancer and in the final weeks against COVID-19.

Waite had just turned 16 when his world would forever change.

"He had his good days, but he had more bad days than he did good," Jucunda Lorenz, Waite's grandmother said.

His grandmother says doctors diagnosed him in the fall of 2020 with stage four bone cancer.

"What we understood was if you keep doing the radiation and you keep doing the chemo, you know, it's gonna go away, you're gonna feel better, it's gonna get better and it didn't," Lorenz said.

A family friend, Brittany Bartlett, saw Waite's resilient spirit.

"He still stayed positive acted like nothing was wrong," Bartlett said.

Waite's family adjusted as best they could.

"My son had stopped working so that they could make take him to his appointments and make sure that, you know, his needs were taken care of," Lorenz said.

A this time last year the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri and Kansas gave Waite a shopping spree, and "Rides for Hope KC" organized a car show and parade for him.

"He got to get in the cars and all that, he got to ride in a limo with his brothers," Bartlett said.

But this past fall, Waite's health took a turn for the worse. He eventually contracted COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.

As he struggled to breathe his grandmother says doctors told his family intubation wouldnt help.

"His lungs had filled up with the COVID. So that wasn't even an option," Lorenz said.

Waite passed away last Saturday. He was 17.

"His mom, shes in pieces right now. And his dad, he's, he's trying to be strong, but you can see it, you can see the hurt and the pain," Lorenz said.

The family has established a GoFundMe page to help with Waite's funeral and other costs.

We want to hear from you on what resources Kansas City families might benefit from to help us all through the pandemic. If you have five minutes, feel free to fill out this survey to help guide our coverage: KSHB COVID Survey.

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Kansas City-area teen battling bone cancer dies of COVID-19 - KSHB

Updated 21 January 2022, pursuant to updated interim recommendations

The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE)has issued interim recommendations for the use of the Pfizer BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine against COVID-19.This article provides a summary of those interim recommendations; you may access thefull guidance documenthere.

Here is what you need to know.

According to SAGE, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is safe and effective. The priority is to start vaccinating health workers at high risk of exposure, followed by older adults, before immunizing the rest of the population.

Who should be vaccinated first?

While vaccine supplies are limited, it is recommended that priority be given to health workers at high risk of exposure and older people, including those aged 65 or older.

Countries can refer to theWHO Prioritization Roadmapand theWHO Values Frameworkas guidance for their prioritization of target groups.

Who else can take the vaccine?

The vaccine has been found to be safe and effective in people with various conditions that are associated with increased risk of severe disease.

This includes hypertension, diabetes, asthma, pulmonary, liver or kidney disease, as well as chronic infections that are stable and controlled.

Given the significant risk of severe COVID-19 for moderately or severely immunocompromised persons (ICPs), WHO advises an extended (3 dose) primary series based on available data, though individual safety monitoring is required, as is consultation with the treating physician.

Persons living with HIV are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease. Limited safety data exists on HIV-infected persons with well controlled disease from the clinical trials. Known HIV-positive vaccine recipients should be informed, and when possible, counselled in relation to the available data.

Vaccination can be offered to people who have had COVID-19 in the past.But given the limited vaccine supply, individuals may wish to defer their own COVID-19 vaccination for up to 6 months from the time of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, consideration should be given for circulating variants of concern. In such settings, earlier immunization after infection is advisable, e.g. within 90 days following natural infection.

Vaccine effectiveness is expected to be similar in breastfeeding women as in other adults. WHO recommends the use of the vaccine in breastfeeding women as in other adults. WHO does not recommend discontinuing breastfeeding because of vaccination.

Should pregnant women be vaccinated?

Given the adverse consequences of COVID-19 disease during pregnancy and the increasing data supporting a favorable safety profile of BNT162b2 in pregnancy, WHO recommends the use of BNT162b2 in pregnant individuals. WHO does not recommend pregnancy testing prior to vaccination. WHO does not recommend delaying pregnancy or terminating pregnancy because of vaccination.

Who should not take the vaccine?

People with a history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine should not take it.

Is this vaccine recommended for children and adolescents?

This vaccine is safe for use for those aged 5 and above, with an adjustment in the recommended dosage for those aged 5-11.

A Phase 3 trial in children aged 12-15 years showed high efficacy and good safety in this age group, leading to an extension of the previous age indication from 16 years down to age 12 and above. A Phase 3 trial in children aged 5 -11 showed similar immune response and safety results.

WHO recommends that countries should consider using the vaccine in children aged 5 to 17 only when high vaccine coverage with 2 doses has been achieved in the high priority groups as identified in the WHO Prioritization Roadmap.

Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years of age with comorbidities that put them at significantly higher risk of serious COVID-19 disease, should be offered vaccination, alongside other high-risk groups.

What is the recommended dosage?

A protective effect starts to develop 12 days after the first dose, but full protection requires two doses which WHO recommends be administered with a 21 to 28-day interval. Additional research is needed to understand longer-term potential protection after a single dose.It is currently recommended that the same product should be used for both doses, when possible.

SAGE recommends that severe and moderately immunocompromised persons should be offered an additional dose of vaccine, as part of the primary series. This is due to the fact that this group is less likely to respond adequately to vaccination following a standard primary vaccination series and are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease.

Studies have shown a high public health impact where the interval has been longer than that recommended by the EUL. Accordingly, countries facing a high incidence of COVID-19 combined with severe vaccine supply constraints could consider delaying the second dose up to 12 weeks in order to achieve a higher first dose coverage in high priority populations.

Is a booster dose recommended for this vaccine?

A booster dose may be considered 4 6 months after completion of the primary vaccination series, though this is mainly recommended for the higher priority-use groups, in accordance with the WHO Prioritization Roadmap.

The benefits of booster vaccination are recognized following increasing evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness against mild and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection over time.

The need for, and timing of, booster doses for children aged 5-11 years has not yet been determined.

Can this vaccine be mixed and matched with other vaccines?

SAGE accepts two heterologous doses of WHO EUL COVID-19 vaccines as a complete primary series.

For countries considering heterologous schedules, WHO has made recommendations to ensure equivalent or favourable immunogenicity or vaccine effectiveness for heterologous versus homologous schedules:

Is it safe?

The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), a group of experts that provides independent and authoritative guidance to WHO on the topic of safe vaccine use, receives and assesses reports of suspected safety events of potentially international impact.In October 2021, the GACVS COVID-19 subcommittee concluded that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have clear benefits in all age groups in reducing hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.

How efficacious is the vaccine?

The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 has an efficacy of 95% against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Does it work against new variants?

SAGE has reviewed all available data on the performance of the vaccine in tests to assess efficacy against a variety of variants. These tests indicated that the vaccine was effective against virus variants, though for the Omicron variant, vaccine effectiveness against severe and mild disease after two doses is lower compared to Delta, and waning is more rapid.

SAGE currently recommends the use of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine according to the WHO Prioritization Roadmap, even if virus variants are present in a country. Countries should assess the risks and benefits taking into consideration their epidemiological situation.

Preliminary findings highlight the urgent need for a coordinated approach for surveillance and evaluation of variants and their potential impact on vaccine effectiveness. As new data become available, WHO will update recommendations accordingly.

Does it prevent infection and transmission?

There is currently insufficient evidence available related to impact of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine on transmission or viral shedding.

In the meantime, we must maintain and strengthen public health measures that work: masking, physical distancing, handwashing, respiratory and cough hygiene, avoiding crowds, and ensuring good ventilation

How does this vaccine compare to other COVID-19 vaccines in use?

It is impossible to compare vaccines head-to-head due to the different approaches taken in designing the respective studies, but overall, all of the vaccines that have achieved WHO Emergency Use Listing are highly effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalization due to COVID-19.

This webpage was updated on 19 January 2022 to include the latest guidance.

This webpage was updated on 5 January 2022 to update the latest guidance and ensure consistency of information and formatting.

This webpage wasupdatedon 20 April 2021 to ensure consistency of information and formatting.

This article was corrected on 12 January 2021 to remove an erroneous reference relating to pregnancy. WHO does NOT recommend that pregnancy be avoided post-vaccination.

See the article here:

The Pfizer BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccine: What you need to know - World Health Organization

Weekly coronavirus cases in Oregon climbed 14% in the past seven days, state data released Monday shows, with infections hanging at record levels amid the omicron surge.

The Oregon Health Authority tallied 59,732 confirmed or presumed infections in the past week, including 19,400 announced Monday for the preceding three days.

The highly transmissible but less-virulent omicron variant has spurred unprecedented case counts but has yet to produce a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations. A recent forecast projects Oregon will set an all-time high for coronavirus hospitalizations in early February, and health care workers have already said theyre swamped.

Oregon still does not appear to have reached the omicron summit, with test positivity rates for the past three days reaching 22.9%.

More people have tested positive for coronavirus in the past three weeks than during the 17 weeks between Independence Day and Halloween.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (41), Benton (461), Clackamas (1,532), Clatsop (104), Columbia (165), Coos (204), Crook (200), Curry (64), Deschutes (1,402), Douglas (228), Gilliam (14), Grant (36), Harney (28), Hood River (64), Jackson (1,113), Jefferson (105), Josephine (343), Klamath (448), Lake (4), Lane (2,048), Lincoln (213), Linn (834), Malheur (188), Marion (1,940), Morrow (71), Multnomah (2,940), Polk (425), Sherman (37), Tillamook (66), Umatilla (541), Union (125), Wallowa (28), Wasco (209), Washington (2,722) and Yamhill (457).

Who died: The state did not immediately release details.

Hospitalizations: 1,045 people with confirmed coronavirus infections are hospitalized, up 26 since Friday. That includes 161 people in intensive care, up 17 since Friday.

Vaccines: 5,704 people have been reported newly vaccinated since Friday.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 590,270 confirmed or presumed infections and 5,953 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, the state has reported 7,114,281 vaccine doses administered, fully vaccinating 2,814,741 people and partially vaccinating 297,951 people.

To see more data and trends, visit https://projects.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

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Coronavirus in Oregon: Cases climb 14% in past week; hospitalizations still below record - OregonLive

For Immediate Release: January 24, 2022 Statement From: Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D. Director - Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

As we have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has used the best available science as the virus has evolved to make informed decisions with the health and safety of the American public in mind. Ensuring that healthcare providers on the frontlines have the best tools available to treat patients is a top priority for the agency.

In light of the most recent information and data available, today, the FDA revised the authorizations for two monoclonal antibody treatments bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) and REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) to limit their use to only when the patient is likely to have been infected with or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments.

Because data show these treatments are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant, which is circulating at a very high frequency throughout the United States, these treatments are not authorized for use in any U.S. states, territories, and jurisdictions at this time. In the future, if patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions.

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune systems ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses, like SARS-CoV-2. And like other infectious organisms, SARS-CoV-2 can mutate over time, resulting in certain treatments not working against certain variants such as omicron. This is the case with these two treatments for which were making changes today.

Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to account for more than 99% of cases in the United States as of Jan. 15. Therefore, its highly unlikely that COVID-19 patients seeking care in the U.S. at this time are infected with a variant other than omicron, and these treatments are not authorized to be used at this time. This avoids exposing patients to side effects, such as injection site reactions or allergic reactions, which can be potentially serious, from specific treatment agents that are not expected to provide benefit to patients who have been infected with or exposed to the omicron variant.

The NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel, an independent panel of national experts, recently recommended against the use of bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) and REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) because of markedly reduced activity against the omicron variant and because real-time testing to identify rare, non-omicron variants is not routinely available.

Importantly, there are several other therapies Paxlovid, sotrovimab, Veklury (remdesivir), and molnupiravir that are expected to work against the omicron variant, and that are authorized or approved to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe disease, including hospitalization or death. Healthcare providers should consult the NIH panels COVID-19 treatment guidelines and assess whether these treatments are right for their patients.

While its critical that we have ways to treat those who contract COVID-19, the authorized treatments are not a substitute for vaccination in individuals for whom COVID-19 vaccination and a booster dose are recommended. Data has clearly demonstrated that the available, safe and effective vaccines can lower your risk of developing COVID-19 and experiencing the potential associated serious disease progression, including hospitalization and death.

The FDA is committed to continuing to review emerging data on all COVID-19 therapies related to the potential impact of variants and revise the authorizations further as appropriate to ensure healthcare providers have an effective arsenal of treatments for patients.

###

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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nations food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

01/24/2022

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Limits Use of Certain Monoclonal Antibodies to Treat COVID-19 Due to the Omicron Variant | FDA - FDA.gov

Because an immunocompromised host doesnt produce a lot of antibodies, many viruses are left to propagate. And new mutant viruses that resist the antibodies can multiply.

A mutation that allows a virus to evade antibodies isnt necessarily advantageous. It could make the viruss spike protein unstable so that it cant latch quickly onto a cell, for example. But inside someone with a weak immune system, viruses may be able to gain a new mutation that stabilizes the spike again.

Similar mutations could have built upon themselves again and again in the same person, Dr. Pond speculates, until Omicron evolved a spike protein with just the right combination of mutations to allow it to spread supremely well among healthy people.

It certainly seems plausible, said Sarah Otto, an evolutionary biologist at the University of British Columbia who was not involved in the study. But she said scientists still needed to run experiments to rule out alternative explanations.

Its possible, for example, that the 13 spike mutations offer no benefit to Omicron at all. Instead, some of the other spike mutations could be making Omicron successful, and the 13 are just along for the ride.

I would be cautious about interpreting the data to indicate that all of these previously deleterious mutations have been adaptively favored, Dr. Otto said.

Dr. Pond also acknowledged that his hypothesis still has some big gaps. For example, its not clear why, during a chronic infection, Omicron would have gained an advantage from its new bubble method for getting into cells.

We just lack imagination, Dr. Pond said.

James Lloyd-Smith, a disease ecologist at U.C.L.A. who was not involved in the study, said that the research revealed just how hard it is to reconstruct the evolution of a virus, even one that arose recently. Nature is certainly doing its part to keep us humble, he said.

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How Omicron's Mutations Allow It To Thrive - The New York Times

(WXYZ) With coronavirus cases slowly declining in the state, and new numbers coming out Monday, many people are wondering if metro Detroit has come out on the other side of the omicron variant.

The variant has become the dominant strain in Michigan. Breakthrough cases are more common with omicron.

On Friday, the state posted an average of over 16,700 cases per day over a two-day period.

Medical experts we spoke with say we could be on the other side of the surge, but say we shouldn't let our guard down just yet.

Last week, the state said that cases in metro Detroit appeared to have plateaued. Henry Ford Health System also said there was a glimmer of hope with hospitalizations down across their system.

The state hospital association said that they are optimistic, seeing statewide hospitalizations also declining.

"In metro Detroit, we are finally over the hump of omicron. It doesn't mean we can take our masks off and go have our big parties again," Dr. Molly O'Shea with Birmingham Pediatrics said. "Just because we are over the hump doesn't mean we are in a low-disease burden state."

Experts are continuing to remind people to wear your masks, and wear a KN95 or N95 mask.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is as confident as he can be that most states will reach a peak of omicron cases by mid-February.

"Things are looking good. We don't want to get overconfident, but they look like they're going in the right direction right now," he said.

"But, nationwide, some states are seeing a rise in deaths from COVID-19.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.

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Is Michigan over the COVID-19 peak? New numbers to be released Monday - WXYZ

How to cancel restaurant reservations and activities after testing positive for COVID-19

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) As of data checked at 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2022, there were 36,921 additional cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania from Jan. 21 through Jan. 23 for a statewide cumulative total of 2,138,884 confirmed cases and 442,947 probable cases, according to data from thePennsylvania Department of Health.

The daily case breakdown from the past three days is as follows:

The statewide percent positivity for the week of Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 was 31.5%.

There are currently 6,249 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state, with 992 adult coronavirus patients in the intensive care unit. Since the last daily report, there have been 198 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 39,560 deaths attributed to the virus in Pennsylvania.

MIDSTATE COVID-19 POSITIVITY RATES

MOST RECENT 7 DAYS

January 14-20

As of Jan. 21, the last day the DOH data was updated, 60.7% of Pennsylvanians in all age groups are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 71.4% have received at least one vaccine dose according to the PennsylvaniaCOVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard. (This data excludes Philadelphia County, whichis a separate vaccine jurisdiction.)

According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, 75.3% of Pennsylvanians ages 18 and older are fully vaccinated as of data checked on Jan. 24.

A total of 18,057,438 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to Pennsylvanians as of Jan. 24.

Find additional information on COVID-19 trends in Pennsylvania in theweekly COVID-19 update.

Note: The number of new COVID-19 cases per day reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health may fluctuate after the publication of this article as the department receives additional data. The department'sCOVID-19 Dashboardis updated daily at noon, according to the website.

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Coronavirus in Pa. daily update: 36,921 new three-day cases, 198 new three-day deaths as of Jan. 24, 2022 - ABC27

This German snowman wears a protective mask over its banana nose and mouth, but experts say the risk of catching COVID outdoors is slim. Peter Kneffel hide caption

This German snowman wears a protective mask over its banana nose and mouth, but experts say the risk of catching COVID outdoors is slim.

Each week, we answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions." See an archive of our FAQs here.

Studies conducted prior to omicron show that being outside greatly reduces your risk of infection with the coronavirus. One review of studies concluded that the odds of indoor transmission is almost 19 times higher than outdoor transmission. And in a study of 64 college football games during the 2020 season involving 1,190 athletes, researchers at Texas A&M University found zero spread of COVID during game play based on three postgame PCR tests over the course of a week likely because of the outdoor setting and short duration of close contact, experts say. (Of course, football games have been postponed this season because of COVID outbreaks, but the study's authors believe that players were more likely spreading it in locker rooms and other shared indoor spaces.)

Outdoor airflow has done a good job dispersing pathogens.

But does omicron play by the same rules?

"From a virus standpoint, there's no indication that omicron is behaving differently [in outdoor settings]," says Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious disease professor at the University of Michigan who co-authored an editorial on the research on football teams.

"That doesn't mean [transmission is] impossible if you're packed together in a place that's only sort of open air and if people are sharing food or kissing or drinking. But if it's a casual interaction outside, even if it's relatively crowded, I'm comfortable not having a mask on. And at this stage of the pandemic, we have to find ways to do things that are meaningful to us. It's nice to see people's expressions and feel a sense of normalcy."

And playing outdoors, Malani notes, is great for kids building snow structures and sledding in parts of the country that are now shivering in winter temperatures.

Of course, omicron is the most transmissible variant yet. That, combined with the sheer volume of cases, could mean that there could be more cases of outdoor transmission, says Dr. Jill Weatherhead, assistant professor of adult and pediatric infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. So some people may want to mask up in certain outdoor situations. But that shouldn't cause you to lose sight of the advantages of socializing outdoors, she adds.

"Being outdoors continues to provide another layer of protection because of the ventilation," Weatherhead explains. (The other layers are vaccination, masks and physical distancing.)

"So the safest place you can be [with other people] is still going to be outdoors," she says.

If your own risk tolerance is low, certain outdoor situations could call for masking up. Earlier studies showed that the fewer cases of outdoor transmission almost always occurred during prolonged, close contact. For example, talking face-to-face with someone who is unmasked and very, very close to you is risky no matter where you are, especially if it's for a prolonged period of time.

"It can happen outside," says Dr. Don Milton, an infectious disease aerobiologist at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Still, he says, you have to be close to the infected person or downwind of them. "That gentle breeze outdoors is generally safer" than indoors, he says. "The air movement [outdoors] is more random and the virus won't build up."

And yes, that holds true for omicron, he believes. Although it makes sense that people would worry about getting a more contagious variant outdoors, it's likely that the current surge in cases doesn't have anything to do with outdoor spread.

Preliminary research, including a small study by Milton's lab, suggests that people infected with omicron don't breathe out higher viral loads than people infected with delta. And people who are vaccinated likely carry less infectious virus particles than people who are not.

So if you find yourself worrying about not being able to distance yourself in a crowded outdoor situation with people of unknown vaccination status, slip a mask on.

Just keep in mind that risk is a continuum.

"Slipping on the ice or getting in an accident on the way [to an outdoor rendezvous] is probably more likely than getting COVID outside," Malani says.

However, if you live in a cold locale as she does, you may want to leave your mask on for warmth. Not only does it keep your cheeks warm, but who wants to take their gloves off to fuss with a mask in sub-freezing temps?

Sheila Mulrooney Eldred is a freelance health journalist in Minneapolis. She has written about COVID-19 for many publications, including The New York Times, Kaiser Health News, Medscape and The Washington Post. More at sheilaeldred.pressfolios.com. On Twitter: @milepostmedia.

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Do you need to mask up outdoors to avoid infection with omicron? : Goats and Soda - NPR

FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) Gov. Beshear has announced his son, Will, tested positive for COVID-19.

The governor says he's doing fine and is fully vaccinated. He also recently received his booster shot. The rest of the family tested negative.

28,857 new cases were reported between Saturday and Monday. 76 more Kentuckians died from the virus during that time frame. The state's current positivity rate is 33.06%.

Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says omicron appears to not attack the lungs as hard as previous variants, meaning there are enough ventilators to go around. However, there is a surge of healthcare workers getting COVID-19 and not being able to work.

64% of Kentuckians 65 and older have been boosted. 42.5% of Kentuckians 18 and older have been boosted.

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Gov. Beshear's son, Will, tests positive for COVID-19 - LEX18 Lexington KY News