New COVID-19 variants and extreme heat drive spike in cases across Maryland and Virginia
by John Gonzalez
At-home COVID tests (WGME)
LARGO, Md. (7News)
All of a sudden, many states are reporting spikes in COVID-19 cases --Maryland and Virginia are among them.
Health officials believe abnormally hot weather, lower vaccination rates, and two new variants are causing the spike.
Nationwide, positivity rates are up about 20%, and emergency room visits are also up about 20%. This is alarming for those who are more vulnerable and considered high-risk.
COVID-19 cases are rising across the country this summer, and health officials worry that the heat is playing a factor in the spread. The latest Virginia numbers from last week show just 1.2% of emergency department visits were diagnosed for coronavirus. But that is 30% higher than the previous week. In Maryland, 1,114 cases were reported this past weekend, with seven deaths. Metric levels in D.C. are low currently.
Two new highly contagious variants make up more than half of the cases nationwide. The extreme heat locally is also keeping more people indoors in the A/C and closer together. In the meantime, vaccination rates have severely dropped.
Immunity to the virus might be waning a bit.
Dr. Brandon Eilertson, a specialist in Infectious Diseases with Kaiser Permanente said vaccines and wearing a mask for those in high-risk groups should never be out of the question.
Only 22% of people in the U.S. received the most updated vaccine.
The newest variants are mutating to spread more easily. Since June, the FLiRT variants have accounted for more than 60% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.
For now, it doesnt appear that these mutations are making the virus more dangerous. The newest vaccine is expected to hit pharmacies this fall. While CDC guidelines have softened, and testing has gone way down, positivity numbers are showing uncomfortable spikes.
This is not alarming for the vast majority of people. But for those with weak immune systems, it could be very dangerous.
That's driving people to be indoors and air conditioning. And that is similar to some of the conditions that help respiratory viruses spread so well in winter. People are not outside, they're not meeting in a park or a playground with their kids and friends. They're going instead and sitting in the living room and in closer contact, added Dr. Eilertson.
COVID-19 infection cases doubled from the beginning of June to the beginning of July, according to new data from the Virginia Department of Health. The good news is that while the number of cases is climbing, deaths from COVID-19 continue to drop. Infections are growing in at least 43 states.
Load more...
Here is the original post:
New COVID-19 variants and extreme heat drive spike in cases across Maryland and Virginia - WJLA
- Biohackers Are on a Secret Hunt for the Coronavirus Vaccine - Reason [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Can synthetic biology protect us from coronavirus? And the next one? - Big Think [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- When will there be a coronavirus vaccine and who will get it first? - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- These nine companies are working on coronavirus treatments or vaccines heres where things stand - MarketWatch [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Vaccine At Least a Year Away, But Treatment Could Be Here in Months - Newsweek [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Drug and Vaccine Studies Are Recruiting Their First Volunteers - TIME [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Brexit means coronavirus vaccine will be slower to reach the UK - The Guardian [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- First patient injected in trial of coronavirus vaccine - WCVB Boston [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine is in the making But you may have to check your pockets first - Duke Chronicle [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccines and treatment: Everything you need to know - CNET [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus outbreak: How much testing should we do, and where are we on developing a vaccine? - Economic Times [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Vaccines Precision Vaccinations [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- How Long Will It Take to Develop a Vaccine for Coronavirus? [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- California lab says it discovered coronavirus vaccine in 3 hours [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China: Vaccine may be ready in ... [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- Everything You Need to Know About Canine Coronavirus Vaccine [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- CSU Researchers Are Working Full-Bore On The Mysteries Of Coronavirus And A Vaccine - Colorado Public Radio [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2020]
- How soon will we have a coronavirus vaccine? The race against covid-19 - New Scientist [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2020]
- Coronavirus trial vaccine participant says he wants to help the world - CNN [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2020]
- Daily briefing: The five questions that scientists hunting a coronavirus vaccine must answer - Nature.com [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Baltimore scientists to work on third experimental coronavirus vaccine - Baltimore Sun [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- The coronavirus could kill millions of Americans: 'Do the math,' immunization specialist says - CNBC [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- We're still in the early days of coronavirus vaccine research - Axios [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Inoculating the Coronavirus Vaccine Against the Profit Pandemic - The New Republic [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Wanted: People Willing to Get Sick to Find Coronavirus Vaccine - The Wall Street Journal [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccine trial, Mars rover delay and a boost for UK science - Nature.com [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Thousands of scientists are racing to find a vaccine for coronavirus. 41 possibilities are in the works. - The Californian [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- 'I Wanted To Do Something,' Says Mother Of 2 Who Is First To Test Coronavirus Vaccine - NPR [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Vaccine Trials To Fight Coronavirus Offer Hope, Could Be Harbinger Of New Technology - Outlook India [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- Image of COVID-19 test kit shared as newly developed 'coronavirus vaccine' by Roche - Alt News [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine is the only thing that can make life 'perfectly normal' again, former FDA commissioner says - The Week [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- Johnson & Johnson CEO on potential coronavirus vaccine: 'I think we'll have important data by the end of the year' - Fox News [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- As the First Coronavirus Vaccine Human Trials Begin, Manufacturer Is Already Preparing to Scale Production to Millions - TIME [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine is the only thing that can make life 'perfectly normal' again, former FDA commissioner says - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- This Vaccine Could Save Health Care Workers From the Coronavirus - Foreign Policy [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccine must be affordable and accessible - The Conversation CA [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Over 100 drugs are in testing in the race to treat coronavirus - Axios [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- This is when the first coronavirus drugs might actually be available - BGR [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Another Day, Another Meme to Debunk: Vaccines for the Bovine Coronavirus Will Not Cure COVID-19 - Mother Jones [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be the First That Outwits Nature - Singularity Hub [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Coronavirus treatment other than vaccines may be available soon - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Coronavirus: Vaccine hopes given boost as researcher says virus not mutating - The Independent [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Vaccine Is Critical, The Infection Could Become Seasonal, Researchers Warn - NDTV News [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine from Virginia? These researchers are working on it. - The Virginian-Pilot - The Virginian-Pilot [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Scientists, under pressure, try to balance speed and safety on coronavirus vaccine research - NBCNews.com [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Should scientists infect healthy people with the coronavirus to test vaccines? - Nature.com [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Vaccines May Not Work for the Elderlyand This Lab Aims to Change That - Scientific American [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Vaccine Development Is Risky Business. Biotechs Are Tackling The Coronavirus, Anyway - WBUR [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccine: how soon will we have one? - World Economic Forum [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2020]
- USC Working on Coronavirus Vaccine, Researchers Announce - NBC Southern California [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2020]
- Tracking the development of coronavirus treatments - NBC News [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- In the fight against coronavirus, antivirals are as important as a vaccine. Here's where the science is up to - The Conversation AU [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- Johnson & Johnson Says It Could Have Coronavirus Vaccine Ready by Early 2021 - The Daily Beast [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- Coronavirus: when will the vaccine be ready? - AS South Africa [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- A Coronavirus Vaccine Is Coming, And It Will Work - City Journal [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- With record-setting speed, vaccinemakers take their first shots at the new coronavirus - Science Magazine [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- CDC: Coronavirus Vaccine Will Be Ready for Refusal By Anti-Vaxxers By 2021 - MedPage Today [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- The race to find a coronavirus treatment has one major obstacle: big pharma - The Guardian [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- Why A Coronavirus Vaccine May Be Years Away - The National Interest [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- The race is on for coronavirus vaccines and treatments: current R&D status - The Pharma Letter [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- Tests of potential coronavirus vaccine spur growth of virus-fighting antibodies - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- A 100-yr-old vaccine is being tested against the new coronavirus. Can it work? - Economic Times [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Live Updates: Boris Johnson Moved to Intensive Care and the U.S. Death Toll Surpasses 10,000 - The New York Times [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- When will a coronavirus shot be ready? A look at the vaccine race. - WRAL.com [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Hulk Hogan on coronavirus: Maybe we dont need a vaccine - Tampa Bay Times [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- White House advisor Fauci says coronavirus vaccine trial is on target and will be 'ultimate game changer' - CNBC [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccine will take time, so researchers are hunting for and finding promising new COVID-19 tre - OregonLive [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Chester County to begin testing for coronavirus antibodies; British prime minister moved to intensive care - The Philadelphia Inquirer [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- MAP: Where coronavirus treatments and vaccines are being tested on patients in the US - Business Insider - Business Insider [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Coronavirus pandemic: Why it takes so long to make a vaccine - Business Today [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- A vaccine for coronavirus is the goal, but what does it take to get there? - ABC News [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- Trump says there's light at the end of the tunnel with coronavirus vaccine and treatment research - CNBC [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- Russia Ready to Start Testing Coronavirus Vaccines on Humans in June - The Moscow Times [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- Why a coronavirus vaccine takes over a year to produce and why that is incredibly fast - World Economic Forum [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- Pandemic expert calls for manufacturing coronavirus vaccines before they're proven to work - The Week [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- More Coronavirus Vaccine Efforts Move Toward Human Trials - The New York Times [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine is being developed in record time. But don't expect that technology to speed up flu vaccines yet. - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- A New Front for Nationalism: The Global Battle Against a Virus - The New York Times [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2020]
- Here's how your body gains immunity to coronavirus - The Guardian [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2020]
- Pfizer aims to create coronavirus vaccine by end of 2020 - MLive.com [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2020]