BROOKVILLE, N.Y., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Results of a newly released Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis national poll revealed what Americans think about wearing masks on planes and public transportation in light of a federal court order, that stated as of April 18, 2022, the CDC's Order requiring masks on public transportation conveyances and at transportation hubs was no longer in effect.
MIXED SUPPORT (42%) ON THE REMOVAL OF MASK MANDATES ONBOARD AIRLINE FLIGHTS
Americans were asked if they supported the removal of mask mandates onboard airline flights to reduce the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus; 42% of respondents said yes. Respondents with the highest support of the mask mandate removal were Republicans (73%), followed by Independents (41%) and Democrats (21%). Support of the mask mandate removal was higher in the Midwest (48%) and South (47%) than other regions in the Northeast (33%) and Pacific (35%). Respondents age 60 and older supported the mask mandate removal at a lower rate (34%) than other age brackets. Males supported the mask mandate removal at a higher rate (46%) than females (39%).
6 OUT OF 10 AMERICANS WOULD STILL WEAR A MASK WHILE TRAVELING
National poll results found that 64% of respondents said they would still wear a mask today if traveling by plane; 63% of respondents said they would still wear a mask today if traveling on public transportation. Political beliefs played a factor in respondents' choices: 87% of Democrats said they would still wear masks on planes; 84% of Democrats said they would still wear masks on public transportation; 61% of Independents said they would still wear masks on planes; 59% of Independents said they would still wear masks on public transportation; 38% of Republicans said they would still wear masks on planes; 41% of Republicans said they would still wear masks on public transportation.
71% OF AMERICANS BELIEVE WEARING MASKS REDUCES THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONTRACTING THE CORONAVIRUS
Respondents were asked if they believe wearing face masks reduces the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus: 71% of Americans said yes; 92% of Democrats said yes; 68% of Independents/Other said yes; 46% of Republicans said yes.
HALF OF AMERICANS (53%) SAID THE WORST OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS OVER
Respondents were asked if they believe the worst of the pandemic is over. Overall, 53% of respondents said yes, the highest since June 2021 through national polls conducted by the Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis. Respondents with the highest confidence level that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over are Republicans (70%), followed by Independents (51%) and Democrats (43%).Respondents age 18-29 believe the worst is over at the highest belief rate (58%) compared to respondents age 60 and older (47%) at the lowest belief rate. Males believe the worst is over at a higher rate (57%) than females (49%).
53% OF AMERICANS SAID THEY CURRENTLY WEAR A MASK TO AVOID CONTRACTING THE CORONAVIRUS
Respondents were asked if they were currently wearing a mask in general to reduce the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus: 53% of Americans said yes; 73% of Democrats said yes; 48% of Independents/Other said yes; 34% of Republicans said yes.
62% OF AMERICANS REMAINED CONCERNED OVER RISK OF FAMILY CONTRACTING THE CORONAVIRUS (DOWN SLIGHTLY FROM 69% IN NOVEMBER 2021)
Americans were asked how concerned they are about someone in their family becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus: 62% of respondents said they are somewhat or seriously concerned as compared to 69% in an earlier November 2021 Hornstein Center national poll.78% of Democrats, 59% of Independents/Other, and 43% of Republicans said they are somewhat or seriously concerned.
75% OF AMERICANS ARE FULLY VACCINATEDAGE 12 AND OVER (UP FROM 69% IN NOVEMBER 2021)
76% OF AMERICANS ARE FULLY VACCINATEDAGE 18 AND OVER (UP FROM 71% IN NOVEMBER 2021)
90% OF AMERICANS ARE FULLY VACCINATEDAGE 65 AND OVER (UP FROM 86% IN NOVEMBER 2021)
According toCDC data, 75% of Americans age 12 and over are fully vaccinated as of April 24, 2022 (up from 69% on November 16, 2021). 76% of Americans age 18 and over are fully vaccinated (up from 71% on November 16, 2021). 90% of Americans over age 65 are fully vaccinated (up from 86% on November 16, 2021), indicating a promising way forward for the most at-risk population.
CDC AUTHORIZED COVID-19 BOOSTER VACCINES
CDC guidance on COVID-19 Booster Vaccines stated that Americans eligible for a second booster shot include adults ages 50 years and older, people ages 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, and people who received 2 doses (1 primary dose and 1 booster) of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine. Currently, the three vaccines that are authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19 by the CDC arePfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,Moderna COVID-19 vaccineandJohnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.
METHODOLOGYThis Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis online poll was conducted through SurveyMonkey from April 21 22, 2022 among a national sample of 1,584 adults ages 18 and up. Respondents for this survey were selected from over 2.5 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. Data for this week have been weighted for age and gender using the Census Bureau's American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
ABOUT THE LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY STEVEN S. HORNSTEIN CENTER FOR POLICY, POLLING, AND ANALYSISThe Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis conducts independent polling, empirical research, and analysis on a wide range of public issues. Our studies inform the public and policy makers about critical issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. Visit liu.edu/Hornstein for more information and results from this national poll.
ABOUT LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITYLong Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized byForbesfor its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its "value added" to student outcomes, LIU has a network of over 285,000 alumni, including industry leaders and entrepreneurs around the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.
SOURCE Long Island University
To date, a total of 2,528 cases with SARS-CoV-2 variants have been identified and investigated in residents of Dallas County, including 288 cases of B.1.1.7 (Alpha); 4 cases of B.1.351 (Beta); 1,825 cases of B.1.617.2 (Delta); 30 cases of B.1.427 (Epsilon); 28 cases of P.1 (Gamma); 14 cases of B.1.526 (Iota); 5 cases of C.37 (Lambda); 4 cases of B.1.621 (Mu); 326 cases of B.1.1.529 (Omicron); and 3 cases of P.2 (Zeta). Four hundred and thirty-seven cases have been hospitalized and 57 have died. Forty-eight COVID-19 variant cases were reinfections. Seven hundred and nine people were considered fully vaccinated before infection with a COVID-19 variant.
As of 4/22/2022, a total of 473 confirmed and probable cases were reported in CDC week 15 (week ending 4/16/22), which is a weekly rate of 17.9 new cases per 100,000 residents.
As of the week ending 4/16/2022, about 81% of Dallas County residents age 12 years and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, including 98% of residents age 65 years and older; 86% of residents between 40-64 years of age; 78% of residents 25-39 years of age; 68% of residents 18-24 years of age; and 62% of residents 12-17 years of age. In the cities of Addison, Coppell, Highland Park, Irving, and Sunnyvale, greater than 94% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In the cities of Cedar Hill, Desoto, Farmers Branch, Garland, Lancaster, and University Park, greater than 81% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
About 45.7% of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Week 15 were Dallas County residents who were not fully vaccinated. In Dallas County, 55,219 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated individuals have been confirmed to date, of which 3,980 (7.2%) were hospitalized and 691 have died due to COVID-19.
Of all Dallas County residents tested for COVID-19 by PCR during the week ending 4/16/2022 (CDC week 15), 4.7% of respiratory specimens tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. For week 15, area hospital labs have continued to report elevated numbers and proportions of respiratory specimens that are positive for other respiratory viruses by molecular tests: parainfluenza (4.78%), rhinovirus/enterovirus (34.01%), and RSV (3.02%).
There are currently 10 active long-term care facility outbreaks. A cumulative total of 6,455 residents and 4,363 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 1,337 have been hospitalized and 911 have died. About 16% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities.
There has been 1 outbreak of COVID-19 in a congregate-living facility (e.g. homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes) reported within the past 30 days. A cumulative total of 1,135 residents and staff members (840 residents and 295 staff) in congregate-living facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with more detailed data dashboards and summary reports updated on Friday evenings, available at: https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/2019-novel-coronavirus/daily-updates.php.
Local health experts use hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and ER visits as three of the key indicators as part of determining the COVID-19 Risk Level (color-coded risk) and corresponding guidelines for activities during our COVID-19 response. The most recent COVID-19 hospitalization data for Dallas County, as reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, can be found at www.dallascounty.org/covid-19 under Monitoring Data, and is updated regularly. This data includes information on the total available ICU beds, suspected and confirmed COVID-19 ER visits in the last 24 hours, confirmed COVID-19 inpatients, and COVID-19 deaths by actual date of death. The most recent forecasting from UTSW can be found here.The most recent COVID-19 Data Summaries for Dallas County, TX can be found at the bottom of this page.
COVID vaccine second booster: Here's who can get the 4th shot
Here's what to know about the second COVID-19 booster shot and if you are eligible for it.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
A few weeks into the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic and metrics show both positive and negative signs.
Wisconsin has reached new lows this year in the average number of deaths reported by the state Department of Health Services. Currently, the seven-day average of confirmed daily deaths is fewer than two, the lowest average this year. The state reported 11 confirmed COVID deaths this week and another two deaths were probable.
The state averaged 46 deaths a day during the onslaught of the omicron variant peak in January. Now, new death totals provides optimism as the omicron variant wanes and new variants settles in.
The BA.2 variant has been the most dominant variant in the U.S. since mid-March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.There is also an increase in the presence of other variants BA.2.12.1, BA.1.1, BA.1.1.529 in the last month.
The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygienehasn't provided data that shows a significant presence of the BA.2 variant in Wisconsin cases.
The state, though, isexperiencing a rise in cases and positivity rate. The seven-day average of daily cases is 895,up 563 cases from a month ago. The seven-day average of percent positive by test is 7.2%,up 4.5%.
Also, thenumber of total patients hospitalizedhas increased in recent days, but the number of people hospitalized (163 patients)is considerably lower than its peak of more than 2,250 patients in January.
Track COVID and the vaccine in Wisconsin: See the latest data on cases, deaths and administered doses
State and private labs regularly do further tests on a portion of positive COVID-19 samples to find the prevalence of different variants of the virus. The numbers below are just a fraction of the total number of variant cases.
Omicronvariant was identified in 100% of tests sequenced during the week starting March 20.
Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 orDBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
Health officials are urging Australians to take Covid-19 precautions at Anzac Day commemorations despite restrictions easing in most states and territories.
With many jurisdictions preparing for the return of full-scale Anzac Day services after two Covid-disrupted years, Victorias health department has shared risk-mitigation tips.
It recommends patrons wear a mask when unable to physically distance, particularly in crowds or indoor environments.
Those who are symptomatic are encouraged to stay home and get tested, while people meeting indoors should open doors and windows to maximise air flow.
As important as the Anzac Day march and our dawn services are, there may be elderly and vulnerable people there we need to protect, chief health officer, Brett Sutton, said on Sunday.
Seven-day isolation for close contacts is no longer mandatory in NSW or Victoria as daily case numbers plateau or dip amid the current Omicron sub-variant wave.
New South Wales recorded eight Covid deaths and 11,107 new cases on Sunday while two people died with Covid and there were 7,104 cases in Victoria.
Prof Nancy Baxter, an epidemiologist told ABC News the number of cases was still too high to have relaxed the rules for close contacts.
Although we seem to be over the hump of the second Omicron wave, we still have a very, very high number of Covid cases in our community and a high number of Covid deaths, Prof Baxter told the ABC on Sunday.
And we know that with the high risk of household transmission, if those people are not isolating, we are going to increase the risk of further transmission outside the household. So, I think what were going to end up with is a high plateau of cases.
She said it was difficult to determine the chance of contracting the virus if you are a household contact, but estimated they had a 25% to 50% chance of becoming a Covid case.
Household contact quarantine rules will be ditched in the ACT after Anzac Day, while Queensland is moving to scrap quarantine for unvaccinated international arrivals by Thursday.
South Australia will also drop the requirement for close contact isolation from 30 April, but they must take five rapid antigen tests over seven days.
Masks will also be required outside the home, high-risk settings like aged care centres will be off limits and employers and schools will need proof of status.
Vaccination status and check-in requirements for social and sporting venues are being wound back in Victoria, although mandates for workers in multiple industries have been retained.
NSW is shifting to a risk assessment model, with household contacts of positive cases no longer needing to isolate for seven days, so long as they continue to test negative.
They should still work from home where possible and avoid high-risk settings.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee says it would be appropriate to drop some stricter restrictions, once the current wave of infections has peaked.
But authorities also warn infection rates may spike as restrictions ease.
More than 31,000 new Covid-19 cases have been recorded across Australia along with 17 deaths on Sunday, as the national toll since the start of the pandemic nears 7,000.
6,987 Australians have lost their lives to coronavirus, with NSW and Victoria accounting for 79% of the deaths.
FILE PHOTO: An unidentified COVID-19 patient is treated in the ICU at Providence St Joseph Hospital in Orange, U.S. July 23, 2021. REUTERS/Omar Younis
There were 104 San Diego County residents hospitalized with COVID-19 Saturday, an increase of 15 from Friday, according to the latest data from the state.
The total number of COVID patients in intensive care beds was 17, an increase of four from the previous day. The total number of available hospital beds countywide increased by 22 to 264.
The latest numbers come one day after San Diego Countys Health and Human Services Agency reported 389 new COVID-19 infections and three more deaths associated with the virus, as case numbers showed a week-over-week increase in the region.
The county does not report cases and deaths on weekends.
In the past week, a total of 2,277 infections were reported, 318 more than the previous weeks 1,959. The countys cumulative totals increased to 756,718 infections and 5,236 deaths with Fridays data.
More than 30,000 San Diegans have been hospitalized with COVID-19 locally since the beginning of the pandemic, the HHSA reported this week. The first one was hospitalized on Feb. 25, 2020.
While hospitalizations have been slowing since the Omicron variant hit its peak earlier this year, new COVID-19 infections reached a two-week high Wednesday with 411 reported, followed by 518 on Thursday. Though the figure is still well below daily case counts repeatedly over 10,000 in January of this year, county health officials are urging vulnerable populations to practice increased caution when out in public.
The unfortunate hospitalization milestone and bump in cases in the region and across the country are a reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. San Diegans, especially those at higher risk for severe outcomes from an infection, should continue to utilize non-pharmaceutical interventions, like masking and staying away from sick people. Everyone should get vaccinated and boosted when they are eligible, protecting themselves and those around them.
In San Diego County, 94.3% of residents eligible age 5 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 82.8% of those eligible or 2.61 million are fully vaccinated and 55.9% from a smaller eligibility group 1,229,500 have received boosters.
City News Service
Inside the Oak Cliff Government Center sat people facing uncertainty and some facing evictions.
Hopefully with having the agencies here, like United Way, and the county and the city, it might help them expedite the application process, said Juan Jasso, Justice of the Peace.
Jasso and other city officials and leaders organized the clinic to help people get financial assistance.
There has always been a need, but I think the pandemic has exacerbated the need because people obviously lost their jobs, had their salaries cut, and they fell behind, said Jasso.
Community agencies guided over 100 families who showed up, unsure of what to do.
We also have attorneys from North Texas Legal Aid. Its to give people an opportunity to come and get some legal advice, but also to apply for rental assistance, said Jasso.
Its a one-stop shop clinic full of resources and hope.
The latest news from around North Texas.
All of us have been affected by COVID-19, and all of us have been affected by the rising prices in the grocery stores and in rent. So thats where the rubber meets the road, right here, said Theresa Daniel, Dallas County Commissioner District 1.
Landlords were also able to get assistance and information at the Eviction Clinic.
City leaders say more events are planned for the future.
>> THANK Y.OU THE RECENT RISE OF COVID-19 LEVELS IN LOCAL WASTEWATER MAY BE LEVELING OFF. >> HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. EMILY HYLE, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT MASS GENERAL HOSPIT.AL GOOD MORNING. YOUVE BEEN TRACKING THIS DATA CLOSELY. ARE YOU SEEING ANY EARLY SIGNS THAT THIS WAVE MAY BE PEAKING? >> I THINK IT IS PROBABLY EARLY TO SAY ALTHOUGH YOU CAN SEE FROM THE WASTEWATER THAT THERES A LITTLE LEVELING OFF. I WONDER ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF PEOPLE POTENTIALLY BEING AWAY FOR PART OF THE RECENT SPRING WEEK, SO IFT I GETS -- SO IT GETS HARD TO KNOW. NEXT WKEE WILL BE INTERESTING AND HELPFUL TO SEE WHETHER THE PATTERN OF LEVELING OFF OR DECLINE CONTINUES OR WHETHER THINGS GO UP AS PEOPLE RETURN TO BOONST OR DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF MIXING HAPPEN AFTER THE HOLIDAYS. >> THIS WEEK WAS A VACATION WEEK FOR MANY FAMILIES AND MASSACHUSETTS -- IN MASSACHUSETTS, SO ARE THERE CONCERNS FOR A NEW SEARCH WHEN EVERYBODY RETURNS? >> IT IS UNCERTAIN. I WOULD SAY THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME CCEONRNS, ESPECIALLY WITH PEOPLE TRAVELING TO SEE FRIENDS AND FAMILY. DOI THINK THAT NOW IS A REALLY SMART TIME TO BE A LITTLE CAUTIOUS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE PARTILACURLY VULNERABLE TO SEVERE COVID INFECTION, OLDER PEOE,PL PEOPLE WITH IMMUNOSUPPRESSION WERE MULTIPLE COMORBIDITIES. I DO THINK IT IS AN IMPORTANT TIME, IF YOU ARE FEELING A LOT ALL, TO GET TESTED, GET A RAPID OR PCR TESTS, OR IF YOU HAVE TRAVELED RECENTLY AND ARE GOING TO SEE SOMEBODY YOU DONT NORMLYAL SEE, EVEN IF YOU FEEL WELL, TEST, BECAUSE WE KNOW THERETHS E TIME BEFORE SYMPTOMS START WHERE YOU C PANOTENTIALLY BE INFECTIOUS TO OTHERS. >> HAVE SEEN A CHANGE IN MASK POLICIES THIS WEEK. LOGAN AND MANY AIRLINES ARE ALL NOW MASK OPTIONAL. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE TIMING OF THAT DECISION? >> WELL, I PERSONALLY THINK IT IS STILL A GOOD TIME TO CONTINUE MASKING INDOORS BECAUSE WE ARE CERTNLAIY SEEING IN OUR REGION A RISE IN CASES AND I DO THINK WITH A LOT OF MIXING ON AIRLINES OR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION LIKE US IS AND TRAINS -- LIKE BUSES AND TRAINS, IT IS SMARTOT CONTINUE MASKING TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS. >> THERE ARE PLACES WHERE YOU WILL CONTINUE TO WEAR A MASK EVEN IF IT IS NOT REIRQUED? >> I CONTINUE TO MASK IN ALL DOINOR SPACES. I HAVE AN UNDER-FIVET A HOME WHO IS UNABLE TO BE VACCINATED YET BECAUSE THERES NO ELIGIBLE VACCINE AND HAVE MANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO ARE OLDER OR IMMUNOSUPPRESSED SO I PERSONALLY CONTINUE TO WEAR MASKS INDOORS TO PROTECT MYSELFND A OTHERS IM AROUND. >> OK. DR. EMILY LEHY, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT
Mass. doctor on signs recent COVID-19 wave may have peaked
Updated: 10:28 AM EDT Apr 23, 2022
Dr. Emily Hyle, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, examines if Massachusetts wastewater data shows that this recent COVID-19 wave may be peaking."I think it's probably a little early to say, although you can see from the wastewater that there's a little bit of leveling off," Hyle said Saturday. Hyle said she wonders about what the influence of people potentially being away for part of the recent spring week will have on COVID-19 case counts. "I think it's really hard to know," Hyle said. "I do think the next week will be really interesting and really helpful to see whether that pattern of leveling off or declining continues -- or whether things go up a little bit as people return to the Boston area or different patterns of mixing happen after the spring holidays."I do think that now is a really smart time to be a little cautious, especially if you live with people who are particularly vulnerable to severe COVID-19 infection," Hyle said. "It's a really important time, if you're feeling ill at all, to get tested," Hyle said. "Do a rapid test, get a PCR test, or if you have traveled recently or are going to see somebody you don't normally see or who would be at high risk, to test before seeing them, even if you feel well."
Dr. Emily Hyle, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, examines if Massachusetts wastewater data shows that this recent COVID-19 wave may be peaking.
"I think it's probably a little early to say, although you can see from the wastewater that there's a little bit of leveling off," Hyle said Saturday.
Hyle said she wonders about what the influence of people potentially being away for part of the recent spring week will have on COVID-19 case counts.
"I think it's really hard to know," Hyle said. "I do think the next week will be really interesting and really helpful to see whether that pattern of leveling off or declining continues -- or whether things go up a little bit as people return to the Boston area or different patterns of mixing happen after the spring holidays.
"I do think that now is a really smart time to be a little cautious, especially if you live with people who are particularly vulnerable to severe COVID-19 infection," Hyle said.
"It's a really important time, if you're feeling ill at all, to get tested," Hyle said. "Do a rapid test, get a PCR test, or if you have traveled recently or are going to see somebody you don't normally see or who would be at high risk, to test before seeing them, even if you feel well."
More COVID-19 restrictions are removed for visitors to Canada
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Patients suffering from respiratory and neurological symptoms, including loss of taste and smell.
Long-haul sufferers who struggle to muster the energy to return to work.
A pandemic with a penchant for attacking the elderly and obese with particular force.
Sounds a lot like COVID, right?
Its not.
Rather, its the Russian Flu, the worlds first well-documented pandemic, occurring as modern germ theory rose to prominence and miasma theory dispelled, ushering in the era of modern medical science and public health.
A quick check of the textbooksthe few that actually mention the thingwill inform you that the pandemic, which killed an estimated 1 million worldwide, lasted from 1889 to 1890.
Experts will tell you it likely hung around much longerand might still lurk, in some form, today.
Predating the now oft-discussed Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 50 million worldwide, the Russian Flu likely wasnt a flu at all, some contend.
Instead, its symptoms more closely resemble a coronavirusa category of viruses named for their crown-like appearance under a microscope, of which COVID-19 is a member.
Coronaviruses typically cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory infections in humans and are responsible for a handful of common colds. But some have turned deadly, including COVID-19; SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), an epidemic that emerged in 2002 and killed hundreds; and MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome), another epidemic that emerged in 2012 and killed hundreds.
The epidemiology and clinical symptoms of the Russian Flu are much more in line with COVID than what we know about influenza pandemics, said Dr. Harald Bruessow, editor of Microbial Biotechnology and a guest professor at KU Leuven in Belgium who has studied and published extensively on the esoteric ailment.
You have respiratory infection, but at the same time there are strong neurologic symptoms, he said of both the Russian Flu and COVID. Theres also something like Long COVID that was observed following the Russian Flu pandemic. These people were incapacitated for a really long time, with an increase in suicide rate and an inability to return to full work capacity.
Story continues
All this stuff makes one think that one is dealing with a coronavirus infection in the 1880s.
Lets say the so-called Russian Flu was a coronavirus. Does it serve as a better lens through which to view the current pandemic than the Spanish Flu? What lessons can we learn? Does it offer any clues to how the COVID-19 pandemic might endor linger, rather, as viruses tend to?
"If we say maybe the Russian Flu went extinct by a deus ex machina event, the odds are much lower for COVID," Dr. Arijit Chakravarty, Fractal Therapeutics CEO and COVID researcher, toldFortune.
"We're past that point."
When "nobody really dared to predict the trajectory of the COVID pandemic, how it will develop or end"frustrated by short-term computer simulations with a tendency toward inaccuracyand looking to glimpse into a COVID-19 crystal ball, Bruessow turned to the past.
What pandemic might serve as the best paradigm for COVID? He first examined the Spanish Flubut that was a different virus, he reasoned. Traveling backward in history from there, his options were limited, with the Russian Flu being the next chronological optionand, ironically, the first pandemic for which data was collected en masse.
As it turns out, it was a great fit.
The Russian Flu was actually the best case I could figure out of a respiratory pandemic of a comparable size to COVID that was sufficiently medically documented, Bruessow said of the disease, thought to have originated in cattle in Turkestan before enveloping the Russian empire and sweeping the world.
While considered a flu at the time, scientists did not yet have a solid grasp on what caused disease, with germ theory arising nearly simultaneously and duking it out with the miasma theory, the pre-scientific notion that disease was caused by "bad air" rising from the ground.
In one of his articles on the ailment, Bruessow refers to a 344-page doctors report from 1891 London, which describes Russian Flu patients as suffering from a hard, dry cough, fevers of 100-105 degrees, frontal headache of special severity, pains in the eyeballs, general feeling of misery and weakness, and great depression of spirits, and weeping, nervous restlessness, inability to sleep, and occasional delirium.
As with COVID, children seemed relatively spared, often only mildly affected, if they fell ill at all. Those who were elderlyin addition to those with pre-existing conditions like heart disease, tuberculosis, or diabeteswere more apt to take a fatal course, Bruessow wrote.
And theres more: Nearly 10% of cases saw continued symptoms, referred to by European doctors of the time as long enduring evil effects.
As with COVID, it was noted that patients were likely infectious before developing symptoms, and were occasionally reinfected, as was the case with a patient who fell ill with the flu in December 1889 in France, and then again a month later in January 1890 in England.
Dr. Tom Ewing, a history professor and associate dean at Virginia Tech who has published extensively on the topic, considered the Russian Flu an apt comparison during the first three months of the COVID pandemic due to its quick spread and global efforts to track symptoms.
He now considers the Spanish Flu to be a better comparison due to the body count: It's thought to have killed about 650,000 people in the U.S. in eight months, and COVID has killed nearly a million in the U.S. in a little over two years. In contrast, the Russian Flu is thought to have killed a million worldwide, in sum.
"I think where the useful comparisons are is, how do people react?" Ewing said. "How do they respond to first reports? How do physicians deal with a new threatening scale of disease? What we're all living with right nowat what point do you say it's all over?
The Russian Flu is typically considered to have lasted from 1889 through 1890, but in reality, it lasted much longerthrough 1894, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicineand nearly a decade, depending on whom you talk to. Major mortality peaks, as seen in public health data from the United Kingdom, continued through 1899 or 1900, Bruessow said, adding that the mortality peaks in England during that period are nearly as high as they were during what was likely the first phase of the Russian Flu.
It is unknown if later deaths were from additional waves of the Russian Flu or something else. But reports of symptoms from potential later waves, found in The Lancet and other British medical journals, are strikingly similar, and contemporary researchers were formulating the suspicion of an up-flair, he said.
All this makes me think that we should consider the possibility that the Russian Flu agent was evolving and hanging around and even causing a major mortality peak in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, he concluded.
While its unknown if the Russian Flu was indeed a coronavirus, some believe it lives on today as OC43, a common human coronavirus that often causes upper-respiratory track illness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While its presentation is often mild, the pathogen is known to cause bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia in children and the elderly, as well as immunosuppressed patients, and its presentation may be easily confused with that of COVID-19, according to a 2021 article in The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles.
The thought that the Russian Flu endures as OC43 is a fascinating hypothesis, developed when scientists realized how genetically similar OC43 is to bovine coronavirus and projected a common ancestor arising around 1890the Russian Flu era, and a time of major cattle pandemics that may have spread to humans.
If theyre correct, the Russian Flu is still circulating, and it's still occasionally deadlya 2021 study published in Nature found a 9.1% mortality rate for those hospitalized with confirmed cases of OC43, though it only tracked 77 patients between 2012 and 2017 at one Korean hospital.
The Russian Flu may indeed be "still killing people off, and we're just not paying attention to it, which is totally plausible," Chakravarty said. "We used to think the Epstein-Barr Virus was harmless," and now we know it raises the risk of developing multiple sclerosis by more than 30 times.
"There's a lot of sort of 'dark matter' in the infectious disease world that we haven't fully mapped out."
Such a future may await COVID, Bruessow contends.
This is what virologists working in the viral evolution field are thinking we should expect from SARS-CoV2, he said regarding the potential of COVID to persist well into the future. Some people think the Omicron variant that dominates now is already going a bit in this direction, because this variant is much less affecting the lung and much more targeting the upper respiratory tract.
Bruessow hopes Omicron is the last hoorah of COVID-19s acute phasethe Russian Flus lasted about three yearsbut hes well aware this may not be the case.
Personally, I would be a bit skeptical that Omicron would be the end of this, he said. The virus will still occupy our societies for a while.
Even if the Russian Flu eventually became less severe, theres no reason to necessarily think COVID-19 will go the same route, Bruessow cautions, nor is the Russian Flu's presumed attenuation necessarily permanent.
Viral evolution is really neutral with respect to virulence," he said. "The indication is that [COVID-19] will try to escape from the immune response, simply to infect the maximum number of people, and the virus with the highest efficiency will replace less efficient viral types.
This is the dynamic we are seeing, of increasing transmission. Theres no guarantee that the next wave wont be a virus that has, once again, increased virulence, like Delta.
Among Chakravarty's take-aways from the Russian Flu: "The body count can still pile up" over several years, even if a disease isn't incredibly transmissible and has a relatively low fatality rate, as was the case with the Russian Flu.
Even so, "mortality bounced around," he said. "There wasn't a steady decrease toward endemicity."
Regardless, COVID is "much more contagious" than the Russian Flu was, Chakravarty cautionsand the world is much better connected than it was in the industrial era, allowing for greater ease of disease spread.
COVID has a "screamingly high" transmission rateone person with Omicron infects, on average, eight to nine others, making it nearly as infectious as mumpsand the duration of immunity is low, he cautioned.
"You can sneeze in Wuhan in the morning and someone can be really ill the next day in Frankfurt."
The potential Russian Flu wave of 1900 is the last mention of the illness Bruessow sees in medical literature. There seem to have been seasonal, legitimate influenza outbreaks up until the onset of the Spanish Flu in 1918, after which major respiratory pandemics were all influenza related.
After that, theres no indication of a coronavirus causing a major epidemic in the 20th century," he said.
It's possible that a "very mild" coronavirus continued to circulate throughout the 20th century but was less impactful due to improvements in public health and quality of life, Ewing said.
During the early 20th century "health was getting better, mortality rates were decreasing, life expectancy was going up." This, in addition to tuberculous public health campaigns encouraging people to beware of coughing, sneezing, and spitting in public, may have blunted any circulating coronaviruses, he said.
While the Spanish Flu may not be the best lens through which to view COVID-19, it does contain pertinent lessons, Bruessow contends.
While the Spanish Flu is generally thought to have subsided in 1919 after three waves, later waves occurred periodically in the late 1920s into the 1940ssome as virulent as the initial Spanish Flu, with even higher mortality, he contends.
As U.S. COVID czar Dr. Anthony Fauci and colleagues pointed out in a 2009 New England Journal of Medicine article, "It is not generally appreciated that descendants of the H1N1 influenza A virus that caused the catastrophic and historic pandemic of 1918-1919 have persisted in humans for more than 90 [now 100] years and have continued to contribute their genes to new viruses, causing new pandemics," including the 2009 H1N1 "swine flu."
"We are living in a pandemic era that began around 1918," they wrote 13 years agolong before the advent of COVID-19.
Bruessow agrees with Fauci and his colleagues that viruses do not simply disappear."
"They change and hopefully they adapt and behave," Bruessow said. "But there are still some escapes, and we might see a return with higher virulence.Vigilance is indicated.
Chakravarty is of a similar mindset but cautions that one can't draw too many inferences from any particular pandemic, regardless of similarities.
"Each new pandemic, new plague is a new chapter in the history books," he said. "Your mileage may vary."
But one thing remains constant.
"There's no two-year timeline for pandemics," he warned.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
OAKLAND, Calif. The Oakland As reinstated left-handed pitcher Kirby Snead and outfielder Stephen Piscotty from the Covid-19 injured list, the club announced today. The As also placed infielder Drew Jackson on the Covid-19 IL and returned left-handed pitcher Sam Selman to Las Vegas.
Snead had a 5.40 ERA in four relief appearances when he was placed on the restricted list April 15. He was transferred to the Covid-19 IL on Monday.
Piscotty was 4-for-14 (.286) with two walks in five games when he was placed on the Covid-19 IL on April 15.
Jackson was added to the As roster as a substitute player on April 15 and was 0-for-3 in three games.
Selman was added to the As roster as a substitute player on Monday and made his As debut last night, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings and striking out a career-high five.
