Featured Headlines
Just in time for fall, there’s a brand-new COVID variant making headway in the U.S. – Fortune
The Omicron variant named BF.7—short for BA.5.2.1.7—comprised 1.7% of sequenced infections last week in the U.S., according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other variants jockeying for the top spot right now—held by BA.5, at 85%—include BA.4.6, which comprised 10.3% of infections, and BA.2.75, which comprised 1.3%. Link to CDC Data
Covid Still Kills, but the Demographics of Its Victims Are Shifting – KHN
Given the collective immunity people have garnered through a combination of mass vaccination and protections built from earlier infections, Californians overall were far less likely to die from covid in 2022, when the omicron variant dominated, than during the first two years of the pandemic, when other variants were largely at play, amplifying a national trend.
‘Very Harmful’ Lack of Data Blunts U.S. Response to Outbreaks – NYT
Major data gaps, the result of decades of underinvestment in public health, have undercut the government response to the coronavirus and now to monkeypox.
Emerging Infectious Disease Headlines
Ebola
Uganda declares Ebola Virus Disease outbreak – WHO
The Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed the case after testing a sample taken from a 24-year-old male. This follows an investigation by the National Rapid Response team of six suspicious deaths that have occurred in the district this month. There are currently eight suspected cases who are receiving care in a health facility.
Monkeypox
Polio
Vaccine Headlines
There’s a Shortage of Moderna Covid Boosters in the US – Bloomberg
Some pharmacies are reporting shortages of Moderna Inc.’s new bivalent booster shot for Covid-19 as one factory used in producing the vaccine remains offline following a safety inspection.
Can Booster Side Effects Tell You How Immune You Are to Covid? – Bloomberg
Common reactions included fatigue, headache and muscle pain. After dose one, about 45% of people experienced no systemic reactions to the Moderna shot. Only about 20% of people escaped dose two with no systemic side effects. Pfizer’s data was similar.
October the best time to get COVID boosters, flu shots, experts say – ABC News
Dr. Ashish Jha told ABC News the best time to get a newly updated COVID-19 booster is “no later than the end of October for maximum protection,” which aligns with flu shot timing recommendations.
Clinical Considerations
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Official Reporting for Sept 21, 2022
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update August 24, 2022 (latest release)
New Cases: 388,016
Confirmed Cases: 609,247,113
Deaths: 6,503,894
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 612,536,053
Deaths: 6,528,152
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 95,494,560 (+54,831 New Cases) ⬆︎
Total deaths: 1,048,301 (+360 New Deaths) ⬆︎
Science and Tech
NIH advisers seek tighter oversight of risky pathogen experiments – Washington Post
Biosecurity advisers to the federal government are calling for tighter scrutiny of experiments with potentially dangerous viruses and other pathogens, reflecting an ongoing debate within the scientific community over the benefits and risks of such laboratory research. This contentious issue has become even more rancorous amid speculation that some kind of “lab leak” might have played a role in the origin of the coronavirus.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
In China, a Deadly Crash Triggers Covid Trauma – NYT
A bus heading to a quarantine facility crashed, killing 27. The Chinese public saw itself in the victims: a country being held hostage by the government’s harsh policy. The bus was transporting 47 people from the southwestern city of Guiyang when it rolled over in the early hours of Sunday, according to the local authorities. Along with the 27 people killed, the rest onboard were injured.
Published Research
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 spike G446S mutation potentiates antiviral T-cell recognition – Nature