Category: Covid-19

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The rest of the squad are unaffected, and will continue following Covid guidelines and completing their daily health-checks

Chapman, who was a part of the T20I squad, flew from Napier to Auckland on Saturday and after waking up with symptoms on Sunday, tested positive via a rapid antigen test.

"It's really unfortunate for Mark and we're all really feeling for him at this time," New Zealand's head coach Gary Stead said. "He did the right thing by following the health guidelines and getting tested when he did."

"It's an exciting time for George to be back with the team and he thoroughly deserves his call up following his strong form in the Ford Trophy."

The remainder of the squad are unaffected, and will continue following Covid guidelines and completing their daily health-checks, according to an NZC release.

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Chapman tests positive for Covid-19; Worker called in as replacement for Netherlands ODIs - ESPNcricinfo

'Overwhelmed by hate': COVID-19 scientists face an avalanche of abuse, survey shows  Science

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'Overwhelmed by hate': COVID-19 scientists face an avalanche of abuse, survey shows - Science

(NEXSTAR) With the rise ofthe BA.2 variant of COVID-19, a subvariant of omicron that isalso called stealth omicron, are people who caught the virus in the last wave susceptible again?

Early research indicates its not likely the subvariant will reinfect most people who just caught omicron in this recent wave of cases, but it is possible.

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A study of 2 million people in Denmark conducted between November and February found 187 instances of reinfection. Of those 187 cases, 47 were people who had the BA.1 variant, then caught the BA.2 variant.

According to Healthline, the majority of the people in the study who caught both omicron subvariants were young and unvaccinated. They did not have severe cases.

The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and former Harvard researcher, raised a warning flag on Twitter in February, citing other early studies that showedomicrons protectiveness from reinfection doesnt last long.

Our results suggest that Omicron-induced immunity may not be sufficient to prevent infection from another, more pathogenic variant, should it emerge in the future, he tweeted, quoting thestudy.

It may seem counterintuitive, but people who only had a mild case of omicron the first time around may also be more likely to get it again.

If you had a mild infection, didnt get a very good immune response, and you get exposed again with a big dose of the virus, its definitely possible, Dr. Stanley Weiss, professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told Yahoo.

However, because there is so much similarity between the two subvariants of omicron, many people infected in the most recent winter surge could be protected in the short term.

I think [reinfection] is unlikely because there is so much shared similarity [between the two types] that the minor differences are probably not enough to allow it to evade immunity to omicron, said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, head of Brigham and Womens Hospitals infectious disease division, in an interview withWBTS last month.

As with other variants, any added protection you get from a recent omicron infection also wanes over time. Abouttwo-thirds of those infected with omicronin the U.K. were people who had caught the alpha or delta variant in past COVID waves, a study from Imperial College London found.

I suspect over time, yes, you probably can get reinfected. But we dont have that data yet because omicron has only been around since October/November, John Hopkins Senior Scholar, Dr. Amesh Adalja, toldKHOU.

Protection from the COVID vaccines is more reliable, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. A fully vaccinated person who had a breakthrough infection isbest protected against future infection, a recent CDC study found.

Vaccinated and boosted people were also far less likely to have severe symptoms associated with an omicron infection.

Get more coronavirus news: COVID vaccines, boosters and Safe Travels information

The BA.2 subvariant makes up about 23% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the CDCs last estimate. Epidemiologists point out its presence has been doubling about every week.

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Can you catch the omicron COVID-19 variant twice? - KHON2

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- After two years of wearing masks and avoiding indoor crowds, navigating the next phase of the pandemic in South Florida can feel especially difficult.

Debra Touhey, of Cooper City, said she isn't ready to let down her guard yet, but she's pushing herself a little.

For the first time in two years, Touhey, 63, ventured back to the movie theater with her 14-year-old son. She sat in the back row and bought the two seats on either side of her family, just to ensure social distancing.

"I'm trying because this might be the new normal," Touhey said.

With omicron in retreat, Floridians are figuring out their new boundaries along with what COVID-19 precautions they will permanently adopt and in which situations they still are not comfortable. In an online Sun Sentinel survey, respondents expressed a range of risk tolerance for travel, as well as activities such as grocery shopping, indoor dining and attending business meetings without a mask.

All around there are signs of life coming back to a pre-coronavirus normal: The plastic barriers at cash registers came down recently at Publix nearly two years after they were installed. Masks are no longer being required at various performance arts venues in South Florida.

"I know a lot of people have stopped wearing their masks," Touhey said. "I still wear my mask almost every time in public and especially indoors. I feel I have to be as careful as can be. As older parents, our situation is unique. I won't deprive my son but we are going to go slowly."

The Florida Department of Health reported the virus is still infecting more than 10,000 people a week in Florida and killing about 1,000 on average. But with the positivity rate less than 3 percent in the state and South Florida counties, many people are beginning to resume their pre-pandemic behaviors.

Hampden Smith, 81, is emerging from a pandemic mindset. He is taking this next phase slowly.

Smith and his wife, of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, are vaccinated and boosted and have resumed going to church.

"It feels great. We really missed it," Smith said. "Most people are keeping a distance. There's not much hugging going on."

Smith, though, isn't ready to take off his mask in church, or Costco and Publix.

"I will probably always be wary of indoor closeness," he said.

Some people say they are struggling with accepting risk.

Robin Gill, of Jupiter, said she is boosted and vaccinated, works from home, and is taking it step by step with resuming activities she did before the pandemic. This week, she ventured to a restaurant for the first time in two years.

"The COVID mindset is a hard one to turn off," she said. "I don't feel like we are far enough out of the pandemic yet."

Dr. Jessica Ruiz, a Broward psychologist, said people are in different stages of gauging what's safe for them.

Ruiz said one of the reasons this phase of the pandemic is so hard to navigate is because some people have had more anxiety and more personal loss over the last two years of battling a disease that transmits invisibly at times. Others are still at high risk for hospitalization.

"We have to remind ourselves, everyone is different," she said.

Increasingly though, as new cases decline, social pressure to shrug off COVID-19 precautions will play a role in what people feel comfortable doing, she said.

"Social pressure is actually very powerful," said Ruiz, chief psychologist at Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward. "You are much more likely to make decisions and follow through based on what the people around you are doing."

Pamela Jordan, of Boca Raton, said she's cautious but resumed her normal life months ago.

She is not vaccinated, had COVID-19 in December 2021 and has stopped wearing a mask.

"I took it off the second it was no longer mandatory," she said.

Jordan, 52, said she travels, attends parties, goes to the movies, the gym and medical appointments without a mask and with the mindset that she is going to live her best life.

"People are scared and I can't fault them. I just think differently," Jordan said.

Young adults, the demographic in Florida with the highest cumulative number of COVID-19 cases, were the first to return to crowded nightclubs, concerts and weddings.

"My friends and I have for the most part stopped wearing masks," said a 24-year-old from Fort Lauderdale who asked not to be named. "I don't think I should feel guilty about that."

After two years of taking precautions and living with uncertainty about where the pandemic is headed, some people have realized they want to make certain behaviors permanent.

Survey participants told the Sun Sentinel they will continue to have their groceries delivered, participate in doctor's appointments by Zoom, work from home as much as possible -- and even use hand sanitizer more regularly.

Several dozen said they are healthier than before the pandemic and plan to continue those behaviors.

"I went back to running regularly outdoors," said Stanley Eisen, of Pompano Beach. "It helps keep me sane."

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South Floridians moving on with lives after COVID-19 - Jefferson City News Tribune

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Almost a third of COVID-19 patients suffered from neuropathy - study - The Jerusalem Post

A little more than 200 people remain hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wisconsin. This is the lowest number of patients since July, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association.

The seven-day average of daily cases declined to 315 cases a day, which is the lowest level of cases since July, according to the state Department of Health Services.

The state continues to administer more than 2,000 vaccine doses a day. However, the seven-day average of daily vaccine doses continues to decline.

Track COVID and the vaccine in Wisconsin: See the latest data on cases, deaths and administered doses

State and private labs regularly do further tests on a portion of positive COVID-19 samples to find the prevalence of different variants of the virus. The numbers below are just a fraction of the total number of variant cases.

Omicronvariant was identified in more than 99% of tests sequenced during the week starting Feb. 20.Deltawas identified in less than 1% of tests sequenced.

Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 orDBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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A little more than 200 people remain hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wisconsin, as fewer vaccine doses are being administered - Milwaukee Journal...

Countries and regions such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and New Zealand, which were able to keep their number of COVID-19 cases under control for most of the pandemic, are currently experiencing a surge in cases.

These countries previously adopted a COVID-19 elimination strategy or a zero-COVID policy, which aimed to reduce the incidence of new cases to naught. This policy involved strict rules involving border controls, contact tracing, mass testing, quarantine, and self-isolation.

Dr. Michael Baker, a professor of public health at the University of Otago, Wellington, told Medical News Today that this elimination policy pursued by many countries in the Asia-Pacific region was generally very successful during the first 12-18 months of the pandemic when vaccines were not widely available.

Keeping COVID-19 cases at very low levels for much of this time has resulted in low hospitalizations and deaths, and has protected the economies in many jurisdictions in this region, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, he added.

However, Dr. Baker underlined that this response had been jeopardized by the emergence of the more infectious Delta and Omicron variants.

He said that the wide circulation of Omicron had forced Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, and New Zealand to transition from elimination to mitigation approaches.

The emergence of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant, which initial reports suggest is more transmissible than BA.1, may be at least partly responsible for the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in these countries.

While mortality rates due to COVID-19 have remained relatively low in most nations that previously implemented a zero COVID-19 policy, Hong Kong recently reported the worlds highest COVID-19 death rate over a 7-day period.

According to experts, a major reason for a large number of hospitalizations and deaths in Hong Kong is the low vaccination rate in the vulnerable older population.

Although vaccination rates among the general population are reasonably good, a significant percentage of the older population remains unvaccinated, which may partly explain why COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in February.

Complacency due to a low number of COVID-19 cases in the community before the emergence of Omicron and vaccine hesitancy led to poor vaccine uptake among these demographics earlier in the pandemic.

New Zealand, in contrast, has kept its hospitalizations and deaths low despite a surge in cases. This is likely due to immunity, experts say, as New Zealand currently has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with 95% of individuals over the age of 12 years vaccinated.

Those countries that were able to achieve high vaccine coverage before entry and widespread circulation of the Omicron variant have been able to keep their hospitalization and death rates low. That is the case in New Zealand in particular, which still has the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate in the OECD, Dr. Baker noted.

In contrast to other Asian countries, mainland China has persisted with the elimination policy, and there have been outbreaks due to Omicron, especially in the Jilin province and the city of Shenzhen. Yet, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 has been limited so far, and the following few weeks will determine Chinas ability to persist with the policy.

Many European nations including Germany, the U.K., France, and the Netherlands have also been experiencing a COVID-19 surge due to the BA.2 variant. The U.K., for example, reported a 7-day average of over 89,000 cases and 127 deaths as of March 18, 2022.

Experts believe that prematurely removing protective measures against COVID-19 may have contributed to this rise in BA.2 infections. The higher contagiousness of the subvariant and waning immunity from either vaccines or previous SARS-CoV-2 infections may have also played a part.

This [surge] may be exacerbated by the widespread loosening of restrictions including indoor mask mandates in public places and schools, and the decision by many businesses to have their employees fully return to the workplace, said Dr. Davidson Hamer, professor of global health and medicine at Boston University.

Previous waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Europe have often played out similarly in the U.S., albeit a few weeks later. Both regions have also employed similar pandemic strategies: a mitigation policy focused on limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the community rather than complete elimination.

There have been some signs of an increase in COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

The proportion of COVID-19 cases due to the BA.2 variant increased from 12.6% to 22.3% between March 5-12, 2022. Despite a decline in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, wastewater samples collected from certain communities suggest a potential increase in COVID-19 cases in the forthcoming weeks.

Individuals with a SARS-CoV-2 infection can start shedding the virus in feces before other COVID-19 symptoms emerge. Thus, the SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater samples can predict COVID-19 cases in the community.

CDC wastewater surveillance data indicate an increase by at least 10% in SARS-CoV-2 levels at 162 out of the 469 active sites.

Since there have been some concerning epidemiological data in recent weeks including increased viral RNA levels in wastewater and increased cases in some locations around the country, there may be an increase of COVID-19 cases this spring similar to what several countries in Europe are seeing, said Dr. Hamer.

Although experts expect an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. due to the BA.2 subvariant, there is a lack of certainty about its extent. This uncertainty stems from the differences between the current pandemic situations in the U.S. and Europe.

For instance, some European nations, such as Spain, have had stringent COVID-19 restrictions, including outdoor masking, which were only lifted recently.

In contrast, the U.S. has had few restrictions since last summer. Such differences in public health policies may have the potential to influence patterns of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Since its emergence, the BA.2 variant has been competing with other Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.1.1 and is proving to be more transmissible.

The data from other parts of the world suggest that BA.2 is highly contagious, but not more severe than BA.1. There have been some reports of BA.2 reinfecting individuals who were recently infected with BA.1, but this seems to be relatively rare, Prof. Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas at Austins COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, also told MNT.

In projecting what might happen in the coming weeks, we have to consider both the infectivity of BA.2 and recent policy and behavior relaxation in the U.S. that might fuel more rapid transmission, she added.

Yet the Rockefeller Foundations Pandemic Prevention Institute has pointed out that the BA.1.1 subvariant has been more prevalent in the U.S. than in the U.K.

It notes that BA.1.1 has been the dominant Omicron subvariant in the U.S. and that the increase in the prevalence of BA.2 has been more gradual. In other words, the rise of BA.2 seems to have followed a different trajectory so far in the two nations.

The Pandemic Prevention Institute has also pointed out that the CDCs wastewater surveillance data only reveal a relative increase in SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels. Thus, if the initial viral RNA levels in sewage samples were extremely low, even a 1,000% increase would only suggest a modest increase in actual cases.

Based on what we are currently seeing, I do not expect the presence of BA.2 to drive a surge in cases in the near future. With both Delta and Omicron, there was a very clear pattern. We would detect the new variant in the wastewater from a community, and within 2-3 weeks there was a surge in SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater which coincided with an increase in patients. This pattern was very predictable, said Dr. Marc Johnson, a virologist at the University of Missouri.

Dr. Johnson said his observations so far have not indicated a similar scenario:

I have been seeing BA.2 in Missouri sewer sheds every week for the last 10 weeks, and it is currently in about a third of the sewer sheds. It is slowly displacing BA.1 and is the dominant lineage in several of the sites. However, we have not seen a single location where this coincides with an increase in SARS-COV-2 RNA in wastewater or in cases.

Although COVID-19 case patterns in the U.S. have largely echoed those in the U.K., as the spread of the Alpha variant showed, that has not always been the case.

The BA.2 wave looks a lot more like the Alpha wave in Missouri. Exactly 1 year ago, Alpha (B.1.1.7) was slowly moving through our state and displacing all of the other lineages. However, it never caused a surge in cases like it did in Europe, Dr. Johnson emphasized.

Although Omicron and its subvariants seem to cause less severe disease than previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, the high death rates in Hong Kong underscore the importance of immunity both from COVID-19 vaccines and prior SARS-CoV-2 infections.

A recent Danish study suggests that the risk of BA.2 infection following a BA.1 infection is low. With a considerable portion of the U.S. population exposed to the BA.1 variant, this may also reduce the risk of BA.2 infections in the short term.

Although the protection conferred by COVID-19 vaccines against infection with Omicron tends to wane after a few months, evidence suggests that COVID-19 vaccines remain effective at preventing severe disease.

However, the lower vaccination rates in the U.S. compared to the U.K. have raised concerns about the potential toll of a second Omicron wave.

In the U.S., about 65% of individuals are fully vaccinated, and only 44.6% have received the booster shot. In contrast, around 85.8% of eligible individuals in the U.K. have been vaccinated, and 67.3% have been immunized with a booster shot.

Dr. Hamer said vaccine rollout was crucial in states with low coverage.

The U.S. needs to continue widespread testing, figure out ways to allow people who self-test at home to have their antigen tests results make it into the broader public health surveillance systems, continue sequencing a reasonable proportion of positive samples, and carefully track the impact of rising cases on hospitalization rates and be ready to reinstate mask mandates if the situation greatly worsens, he advised.

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Does the COVID-19 surge in Asia have implications for the US? - Medical News Today

One distinctive symptom of COVID-19 remains the loss of sense of smell and taste that can affect people for weeks or months after developing the disease.

The decreased or altered sense of smell, called olfactory dysfunction, was originally thought to be due to damage of the olfactory nerves. But new research published this week in The Laryngoscope finds that loss of smell due to COVID-19 may also be because of swelling and blockage of the nasal passages.

Initially, we noticed a pattern in patients with COVID-19 that they lost their sense of smell and taste. We noticed these findings could be used as an indicator of whether or not a patient had COVID-19, but we thought it had to do with the olfactory nerve, said Dr. Anjali Bharati, an ER physician at Lenox Health Greenwich Village in New York, NY.

Originally the loss of taste and smell due to COVID-19 was thought to be damage to the olfactory nerve. While evidence was limited for a direct relation between SARS-CoV-2 and abnormal brain findings, the theory was that the olfactory dysfunction was due to the olfactory nerve.

This raised further questions on whether or not the nerve damage would be temporary or if the patient would be able to recover.

However, this new research offers a different perspective and perhaps some optimism. Researchers combed through medical reports that detailed changes in olfactory structures through imaging tests of patients with COVID-19.

They found a prevalence of an olfactory cleft abnormality. The olfactory cleft is the channel through which airborne molecules reach the olfactory neurons, which connect to the brain in order to determine smells. In patients with COVID-19 and olfactory dysfunction, the cleft abnormality was 16 times higher.

This means that a contributing factor of the loss of smell and taste is due to the tissues instead of nerves.

The good news is that cells turn over and heal much more easily than nerve damage.

Nerve damage is a more serious thing. The question becomes does it recover? said Bharati. This news involves the physical makeup of the nose, like the nasal passage and the back of the throat. Nerve damage is part of the brain, which is more disconcerting than the nasal passages.

Not everyone will experience the loss of smell and taste if they develop COVID-19. But this research means that experts understand much more about why this happens.

And this news does present an optimistic view that the symptoms may be temporary for many or most people.

Its an important finding, said Bharati. It may mean that the symptoms are reversible as time goes on and cells turn over. Its not permanent.

Kai Zhao, PhD, associate professor, otolaryngology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, said recovery times vary widely from one to three weeks to months or years.

While there are limited treatment options, people have been using smell training as a treatment option with mixed outcomes, Zhao said.

Smell training involves smelling items like specific scents of items like oranges or coffee grounds.

Zhao suggested that vaccination may alleviate symptoms but clarified that there is no definitive proof of that yet.

However, it is important to note that the findings may not fully account for people living with the extended loss of sense of smell or taste. More research will have to be conducted.

Zhao also noted that some of the imaging was with MRI, while others used CT, and that the time frame of the studies was not controlled.

But the experts say findings are interesting and open the door for more research regarding the blockage of nasal passages and COVID-19.

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Here's Why COVID-19 Impacts Your Ability to Smell - Healthline

CNN

After circulating at nearly nonexistent levels last year, influenza is increasing in most of the United States.

Thats according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventions most recent flu report, released Friday, which also notes that the number of reported flu-related hospital admissions has increased each week for the past seven weeks.

I have been tracking recent influenza activity nationally and locally. We are not surprised that influenza activity is increasing, Dr. Angela Branche, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester, wrote in an email Wednesday.

Im a little surprised that its still mostly H3N2 infections and not influenza B. I might have expected an influenza B wave this late in the flu season, Branche wrote.

Influenza A and B viruses cause the most illness in the United States, especially during flu season. The subtypes of influenza A are H1N1 and H3N2. Influenza A H3N2 viruses have been the most frequently detected influenza viruses this season, according to the CDC.

In a non-pandemic year, this pattern of flu activity would not be entirely unusual; to see influenza cases peak in January and then decline with another surge in early Spring, Branche added.

The CDC estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 3.1 million flu illnesses, 31,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths from flu, as of Friday.

By comparison, the lowest end of CDC flu estimates for each year between 2010 and 2020 included 9 million cases, 140,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths.

While flu activity has been increasing in most places across the country, the highest levels have been recorded in the central and south-central regions of the United States, according to the CDC.

Some schools in these areas have canceled classes due to a surge in flu.

Johnson County Schools in Tennessee closed March 11, citing an excessive amount of influenza cases. The closure gave custodians time to thoroughly clean the buildings before schools reopened the next week.

We did close one day due to increase number of employees out for Flu and not having enough substitutes to cover, Mischelle Simcox, Johnson Countys director of schools, wrote in an email Tuesday.

We did this on a Friday which gave us a long weekend to help staff members recover and feel better, Simcox wrote. We have not had to close for Flu since 2020. We only close when we have a large number of employees out and not enough coverage for our staff. During this time our custodians take extra steps to disinfect and clean all areas of the buildings.

In the West, Oregons health officer, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, said the uptick in flu cases there could be the indication of a surge. About 3.1% of tests reported in Oregon were positive for flu in the week ending March 12, he said, compared with 2.5% the previous week.

Nationally, for the week ending March 19, 7.7% of specimens tested in clinical labs for the flu virus were reported to the CDC as being positive for influenza.

We are concerned because this is usually the time that our flu season is winding down, but we are seeing this uptick in cases, and it could be tied to peoples behavior: taking off their masks and returning to some of their more normal activities, Sidelinger said Tuesday.

He added that current flu levels are still well below what has been reported in Oregon for pre-pandemic flu seasons. In March 2019, the percent of influenza tests coming back positive was nearly 40%.

Like the rest of the country, last year, we saw very little flu, Sidelinger said. That wasnt because the flu virus disappeared. But those measures that people took to combat Covid wearing their masks, limiting their gathering, trying to move things outside where spread of respiratory viruses is harder and is less easy certainly limited flu.

Branche also referred to the rolling back of Covid-19 mitigation measures as playing a role in increases of flu activity.

Because H3N2 has remained in circulation, even if at low levels, for the last several months, I would think that the current rise in H3N2 cases is probably most related to the relaxation of COVID19 mitigation strategies such as masking and social distancing, she wrote.

Viral competition which describes when respiratory viruses may compete for people to infect also may play a role.

This concept has been theorized for many years, and intuitively makes sense where adults are concerned, since they are much less likely to be coinfected and usually are only infected with one virus at the time, Branche wrote. So its one possible explanation.

Influenza is contributing to levels of respiratory illness in the United States, but the CDC notes that other respiratory viruses are also circulating, too.

The CDC also notes that while the number of flu-related hospital admissions reported to the US Department of Health and Human Services has climbed weekly for the seventh week in a row, the cumulative hospitalization rate for this flu season is higher than the rate for the entire 2020-2021 season, but still lower than the rate seen around this time during the four flu seasons preceding the Covid-19 pandemic.

Flu activity was declining from mid-December through January, according to the CDC. Around that time, Covid-19 cases were increasing. Then, as flu cases started to rise earlier this year, Covid-19 cases took a downturn.

As coronavirus mitigation measures like mask-wearing and social distancing roll back in states across the country, why has the nation seen a rise in flu but not Covid-19 itself?

I think the reason were not seeing Covid cases go up right now is a combination of high vaccination rates with many people in Oregon being up-to-date on their Covid vaccines and then folks whove recently recovered during this largest surge, this Omicron surge, and still have a level of protection, Sidelinger said.

So were at a place where we have less people who are susceptible to the disease right now than at previous times in the pandemic, he said. Thats why we still continue to see numbers go down even as masks come off.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials hasnt heard much from its members about increases in flu, but the rise in cases nationally could be tied to fewer people getting their flu shots this year and this seasons flu vaccine not being as effective as in previous seasons, Lori Tremmel Freeman, NACCHOs chief executive officer, said Wednesday.

Yet even if its less effective than normal, it still has the ability to provide some protection perhaps that might lessen the symptoms and-or the length of the flu, Freeman said. So I wouldnt necessarily give up on the flu shot, because it can still be helpful in warding off more severe disease.

This flu season, based on data from 3,636 children and adults who got the flu between October and mid-February, the vaccine did not seem to reduce their risk of getting sick from the influenza A (H3N2) viruses that have been predominant, according to a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published this month. The overall vaccine effectiveness against infection was 16%, which is considered not statistically significant.

However, there wasnt enough enrollment in that study for a reliable understanding of how effective it was, and the CDC is studying how well the current vaccine protected against severe illness.

Overall, the flu vaccine is known to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death from flu, and the CDC still recommends that people get vaccinated against flu, even late in the season. The CDC estimates that during the 2019-2020 season, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 105,000 flu-related hospitalizations.

Americans should always be encouraged to get vaccinated against influenza. Influenza has always been a threat to the health of vulnerable members of our communities and that remains true, even during the pandemic, Branche wrote in her email.

Usually I dont strongly encourage my patients to get an influenza vaccine this late in the season, but with rising cases and the uncertainty of how things will unfold over the next few months, its still worth getting vaccinated if you havent done so as yet for the 2021-2022 season.

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As Covid-19 cases fall and masks come off, flu cases are rising - CNN

Nearly all of Maine is now considered low risk for COVID-19, according to a federal analysis.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Preventions community levels were updated late Thursday, with 15 of Maines 16 counties at low risk or green based on virus transmission and hospital burden, while Hancock County was considered moderate risk. Counties that last week were red or high-risk Aroostook and Washington counties are now considered low-risk, according to the U.S. CDC.

The agency does not recommend universal indoor mask-wearing in low-risk counties, while masking is recommended for at-risk people in moderate risk counties.

The risk levels are based on a combination of case counts, hospital capacity and new hospital admissions for COVID-19. Hospitalizations increased slightly, from 89 on Thursday to 93 on Friday, but have still plummeted from a peak of 436 on Jan. 13.

Meanwhile, Maine reported 238 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. No new deaths were reported.

Since the pandemic began, Maine has reported 234,651 cases of COVID-19 and 2,193 deaths.

Also, masking will be optional on all University of Maine campuses regardless of vaccination status starting Saturday. The new guidelines apply to all indoor and outdoor facilities except classrooms, where face coverings will continue to be required unless a faculty member says otherwise.

This is a reversal of the UMaine Systems March 14 policy, which required indoor masking in almost all situations regardless of vaccination status. Now students can ditch their masks in school facilities including dorms, dining halls and gyms.

A Friday news release announcing the new policy said the system based its decision on guidance from the Maine CDC and data showing a decline in COVID-19 cases across University of Maine System campuses and the state.

As of Monday, there were 24 COVID-19 cases among the UMaine Systems population of more than 30,000 people, down from 218 cases on Jan. 18, the first day of the spring semester. The system reported a 96.1 percent vaccination rate.

The new guidelines will be continuously reviewed, according to the university.

Well consider pivoting back to face coverings if pandemic conditions worsen, but at present, we feel confident that we can be together in person in more of our settings without face coverings so long as we continue testing, and stay up to date on our vaccinations and boosters, Chancellor Dannel Malloy said in the release.

Vaccinations and boosters will continue to be required through the summer and fall semesters for in-person students.

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Nearly all of Maine now considered at low risk for COVID-19 - Press Herald