Category: Covid-19

Editors note: Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com in the past week.

Public health officials have said the treatment is becoming a key to limiting hospitalizations at a time when just 6% of Colorados intensive-care beds are available.

The treatment which essentially gives patients antibodies that vaccinated people are already making on their own is proving to be effective: Out of 276 treatments on COVID-19 patients at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs, officials say just a handful have ended up in the hospital.

The hospitals nurse manager Sanaya Sturm said vaccination is still the best way to protect from contracting the virus. Still, for those who are not vaccinated or people with weak immune systems, hospital officials said antibodies have had really good results when given within 10 days of the first symptoms. The treatment is also given to those who have been vaccinated but still contracted the virus.

Steamboat Pilot & Today

At a Summit Board of County Commissioners meeting Nov. 23, the board passed new short-term rental licensing regulations on first reading. The new regulations divide unincorporated Summit County into resort zones which include areas such as the Peaks 7 and 8 neighborhoods, Copper Mountain and Keystone and neighborhood zones, which include areas such as Dillon Valley, Wildernest and Summit Cove.

Summit County Senior Planner Jessica Potter, who helped spearhead the countys new regulations, explained at the meeting that home sales in the first half of 2021 that resulted in short-term rental license applications increased 21% compared with the first half of 2020.

Summit County leaders believe these changes will indirectly stop the bleed, or slow the pace of short-term rental unit conversions.

Jenna deJong

Its finally here: The Pad hotel and hostel officially opened the week of Thanksgiving, and with it, A-Bar, a new watering hole that offers both guests and visitors a place to stop and relax on the north side of town.

The Pad has generated buzz as a boutique hostel-hotel hybrid that offers a combination of shared- and private-room options to accommodate the needs and interests of different types of travelers. The development was built with 18 upcycled shipping containers and features 36 rooms and 101 beds.

According to a news release, co-owners Lynne and Rob Baer built the boutique hostel as a new social lodging concept. Part of that social concept extends to A-Bar, the new bar situated near the lobbys front desk that welcomes visitors and locals.

Jenna deJong

The Colorado Department of Transportation has entered a winter hiatus on construction to replace a failing emergency access structure beneath Interstate 70 west of the Eisenhower Johnson Memorial Tunnels, according to a news release.

The release said that from the end of November until April, 2022, no lane closures or construction work are expected for the I-70 structure replacement project. The far-right westbound lane west of the tunnel has also been reopened.

A separate repaving project on I-70 will continue between Silverthorne and Frisco during work hours Mondays through Thursdays, according to the release.

Lindsey Toomer

Its been over three weeks since a trench collapse along Sallie Barber Road killed 20-year-old Marlon Diaz and partially buried another individual. Details about the incident remain scarce as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration takes on the investigation.

But one thing is clear: A steel box meant to protect workers from a trench collapse was not in use when emergency responders arrived at the scene Nov. 16.

Drew Hoehn, deputy chief of operations for the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District, reported that when the district arrived at around 4:15 p.m., the steel trench box used to support trench walls was not in the trench but was sitting nearby the site. Hoehn said it appeared members of the crew were working in an unprotected hole during the time of the incident.

Jenna deJong

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Top 5 most-read stories last week: COVID-19 antibodies, rental regulations and construction fatality - Summit Daily

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Higher hospital admissions among children during a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa that has been driven by the Omicron coronavirus variant should not prompt panic as infections have been mild, a health official said on Saturday.

A large number of infants admitted with COVID-19 last month in Tshwane, the metropolitan area that includes the capital Pretoria, raised concerns that the newly identified Omicron could pose greater risks for young children than other variants.

Scientists have yet to confirm any link and have cautioned that other factors could be at play.

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Ntsakisi Maluleke, a public health specialist in the Gauteng province that includes Tshwane and the biggest city Johannesburg, told Reuters that out of the 1,511 COVID-positive patients in hospitals in the province 113 were under 9 years old, a greater proportion than during previous waves of infection.

"We are comforted by clinicians' reports that the children have mild disease," she said in an interview, adding health officials and scientists were investigating what was driving increased admissions in younger ages and were hoping to provide more clarity within two weeks.

Since only a small percentage of South Africa's positive COVID-19 tests are sent for genomic sequencing, officials do not yet know which variants the children admitted to hospital have been infected with.

Maluleke said healthcare workers could be acting out of an abundance of caution. "They would rather have a child under care for a day or two than having a child at home and complicating, ... but we really need to wait for the evidence," she said.

She said many COVID-19 patients in Gauteng were reporting "non-specific" flu-like symptoms like a scratchy throat. But she urged parents and pregnant women, another cohort that has seen more hospital admissions recently, not to take flu-like symptoms lightly and to get tested in case intervention is needed further down the line.

"The public needs to be less fearful but vigilant," she said. Despite a recent influx of admissions, Gauteng's dedicated COVID-19 bed occupancy was still only around 13%, Maluleke said.

REASSURING SIGNS

Scientists are yet to determine what severity of illness is caused by the Omicron variant, first detected in southern Africa last month and since seen in more than 30 countries, and whether it may be more resistant to existing vaccines.

But an article by the South African Medical Research Council based on early observations at the Steve Biko/Tshwane District Hospital Complex in Pretoria over the last two weeks contained reassuring signs.

The majority of patients in the COVID wards at the hospital complex were not oxygen-dependent and were "incidental COVID admissions," having another reason for admission, the article said.

"This is a picture that has not been seen in previous waves. In the beginning of all three previous waves and throughout the course of these waves, there has always only been a sprinkling of patients on room air in the COVID ward," it said.

There had been no COVID-related deaths among 34 admissions in the paediatric COVID wards over the last two weeks. But the article added that trends would become clearer and further analysis was still being conducted.

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Additional reporting by Wendell Roelf in Cape TownEditing by Frances Kerry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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S.African official says children sick with COVID-19 have mild infections - Reuters

A nurse and a doctor who work in emergency medicine in Bloomington are urging people to get vaccinated as hospital staff are dealing with pandemic fatigue and a worker shortage while patient numbers are rising.

People are acting like COVID is over ... and its not, said Dr. Robert Adams, IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians Emergency Medicine provider.

Katy Howe, a registered nurse and director of emergency and trauma services at IU Health, said, Just when we think weve made it through another surge (and theres) a glimmer of hope ... then it hits again.

Adams and Howe are adding their voices to a growing chorus of health care workers who are sounding the alarm about rising hospitalizations from motor vehicle accidents, the flu and COVID-19 amid increasing health care worker burnout and a general labor shortage.

The Indiana Hospital Association, Indiana State Medical Association and Indiana State Nurses Association this week released a joint statement to urge people to get their COVID and flu shots to relieve pressures bearing down on health care workers.

Right now, theres not a lot of capacity in the system, IHA President Brian Tabor told The Herald-Times.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen by two-thirds in the past three weeks and are nearing 75% of the pandemic peak the state experienced last November, he said.

Were very concerned, Tabor said.

The rising case numbers have pushed all but seven of Indianas 92 counties into the orange or red advisory, the two most serious classifications.

Since the pandemic began, the state has counted more than 1.1 million COVID-19 cases, and more than 17,000 Hoosiers have died from the disease. Nearly 89% of those who have died were older than 60. Most have underlying health conditions. The vast majority of people who become infected recover.

While hospitalizations have risen again recently, deaths, so far, have not ticked up, but they are a lagging indicator, meaning that cases rise first, then hospitalizations, then deaths.

Data provided by the Indiana State Health Department show sharply higher risks of infection and death among people who are unvaccinated.

According to the ISDH:

Adams, who works in emergency rooms including in Bloomington, said more than 90% of the COVID patients at IU Health in southern Indiana are unvaccinated.

The states low vaccination rate is putting an enormous strain on the health care system, he said.

The rising number of COVID-19 cases also has affected health care workers themselves.

Im struggling to keep my staff healthy, Adams said.

While his co-workers vaccinations will, with a high degree of certainty, prevent severe disease, they do still have to isolate sometimesand cannot work, tighteningworkforce constraints that already existed before the pandemic.A 2018 study projected a national shortage of registered nurses that would exceed 500,000 by 2030.

Tabor said the pandemic has accelerated the speed and increased the magnitude of some pre-pandemic trends, including more retirements or people leaving hospitals to work in less frantic environments. Some providers struggled even before the pandemic to find short-term solutions to those long-term dynamics, and, Tabor said, doing so while dealing with surges of patients during a pandemic is an even greater challenge.

More: With Bloomington Hospital moving Sunday, COVID antibody treatment appointments are limited

Howe said hospital employees also are seeing more verbal and physical assaults on staff, which is causing more people than normal to ask questions including, Is this what I signed up for?

Given the nursing shortage, she said, nurses can earn good wages outside emergency rooms, which is worsening the staffing situation in hospitals. And health care providers have fewer opportunities to replace departing employees with graduates from nursing programs because some of them also saw pandemic-induced curbs.

Howe said IU Health hospitals usually welcome some new graduates in December.

We just havent had any, she said. Theyre just not there.

Tabor said the general labor shortage also is reducing hospital capacity. Beyond doctors and nurses, hospitals employ lots of people who provide critical services, including workers who prepare hospital rooms for the next patient or surgery.

Adams said giving health care workers some much-needed rest, including emotional rest, is becoming ever more difficult.

Unfortunately it looks like theres no end in sight, he said.

While COVID cases remain below their peak, Adams and Howe said hospitals are seeing more patients who have sustained traumatic injuries simply from sending more time outside their homes: More injuries from motor vehicle traffic, sports and everyday slips and falls.

In addition, the health care professionals said they are seeing more patients who had to or chose to delay care during prior COVID surges.

Tabor said in some cases, the delays have meant the patients condition has deteriorated, requiring more resources and longer stays, and again reducing hospital capacity.

And Adams said while many people wore masks a year ago, few people are doing so today, which increases the prevalence of other communicable diseases, such as the flu.

This year already weve seen a ton of flu, mostly coming from the IU student population, he said.

Tabor said given the staffing shortages, hospitals have few options outside of withdrawing employees from some areas to shift them toward emergency care. Theyre making those adjustments knowing full well they are likely increasing their workload down the line.

Its going to be a challenge to manage through the next few months, he said.

While the situation in Indiana isnt as dire as in Europe the German military is flying some COVID patients from at-capacity hospitals in the southern city of Munich to the northern city of Hamburg Tabor said National Guard personnel have filled in some shifts in Indiana hospitals to allow people to catch their breath.

Were not, at this point, overwhelmed the same way that Europe is, but I am concerned where this next wave ... leads us, he said.

Adams, Howe and Tabor all said the best thing people can do to reduce pressure on the health system is to get vaccinated. That means flu shots and initial, second and booster shots for COVID.

Thats the best thing you can do to help that tired nurse, that frustrated doctor, Tabor said.

Adams urged people to get their information about vaccines from reputable sources. He said the chances of developing COVID-19 and having a significant problem are much higher than having a significant problem from the vaccinations. Across the globe, nearly 8 billion shots of the vaccines have been given.

Weve never had a safer medication, Adams said.

Howe asked that when people gather for the holidays, they avoid setting up a buffet line or, if they do, to have only one person plate the food. She said she wants people to connect because its important for their mental health, but people who are unvaccinated must remain careful, keep their distance and wear masks.

She also urged people to make sure they seek care outside of hospitals if possible to prevent overwhelming the system. People who have been dealing with a chronic problem can probably bypass the emergency room and set up an appointment with their primary care doctor. If people have mild symptoms and their primary care doctor is busy, they may seek help at an urgent care facility. Of course, she said, if people suffer emergencies a serious injury, chest pain, a stroke they should not hesitate to call 911 to get to the ER.

When you have that emergency, well be here for you, she said.

Boris Ladwig is the city government reporter for The Herald-Times. Contact him at bladwig@heraldt.com.

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Bloomington health care workers: 'People are acting like COVID is over ... and it's not' - The Herald-Times

A Minnesota man who attended an anime convention in New York last month and later tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant has reportedly told health officials that 15 of his friends have also contracted COVID-19.

It's unclear if any of those individuals also caught the Omicron variant, health officials told media outlets. The man was one of the first reported cases of the Omicron variant in the United States, prompting questions of whether the variant spread throughout the convention, which tens of thousands of people attended.

"It's hard to say that it is a 'superspreader.' Certainly we're concerned about that," Kathy Como-Sabetti, manager of the COVID-19 epidemiology section for the Minnesota Department of Public Health, told The New York Times.

Officials in New York and Minnesota and with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the variant's possible spread and tracing the man's contacts, according to The Washington Post.

"We don't know if we'll see a lot of Omicron, or we'll see a lot of Delta," Kris Ehresmann, the director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division at the Minnesota Department of Health, told The Post. "But we're likely to see a lot of COVID."

The man had attended the late-November convention as part of a group of 30 people from across the United States half of whom are now sick, he told health officials.

Convention organizers noted that it's still unclear where the man contracted the Omicron variant and he may not have even picked it up at the convention at all. Organizers said all event attendees were required to wear masks and have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

"There have been no other mass cases reported from our event, and we are now way past two weeks" since the convention ended, Kelly Comboni, president of LeftField Media, which organized the convention, told The Times.

The Times also reported Saturday that the man had been fully vaccinated and received a booster weeks before attending the convention. His symptoms were mild and he has turned over the names and contact information of some of his friends to health officials, according to The Times.

New York officials announced Saturday that three new cases of the Omicron variant have appeared in New York state, bringing the total to eight.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has urged calm and said the Omicron cases are "no cause for alarm," though health officials are taking the situation "extremely seriously."

Though most reported Omicron cases so far have been mild or asymptomatic, experts have cautioned that hospitalization data is too preliminary to draw conclusions on the variant's severity.

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15 friends of US Omicron patient also have COVID-19 - Business Insider

The Philadelphia Union will be forced to field a vastly understrength side for Sunday's Eastern Conference final against New York City FC due to 11 players being placed in the league's Health and Safety protocols.

The list includes usual starters Alejandro Bedoya -- who is the team's captain -- goalkeeper Andre Blake, left-back Kai Wagner, center-back Jack Elliott and center-back Jakob Glesnes. Also on the list are backup goalkeeper Joe Bendik, forward Cory Burke, midfielder Ilsinho, defender Alvas Powell, forward Sergio Santos and midfielder Quinn Sullivan.

- ESPN+ viewers' guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more

A player will be listed as being as out due to "Health and Safety Protocols" for quarantine due to participating in high-risk behaviour, quarantine related to being a high-risk close contact, pending COVID-19 test results, an inconclusive COVID-19 test result, a positive COVID-19 test or a confirmed case or other illness not related to COVID-19.

A league source confirmed to ESPN that the game is going ahead as planned.

The seriousness of the situation emerged earlier this week when the Union's practice session on Thursday was canceled. The team trained with reduced numbers on Friday.

"We hope to have as many players available as possible for our game against NYCFC," manager Jim Curtin said during Friday's news conference.

He added, "Our players have worked tirelessly to get to this point. I know they'll be brave even in the adversity that we're facing.

"We've stepped up in big moments all year long. Be it international absences, the challenges of CONCACAF, players losing loved ones.

"Adversity on and off the field, this group always finds a way to step up. We will make our fans proud."

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Philadelphia Union roster depleted by COVID-19 crisis ahead of Eastern Conference final vs. NYCFC - ESPN

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) With rising numbers of COVID-19 cases predicted this winter, President Joe Biden on Thursday appealed for Americans to get their boosters and get behind his plan to tackle the new omicron variant through wider availability of vaccines and shots, but without new major restrictions on daily life.

Biden wants to require private insurers to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests and he is tightening testing requirements for people entering the United States, regardless of their vaccination status. While some other countries are closing their borders or reinstituting lockdowns, the president said he would not at this time impose additional clampdowns beyond his recommendation that Americans wear masks indoors in public settings.

Experts say the COVID-19 cases will continue to rise in the weeks ahead this winter, so we need to be ready, Biden said during a visit to the National Institutes of Health in suburban Maryland after a briefing with scientific advisers.

He said his new strategy doesnt include shutdowns and lockdowns, and he hoped for bipartisan backing.

My plan Im announcing today pulls no punches in the fight against COVID-19, and its a plan that I think should unite us, he Biden said.

Legal challenges have held up Bidens vaccination-or-testing requirement for workers at larger employers, and thats led the president to urge businesses to impose their own mandates so companies can stay open without outbreaks.

His administration has come to view widespread adoption of booster shots as its most effective tool for combating COVID-19 this winter. Medical experts say boosters provide enhanced and more enduring protection, including against new variants.

Much remains unknown about the omicron variant, such as whether it is more contagious, makes people more seriously ill and can thwart the vaccines. Officials said Thursday that a second case of the variant had been confirmed in the United States.

About 100 million Americans are eligible for boosters under current U.S. policy, with more becoming eligible every day. Officials believe that persuading the vaccinated to get another dose will be easier than vaccinating the roughly 43 million adult Americans who havent gotten a shot.

Go get your booster now, Biden said.

Seniors are in the population most vulnerable to the virus, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will send a notice to all 63 million Medicare beneficiaries encouraging them to get booster doses, the White House said. The AARP will work with the administration on education campaigns for seniors.

So far about 42 million Americans, about half of them seniors, have received a booster dose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week broadened its booster dose recommendation to cover all Americans at least age 18, starting six months after their second dose of the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna.

Biden said the CDC is developing new guidance for schools in an effort to reduce or eliminate current quarantine requirements for those not fully vaccinated and exposed to the virus. That could include test-to-stay policies, in which those considered close contacts can continue to go to school but wear masks and undergo serial testing, in an effort to minimize learning loss and disruption.

The rule that private insurers cover at-home testing is being drafted, and details remain to be worked out, officials said.

People insured by Medicare and Medicaid would not be eligible, but the White House said as many as 150 million people with private insurance would see easier and cheaper access to the at-home tests. The administration said it is making 50 million COVID-19 tests free for older people and other vulnerable groups for pickup at senior centers and community sites.

Beginning next week, Biden said, all travelers to the U.S., regardless of nationality or vaccination status, will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within one day of boarding flights. That compares with three days now for those who have been vaccinated. The White House has shelved tougher options such as requiring post-arrival testing or requiring quarantines upon arrival in the U.S.

The White House has not yet acted to require domestic U.S. travelers to be vaccinated or get tested. Officials believe such a requirement would be mired in litigation.

We base our decisions on the advice of the health and medical experts, whats going to be most effective and what we can implement, press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday.

Biden is extending his directive requiring masks on airplanes and other public transit, which had been set to expire in January, through at least the middle of March, the White House said.

The administration is informing states that it has more than 60 teams available to help them or their municipalities address surges in cases and public health shortages heading into the winter.

Continued here:

Pushing COVID-19 boosters, Biden says 'we need to be ready' - Associated Press

Currently, the most effective treatments available for Covid in the U.S. are monoclonal antibody drugs, which bind to the virus and stop it from infecting cells. But these treatments are typically administered intravenously by health care workers. This can pose logistical challenges both for hospitals, many of which are overburdened and short-staffed, and for patients, who may not be able to get to clinics or infusion sites.

The new antivirals are different. You could potentially pick up your prescription and go home, said Dr. Michelle Barron, the senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth, a health care system in Colorado.

The Merck and Pfizer treatments, which involve taking 30 or 40 pills over the course of five days, should be given early in the course of infection, while the virus is replicating quickly.

In clinical trials, which enrolled only unvaccinated people at high risk for serious disease, Mercks regimen reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by about 30 percent when given within the first five days of symptoms, while Pfizers cut those risks by 89 percent when given within the first three days of symptoms.

Replicating these results in the real world will require people to act swiftly, perhaps at the first sign of the sniffle.

It starts with the public education such that when people start to have mild symptoms, early in the course of their illness, they think, This might be Covid-19, and I should get a test, said Alyssa Bilinski, an expert on public health policy at Brown University. Then, of course, we have to have access to tests that have to ideally be affordable. Then people need to get their test results back and they need to get them back quickly.

She added, All of this needs to happen within three to five days.

It is not yet clear whether officials will require patients to take a certain kind of Covid test before the drugs are prescribed. In Britain, which already authorized the Merck pill, regulators specified only a positive SARS-COV-2 diagnostic test.

Link:

Antiviral Covid-19 Pills Are Coming. Will There Be Enough Tests? - The New York Times

COVID-19: First omicron variant case discovered in US in California

The California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health have confirmed a recent case of COVID-19 caused by omicron.

Associated Press, USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO The first case of the coronavirus omicron variantin the United States was confirmed at 4a.m. Wednesday after an all-night session by scientists here.

The city's tightly connected network of public health and university medical center researchersworked together to confirm an infection reported six days earlier was indeed omicron. As soon asthe results came in, they were quickly communicated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The case began on Nov. 22,when a traveler flew into San Francisco International Airport from South Africa, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference.

The person, a San Francisco resident who was not identified, did not develop COVID-19 symptoms until Thanksgiving Day. Two days later, on Nov. 28, they were tested and got the results back the next day. Positive.

Despite feeling ill, they went out of their way to contact the San Francisco Department of Public Health to alert officials about the positive test, and that they had recently been in South Africa.

They did the right thing and got tested and reported their travel history, Dr. Grant Colfax, the citys director of public health, said at thenews conference.

The personhad received the full two-dose courseof the Moderna vaccine but no booster. They had mild symptoms and have recovered but arestill self-quarantining. Public health officials have reachedout to close contacts, all of whom have so far tested negative, the CDC said.

Because the patient had come from South Africa, which has a large number of known omicron cases, the citys medical community was on high alert for cases amongrecent arrivals from that country.

I heard about it yesterday at about 3 p.m., Dr. Charles Chiu said Wednesday. Hislaboratory at the University of California, San Francisco, did the analysis.Chiu is aninfectious disease specialist and director of the UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center.

A nose swab sample from the patient arrived at 10 p.m. Tuesday, and Chius lab ran a very fast molecular test that looked for whats known as an S gene dropout, where the spike gene isnt detected on the test.

The test came back within two hours and showed the person had been infected with a drop-out variant. The S gene dropout is found with both the alpha and omicron coronavirus variants, so the test only indicated it might be omicron, but didn't prove it.

To confirm this finding, we needed to sequence the viral genome, said Chiu. Using a pocket-sized gene sequencer, his labassembled the variants entire genome within eight hours.

At 4 a.m. in San Francisco, the results were in and the first case of omicron was discovered in the United States. The CDC was alerted within two hours.

Officials caution its unlikely the case was the country's actual first, simply the first identified.

We knew that it was just a matter of time, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. governments top infectious disease expert.

Contact Elizabeth Weise at eweise@usatoday.com

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How scientists in San Francisco found the first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant in the United States - USA TODAY

The infected person was identified as a traveler who had returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, developed mild symptoms and tested positive Monday. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco obtained a sample from the patient Tuesday evening and worked feverishly overnight to assemble the genetic sequence.

The person, who had had the two doses of the Moderna shot but had not been vaccinated long enough to receive a booster shot, is improving and agreed to remain in quarantine, California officials said.

All the individuals close contacts have been reached and have tested negative, officials said. The patient was identified only as being between 18 and 49.

At least 23 other countries have reported omicron infections since South African authorities first identified the variant a week ago an announcement that led the U.S. and many other countries to almost immediately bar airline travelers arriving from southern Africa.

But the variant is still surrounded by many unknowns, among them: Is it more contagious than other versions, as some scientists are beginning to suspect? Does it make people more seriously ill? And can it evade the vaccine?

Any declaration of what will or will not happen with this variant, I think it is too early to say, Fauci said.

He and other medical experts strongly emphasized that Americans should continue to follow public health advice to get vaccinated and get their booster shots.

If you look at the things we have been recommending, theyre just the same, Fauci said.

Genomic sequencing on the patients virus from UCSF was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We will likely see this scenario play out multiple times across the country in the coming days or weeks, said Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

This particular case shows the system working as it was designed to work an individual with travel history from South Africa, an astute laboratory and quick prioritization of the specimen for sequencing, and close coordination with public health officials.

Nigeria and Saudi Arabia also reported omicron infections Wednesday, marking the first known cases in West Africa and the Persian Gulf region.

It is not known precisely where or when the variant first emerged, though it is clear it was circulating in Europe several days before South Africa sounded the alarm.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it will take two to three weeks before it becomes fully clear what omicron can do to the world.

This is, in normal times, a short period. In pandemic times, its an eternity, she lamented.

At the same time the omicron variant is spreading new fear and uncertainty, the dominant delta variant is still creating havoc, especially in Europe, where many countries are dealing with a surge in infections and hospitalizations and some are considering making vaccinations mandatory.

Going further than many other countries in trying to contain the virus, Japan has banned foreign visitors and asked international airlines to stop taking new reservations for all flights arriving in the country until the end of December.

The U.S. is working toward requiring that all air travelers to the country be tested for COVID-19 within a day before boarding their flights, up from the current three days.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization warned that blanket travel bans are complicating the sharing of lab samples from South Africa that could help scientists understand the new variant.

World leaders continued to emphasize that the best way to contain the pandemic remains vaccinations.

For the first time, von der Leyen said EU nations should consider making vaccinations mandatory, as several have done for certain sectors, or as Austria has done overall. Altogether, 67% of the EUs population is vaccinated, but that relatively high rate hasnt stopped several countries from seeing surges.

Greece plans to impose fines of 100 euros ($113) per month on people over 60 who dont get vaccinated. Slovakia is considering giving that age group 500 euros ($565) if they step forward for the shot. German Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz, meanwhile, said he will back a proposal to mandate vaccinations for everybody.

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This story was corrected to show Nigeria now says it found the omicron variant in samples from November, not October.

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AP writer Michael Balsamo and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.

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US identifies first case of Omicron COVID-19 variant in traveler who returned to California - The Boston Globe

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One in six of all COVID-19 deaths recorded in Utah since the pandemic began occurred in the past two months, state health data shows.

The Utah Department of Health reported on Wednesday that 17 more Utahns died from COVID-19 in the past day, bringing Utahs November death toll to 308 higher than the 294 deaths reported in October. (Eight of the deaths reported Wednesday occurred before Nov. 1 and were only recently confirmed to have been caused by the coronavirus.)

In the past two months alone, there have been 602 COVID-19 deaths recorded in Utah 17% of the total 3,545 deaths recorded since the first Utahn succumbed to COVID-19 on March 22, 2020.

UDOH on Wednesday also reported 2,297 new coronavirus cases in the past day, and the rolling seven-day average of new positive cases stands at 1,204.

The number of children getting vaccinated continues to climb 68,019 children ages 5-11 have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since they became eligible; thats about 18.6% of kids that age in Utah, according to the health department.

According to an infectious disease physician at Intermountain Healthcare, about 80% of Utahns who are dying from COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Of those dying from breakthrough infections, most have multiple co-morbidities or are immunocompromised.

Intensive care units in the state remain near capacity. UDOH reported Wednesday that 94.2% of all ICU beds in Utah and 98.6% of ICU beds in larger medical centers in the state are occupied. (Hospitals consider any figure over 85% to be functionally full). Of all ICU patients, 41.3% are being treated for COVID-19.

Vaccine doses administered in the past day/total doses administered 18,668/4,155,655.

Number of Utahns fully vaccinated 1,811,559 55.7% of Utahs total population. That is an increase of 5,244 in the past day.

Cases reported in the past day 2,297.

Cases among school-age children Kids in grades K-12 accounted for 444 of the new cases announced Tuesday 19.3% of the total. There were 226 cases reported in children aged 5-10; 102 cases in children 11-13; and 116 cases in children 14-18.

Tests reported in past day 16,119 people were tested for the first time. A total of 34,307 people were tested.

Deaths reported in past day 17. (Eight of the deaths occurred before Nov. 1, but were later was confirmed to be the result of COVID-19 after further testing.)

Four Salt Lake County residents are among the deaths reported Wednesday: a man and a woman, each 45-64, and two men, each 65-84.

Four people from Iron County a man 25-44, two women 45-64, and a woman 65-84 were reported among the deaths. So were three men from Millard County: One 45-64, and two 65-84.

Two Weber County residents a woman 25-44, and a man 85 or older also died.

The deaths also included: A Davis County man 65-84, a Tooele County man 45-64, a Utah County man 45-64, and a Washington County man 25-44.

Hospitalizations reported in the past day 514. That is three more than reported on Tuesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 201 are in intensive care, two fewer than reported on Tuesday.

Percentage of positive tests Under the states original method, the rate is 14.3% in the past day. That is equal to the seven-day average of 14.3%.

The states new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Wednesdays rate was 6.7%, lower than the seven-day average of 9.5%.

[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Heres what that means.]

Risk ratios In the past four weeks, unvaccinated Utahns were 12.7 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a Utah Department of Health analysis. The unvaccinated also were 9.7 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 3.7 times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.

Totals to date 598,098 cases; 3,545 deaths; 25,987 hospitalizations; 3,983,993 people tested.

Link:

1 in 6 of all COVID-19 deaths in Utah occurred in the last two months - Salt Lake Tribune