Nasal COVID-19 vaccines help the body prepare for infection right where it starts in your nose and throat Kiowa County Press
A 35-year-old Asian female with a pertinent past medical history of autoimmune hepatitis presented with an acute recurrence of autoimmune hepatitis two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech messenger RNA (mRNA) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Nine cases of autoimmune hepatitis after the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine have been reported, but this is the first documented case of a reactivation of autoimmune hepatitis in remission. As recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots continue to evolve, all adverse events should be reported to better educate and monitor patients.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has ushered in the first use of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. On December 11, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Subsequently, EUA was granted to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on December 18, 2020. Messenger RNA directs cells to build foreign proteins leading to the desired immunologic response. It is a versatile technology that will likely continue to be a very prominent part of vaccine development in the future. After millions of mRNA vaccines had been administered, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on August 23, 2021. As must be expected with all medical interventions, cases of adverse events from the vaccine are slowly being reported. Prior to this publication, there were nine cases reported of autoimmune hepatitis that developed after the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine [1-9].
Autoimmune hepatitis is characterized by a cell-mediated attack against liver cells resulting in chronic hepatocellular necrosis, inflammation, and fibrosis, which can result in cirrhosis and liver failure. It is typically responsive to glucocorticoid and immunosuppressive therapy. The onset of autoimmune hepatitis can be abrupt or insidious, and recurrent attacks are not uncommon. The 10-year survival for autoimmune hepatitis is 80-98% with treatmentand approximately 67% without treatment [10].
A 35-year-old Asian female was originally diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis in 2016 after her liver enzymes were noted to be elevated on routine labs: aspartate transferase (AST): 255 U/L, alanine transferase (ALT): 433 U/L, alkaline phosphatase: 74 U/L, and total bilirubin: 0.82 mg/dL. Her only past medical history included chronic sinusitis and insomnia. She had no family history of liver disease. Hepatitis A, B, and C viruses were negative. Cytomegalovirus was negative. Ferritin was elevated at 256 ng/ml. Smooth muscle antibody was elevated at 1:640 with IgG at 2382 mg/dL and antinuclear antibody (ANA) at 1:640 in a homogenous pattern. Liver biopsy was consistent with grade 2 stage II chronic hepatitis with lymphocytic infiltrate, piecemeal necrosis, and interface hepatitis. The patient was started on prednisone 60 mg followed by a taper and azathioprine 50 mg. Her liver enzymes normalized after treatment and she stopped taking azathioprine in November 2018. Her only complaint when treatment was discontinued was intermittent epigastric pain that had occurred for years. In December 2020, her AST level was 28 U/L, ALT was 29 U/L, and smooth muscle, mitochondrial, and parietal cell antibodies were all negative, indicating continued remission off therapy.
The patient received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine on May 20, 2021, and her second dose on June 10, 2021. Two weeks after her second dose, her liver enzymes were elevated for the first time since her initial diagnosis in 2016; her AST was 129.5 U/L, ALT was 217 U/L, alkaline phosphatase was 72 U/L, and total bilirubin was 0.9 mg/dL. Smooth muscle antibody was positive at 1:20with negative mitochondrial antibody and parietal cell antibody. She denied any abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, fevers, chills, malaise, fatigue, decreased appetite, or changes in bowel movements. There were no other changes in her medical history, and she had not started any new medications. Fibroscan in June of 2021 (one week prior to the elevation of liver enzymes) was F0-F1, showing no steatosis. These findings were consistent with the recurrence of her autoimmune hepatitis. She was monitored off treatment and repeat liver enzymes two weeks later showed improvement. Three months later in September 2021, her liver enzymes normalized near her previous baseline (AST: 31 U/L; ALT: 34 U/L).
A patient with autoimmune hepatitis in remission and off of treatment presented with recurrence of autoimmune hepatitis with elevated liver enzymes and positive smooth muscle antibodies. She had previously been treated with prednisone and azathioprinebut had been off of treatment since 2018. The only change in her medical management prior to the recurrence was the administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Nine previous cases of new-onset autoimmune hepatitis associated with COVID-19 vaccines have been reported, but our patient is the first case of recurrence of autoimmune hepatitis that was previously in remission.
There is debate within the medical literature on whether these associations are due to causality or coincidence. Whether the occurrence/recurrence in these 10 cases was due to the COVID-19 spike protein contained in the vaccine, the mechanism of mRNA vaccines, or simply a flare of autoimmune hepatitis unrelated to the vaccine is unclear. Multiple pathways of autoimmune dysregulation following COVID-19 vaccinations have been proposed, including cross-reactivity of spike protein and autoimmune liver cellsand mRNA-specific pathways including RNA activation of the type I interferon pathway, but findings are inconclusive [5]. The first mechanism involves molecular mimicry and the idea that molecular similarities between the viral proteins (such as the spike protein used in the vaccine)and proteins in human tissueare similar enough in structure that the immune system is activated against both. There is thought that some of the lung damage seen in severe COVID-19 infections is due to this immune response [11]. Another possible way that the vaccines may be inducing an autoimmune response has to do with the inherent nature of mRNA and the immunogenicity of nucleic acids. The primary goal of the mRNA in these vaccines is to be translated into immunogenic proteins that the body will respond to. Butprior to translation into these proteins, the mRNA is able to bind to pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in the cell, which leads to the recognition of the mRNA by Toll-like receptors, retinoic acid-derived gene-I (RIG-I), melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), and other proteins leading to activation of inflammatory cascades [12]. The activation of thetype 1 interferon pathway and nuclear factor kappa B pathway, among others, may then lead to autoimmune responses seen in these cases.Overall, these 10 cases raise the possibility of autoimmune dysregulation caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.
The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in the era of mRNA vaccines. These vaccines, along with COVID-19 itself, have the potential to cause autoimmune dysregulation. While it is unclear if the vaccine caused the autoimmune dysregulation seen in our patient and others, the possibility exists. As COVID-19 policies continue to change and new vaccination guidelines are implemented, possible complications of vaccination should be part of our education and monitoring of patients. Further research is needed to investigate the possibility of autoimmune dysregulation with mRNA vaccines.
Multiple COVID-19 trends have improved in Minnesota over the past week, suggesting a peak in the latest pandemic wave ahead of what health officials hope is another mild summer for the state.
The number of federally designated counties in Minnesota at high COVID-19 risk dropped from 19 to seven, and statewide sampling this week found less evidence in wastewater of the coronavirus that causes the infectious disease. The seven-day average of new infections in Minnesota also declined from 2,138 per day on May 11 to 1,805 on May 20 although that is only based on publicly reported testing and not any at-home test results.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota increased slightly to 416 on Thursday and included 35 people receiving intensive care. The state also reported nine more COVID-19 deaths on Friday all among seniors raising its total pandemic toll to 12,628. Both have been lagging trends during the pandemic, though, and health officials hope they will soon follow the other downturns.
Hospitalizations have been less severe in the latest wave with only 8% of the COVID-19 patients on Thursday requiring intensive care, compared with 30% at earlier points in the pandemic. More patients are being admitted for other purposes and test positive only upon routine screening.
High levels of immunity as a result of vaccinations or coronavirus infections this winter are reducing the severity of illness this spring, said Dr. Matthew Prekker, a critical care medicine specialist with Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis.
"The baseline risk in the population for getting so, so sick that was there before we had widely accepted vaccines is much lower now," he said. "We're also dealing with less virulent but very transmissible COVID strains ... Fortunately, we're not seeing critical illness nearly as much as we were last year."
Wastewater data was mixed last week, with the University of Minnesota showing steady or even declining viral levels in sewage samples from across the state, but the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant in St. Paul showing an increase. However, the St. Paul plant on Friday reported a 38% decline in viral load in this week's samples, matching the latest statewide wastewater trends.
Viral levels remained level or slightly higher, though, in wastewater analyzed from six plants in northeastern Minnesota. That matches with the latest regional risk data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which identified high COVID-19 levels in Koochiching, St. Louis, Pine and Carlton counties.
Freeborn, Olmsted and Winona counties in the south also maintained high-risk CDC designations, meaning that mask-wearing is recommended in indoor public places. The CDC designations, based on infection and hospital numbers, are designed to warn communities when their hospitals could be at risk of bed shortages. Most of the Twin Cities metro area remains at moderate risk, though Anoka and Carver counties are at low risk.
Minnesota's trends match with the northeastern United States, especially in New York where risk levels and case numbers are declining. The latest pandemic wave appears to be trending to the south with the CDC this week identifying an increase in high-risk counties in states such as Virginia.
COVID-19 levels have declined in Minnesota over the past two summers even as they increased in Southern states, where hot temperatures drive more people indoors and increase their risks of viral transmission.
Health officials warned of wild cards that could disrupt expectations of a mild summer, including even faster-spreading BA.4 and BA.5 variants that were discovered in South Africa and caused rapid increases in infections there. Those two variants made up 11% of the viral load found in wastewater this week in the St. Paul treatment plant, up from 7% last week.
Immunity also wanes with time, and Minnesota is reporting a decline in residents who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations meaning they have completed the initial series and first booster doses when they are recommended.
Only 47% of eligible Minnesotans 5 and older are up to date as of Friday, a decline from 49% last week. Last week's expansion of booster recommendations to include children 5 to 11 caused that rate to go down, because COVID-19 vaccination levels decline with age.
Sweden Recommends 5th Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine to Pregnant Women and Over-65s The Epoch Times
In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers investigated the associations between antibody levels against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the risk of subsequent infection.
Immune responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination vary over time and between individuals. Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein are elicited in response to infection but not vaccination. Hence, the presence of anti-N antibodies is a valuable surrogate to differentiate infection-elicited antibodies from vaccine-induced antibodies.
Earlier studies observed a correlation between higher levels of antibodies against spike (S) protein or its receptor-binding domain (RBD) after two vaccine doses and enhanced protection against subsequent infection. Besides the temporal effects, the neutralizing capacity of the antibodies differs based on virulence and divergence of S proteins in emergent variants from the ancestral S protein.
Researchers evaluated the origins and consequences of variation in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels after vaccination in the current study. They quantified antibody levels of participants from two longitudinal cohorts in the United Kingdom (UK): TwinsUK and Avon longitudinal study of parents and children (ALSPAC).
Antibodies levels were determined at two time points for 9361 individuals from ALSPAC and TwinsUK cohorts during April-May 2021 (referred to as Q2, as in the calendar year quarter) and 3575 subjects from the TwinsUK cohort between November 2021 and January 2022 (Q4). Those who received more vaccine doses were older and likely enlisted in the UK Shielded Patient List than participants who received fewer doses.
The prevalence of suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases at Q2 testing was 26% among the TwinsUK and 20% in the ALSPAC cohort. However, anti-N antibody positivity was lower at 10% in ALSPAC and 12% in TwinsUK. In Q4, SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence was higher, with 33% suspected or confirmed cases and 17% based on anti-N antibody levels.
Within the TwinsUK cohort in Q4, the authors observed more significant and sustained antibody levels post-third dose with less variation between individuals when compared to the antibody levels of individuals with fewer vaccinations. For instance, the median level of anti-S antibodies was 13,700 binding antibody units (BAU)/ml after the third vaccination, which was 10-fold higher than the levels post-second dose (1300 BAU/ml).
Individuals with the lowest antibody levels had substantial increases in absolute levels following the third dose. TwinsUK subjects sampled two/three weeks after the third vaccination had the highest median antibody levels for up to 16 weeks. The median levels declined between two and eight weeks, and there was no further decline after that. Longer time since vaccination was associated with lower levels of antibodies for individuals sampled between 13 and 33 weeks post-second dose.
At Q2, antibody levels peaked nine weeks post-first dose among TwinsUK and ALSPAC subjects. After the second dose, antibody levels surpassed the assay limit from the second week onwards. In the TwinsUK cohort, vaccine breakthrough infections were recorded in 276 (9.2%) individuals between the first vaccination and Q4. Those who were single-vaccinated at Q2 with a subsequent breakthrough infection had lower Q2 median antibody levels (40 BAU/ml) than those who did not experience breakthrough infection (57 BAU/ml).
They noted that individuals with the lowest antibody levels at Q2 were at higher odds of experiencing a breakthrough infection in univariable (odds ratio, OR: 3.2) and multivariable (OR: 2.9) logistic regression models. Increased odds of having the lowest antibody levels after the first vaccination was observed in those on the UK Shielded Patient List in TwinsUK (OR: 4) and ALSPAC cohorts (OR: 4.1).
Individuals vaccinated with AstraZenecas AZD1222 vaccine had greater odds of having lower antibody levels after the first and second vaccination relative to Pfizers BNT162b2 vaccinees. Nevertheless, a double AZD1222 dose was not associated with lower levels of antibodies after the third vaccination. In the TwinsUK cohort, monozygotic (MZ) twins exhibited minor average intra-pair differences in anti-S antibody levels post-third dose relative to dizygotic twins. The intra-pair differences were large for non-related subjects.
The researchers found high variability in antibody responses after the first vaccination with decreasing variability after administration of second and third vaccine doses. Individuals who had low levels of antibodies post-first dose were at an elevated risk of subsequent breakthrough infection even after further rounds of vaccination.
Furthermore, increased odds of having lower levels of antibodies post-vaccination were observed for 1) individuals on the Shielded Patient List, 2) first and second-dose recipients of the AZD1222 vaccine, 3) those who reported poorer health, and 4) those who were prescribed immunosuppressants. However, there were no differences after the third vaccination between individuals who received BNT162b2 or AZD1222 for their first and second vaccination, underpinning the booster effect of the third dose.
These findings suggested that measuring anti-S antibodies induced after the first vaccine dose might serve as an early indicator for identifying those at increased risk of COVID-19 infection in the future.
medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the start of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign across Afghanistan in the coming days.
The Corona virus vaccine implementation campaign, according to the WHOs plans, will begin in June of this year, the organization announcedin a tweet yesterday, May 26.
The process will cover 34 provinces in Afghanistan, with more than five million people over the age of 18 receiving the corona vaccination, according to the World Health Organization.
Since the inception of the Corona virusvaccine program, over 8.5 million people have been vaccinated, according to the latest figures released to the media by the Taliban-led governments Ministry of Public Health.
According to the spokesperson for Ministry of Public Health, 4.6 million people have been vaccinated within last nine months alone.
According to the World Health Organization, around 178,996 people have been infected with Corona Virusin Afghanistan since the outbreak began, with 7,685 fatalities.
Four of Maryland's biggest jurisdictions are now areas of high community transmission for COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.|| COVID-19 updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||While most elected leaders and health officials in those jurisdictions said they will not reinstate face mask mandates, one remains a "maybe."The CDC is now recommending the public wear face masks indoors and on public transportation across the heart of the Baltimore metro region.The CDC cited rising COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations that have pushed Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties into the category of high community transmission.So, what does this mean at the local level? Are mask mandates coming back?The answer was a solid "maybe" from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, who said she'll issue advice after the next batch of data comes in next month."Dr. Dzirasa let me know late last night about that. (She) and I will be meeting and discussing what plan of action we will be taking," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "As always, we'll be talking with Dr. D, our hospital partners, everyone that we've been taking advice from around COVID so far."| RELATED: Baltimore-area health officials prepare for uptick in children's COVID-19 vaccinesBut it was a resounding "no" from the other three jurisdictions.The Howard County Health Department told 11 News: "We are not going to be reinstating a mask mandate."Baltimore County Health Officer Dr. Gregory Branch issued a statement to 11 News that read, in part: "We will not be going to a mask mandate."And, there are no revived mask rules on tap in Anne Arundel County either, according to Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman."So, we're not talking about a mandate at this time," Kalyanaraman told 11 News.| RELATED: New CDC research: Majority of Americans have had COVID-19 in recent monthsKalyanaraman, like his counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions, endorsed the CDC guidance, underscoring the importance of wearing a mask indoors during elevated community transmission.He also explained why this wave is different, saying: "While we're seeing high community levels, (that) means that there's both a lot of spread and some increase in hospitalizations. We're not seeing the same level of hospitalizations that we did just six months ago. And so, it is a different situation. And, we do have the tools to better manage this, including oral treatments, which we didn't have six months ago."The CDC recalculates community transmission every Thursday based on case rates, hospital admissions and the percentage of COVID-19 inpatients.
Four of Maryland's biggest jurisdictions are now areas of high community transmission for COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
|| COVID-19 updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||
While most elected leaders and health officials in those jurisdictions said they will not reinstate face mask mandates, one remains a "maybe."
The CDC is now recommending the public wear face masks indoors and on public transportation across the heart of the Baltimore metro region.
The CDC cited rising COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations that have pushed Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties into the category of high community transmission.
So, what does this mean at the local level? Are mask mandates coming back?
The answer was a solid "maybe" from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, who said she'll issue advice after the next batch of data comes in next month.
"Dr. Dzirasa let me know late last night about that. (She) and I will be meeting and discussing what plan of action we will be taking," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "As always, we'll be talking with Dr. D, our hospital partners, everyone that we've been taking advice from around COVID so far."
| RELATED: Baltimore-area health officials prepare for uptick in children's COVID-19 vaccines
But it was a resounding "no" from the other three jurisdictions.
The Howard County Health Department told 11 News: "We are not going to be reinstating a mask mandate."
Baltimore County Health Officer Dr. Gregory Branch issued a statement to 11 News that read, in part: "We will not be going to a mask mandate."
And, there are no revived mask rules on tap in Anne Arundel County either, according to Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman.
"So, we're not talking about a mandate at this time," Kalyanaraman told 11 News.
| RELATED: New CDC research: Majority of Americans have had COVID-19 in recent months
Kalyanaraman, like his counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions, endorsed the CDC guidance, underscoring the importance of wearing a mask indoors during elevated community transmission.
He also explained why this wave is different, saying: "While we're seeing high community levels, (that) means that there's both a lot of spread and some increase in hospitalizations. We're not seeing the same level of hospitalizations that we did just six months ago. And so, it is a different situation. And, we do have the tools to better manage this, including oral treatments, which we didn't have six months ago."
The CDC recalculates community transmission every Thursday based on case rates, hospital admissions and the percentage of COVID-19 inpatients.
COVID-19 case numbers are rising again in the U.S. including among children. In mid-May 2022, the Food and Drug Administration authorized a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. children ages 5 to 11, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed by recommending a booster shot for this age group.
Naturally, many parents are wondering about the importance and safety of a booster shot for their school-age children. Debbie-Ann Shirley, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Virginia, answers some common questions about COVID-19 and booster shots in kids that she hears in her practice and explains the research behind why booster shots are recommended for children ages 5 to 11.
COVID-19 is generally milder in children than adults, but severe disease can occur.As of late May 2022, more than 15,000 children ages 5 to 11 have been hospitalized with COVID-19 and 180 children have died. During the height of the recent winter surge of the highly transmissible omicron variant, 87% of the children in the 5-to-11 age group who became hospitalized with COVID-19 were unvaccinated.
READ MORE: Analysis: Boosters are crucial, but revamped COVID vaccines will be key to ending the pandemic
In addition, the rare but serious condition that can follow in the weeks after COVID-19 infection, known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C, most commonly occurs among children ages 5 to 11. Over 3,800 cases of MIS-C have been reported in that 5-to-11 age group, and 93% of the children who developed this complication were unvaccinated.
For some vaccines including those for COVID-19 effectiveness wanes over time. Booster shots help to bolster the immune response. Several childhood vaccines, such as the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines, require booster shots.
COVID-19 boosters have been shown to improve waning protection in adolescents and adults. Side effects are similar to those reported with the initial series. The risk of myocarditis, or heart inflammation a rare side effect that can occur following COVID-19 vaccination seems to be less after a third dose than after the second.
When administered to children 5 to 11 years old, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine generated levels of antibody response similar to that in 16-to-25-year-olds in a clinical trial, which was the basis for the FDAs initial authorization of the shots in October 2021. But studies after the shots were authorized found that vaccine effectiveness rapidly waned in the 5-to-11 age group during the omicron surge. Despite that, the shots continued to be protective against severe disease and hospitalization.
Vaccination has also been shown to be be highly protective against Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.
In a clinical trial, researchers tested the Pfizer vaccine in children 5 to 11 using a 10-microgram booster dose, which is the same dose children received for the primary series and is one-third the dose used for adolescents and adults. When tested among 401 children, no new safety concerns arose, and in the smaller subset of children in which the immune response was tested, the third shot significantly increased antibody responses, including against the omicron variant. Hence, a third dose seems beneficial for boosting immunity in this age group, similar to older age groups.
The booster dose can be given five months or more after the second shot. But as of late May 2022, fewer than one-third of children ages 5 to 11 had received two shots, meaning that only about 8 million school-age children were eligible to start receiving the booster. This could prove an important layer of protection for them and help limit disruptions on schooling and summer activities, particularly as mask mandates have gone by the wayside.
Children with weakened immune systems who were at first authorized to receive three initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine may now also receive a booster shot or a fourth dose as soon as three months after their third dose.
As of late May 2022, more than 18.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to children in the 5-to-11 age group. Most COVID-19 vaccine side effects such as pain at the injection site have been mild and short-lived in children. Fatigue, headache and muscle aches are other common side effects.
READ MORE: Three Pfizer COVID shots protect children under 5, company says
Reports suggest that most cases of myocarditis that follow vaccination typically improve quickly with medicine and rest. Rates of myocarditis have been lower in children ages 5 to 11 than in teens. In any age group, myocarditis is more likely to occur after infection than vaccination.
For parents of kids ages 6 months to 5 years, COVID-19 vaccines are also finally within sight. On May 23, 2022, Pfizer released new data for this age group, stating that three shots generated strong antibody responses, were well tolerated with no new safety concerns and, based on preliminary data, the series was 80% effective at preventing COVID-19 infection. In late April 2022, Moderna released similar data showing that two doses of its vaccine stimulated good antibody responses and were tolerated well by kids under age 6.
The FDA is set to meet in June 2022 to discuss new low-dose formulations of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for this group.
If it is authorized by the FDA, the CDC will then provide recommendations on its use for the more than 20 million children ages 6 months to 5 years in the U.S.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
With a three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend coming up, the state health department is warning Wisconsin residents to pay attention to COVID-19 risks where they live or where they will be visiting.
Gather outdoors as much as possible and wear masks indoors in areas where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a high community level for COVID-19, said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer for the communicable disease bureau at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS).
The CDCs community level map, updated late Thursday, showed that 10 counties in Wisconsin have a high community level of COVID-19. The rating combines county case rates for the virus along with hospital capacity.
The latest figures appear to be an improvement from a week ago, when 18 counties had a high community level.
Under the community level assessment system, the CDC recommends that in counties with a high level, everyone should wear a mask when gathering indoors with others outside the persons household.
In a high transmission community, the more people who wear masks, the better, Westergaard told reporters in an online briefing Thursday.
The current trajectory of the virus isnt clear, he said. Up to now, COVID-19 infections have been rising since mid-April, attributed largely to sub-variants of the variant referred to as omicron, which led to a steep spike in cases starting late last year and peaking in the first week of January.
The new variants are much more easily transmitted, Westergaard said. So far the recent upswing in cases is much less dramatic. Nevertheless, the current COVID-19 test data collected by DHS doesnt include the results of home tests, he said, so it probably undercounts the real case level in the state.
Westergaard said public health providers hope that the current wave will be milder than past ones. But at the same time, we want people to be cautious, he said.
Even where transmission is lower, masking can reduce the risk of getting COVID, influenza or other illnesses, he added. But with COVID activity still high heading into the weekend than it has been, he advised people to pay more attention to it and consider wearing masks if youre in one of those areas where theres a lot going around.
A person who feels symptoms of illness should stay home and take a home COVID-19 test, Westergaard said. People also should consider taking a home test before they go to a gathering, he added.
People who have risk factors for more severe disease and who test positive for COVID-19 also qualify for antiviral drugs that are now being used to combat the infection drugs that were not available a year ago, Westergaard said.
Since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago, he said, holiday gatherings have heightened the risk of transmitting the virus. With nice weather that encourages people to spend more time outdoors, and with more people who have been vaccinated as well as some who have been infected and have a short-term immunity, Westergaard said people can safely meet for Memorial Day weekend events if they take precautions.
DHS is advising people who havent gotten vaccinated for COVID-19 yet to begin the process. People who have been vaccinated but not received a booster should do so as soon as they are eligible, and if theyve been boosted once and qualify for a second booster, should get that as well, according to the DHS recommendations.
DHS and the CDC have said that people age 50 or older qualify for a second booster five months after the first one, as do people 12 or older who have a compromised immune system.
The ability of vaccines to prevent an initial infection has diminished, according to DHS, but they still remain a key protection against serious disease and its effects, including hospitalization and death. New data from the department show that in April, unvaccinated Wisconsin residents with COVID-19 were twice as likely to go to the hospital and seven times as likely to die as COVID-19 patients who were vaccinated.
