Cape Town South Africa reported 16 080 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday after 55 742 tests were conducted, the Health Department said.
This brings the total number of positive cases to 3 292 609.
According to the National Department of Health, 48 people succumbed to the virus, bringing the total number of deaths to 90 345.
As of today [Saturday] the cumulative number of #COVID19 cases identified in SA is 3 292 609 with 16 080 new cases reported. Today 48 deaths have been reported bringing the total to 90 345 deaths. The cumulative number of recoveries now stand at 2 992 289 with a recovery rate of 90,9%, the department said in a statement.
Gauteng has consistently remained at the top of the new Covid-19 caseload.
However, the latest data provided by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has revealed that new case figures for KwaZulu-Natal officially top Gautengs.
KwaZulu-Natal is leading with 4 202 new covid cases, followed by Gauteng (3 430), and Western Cape (2 959)
Northern Cape continued to record the lowest numbers with only 447 new recorded cases.
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The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Maine remains at or near historic highs.
On Sunday the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 384 people hospitalized. Of those, 133 were in critical care an all-time high and 63 were on ventilators.
Worries about the virus are increasing as the omicron variant spreads around the world. On Tuesday, President Biden plans to address the nation on the status of the fight against COVID-19. The surge prompted the NFL to postpone three games and some restaurants are closing in different parts of the country due to the rapid spread.
Maine reported its first cases of omicron on Friday, with five in Penobscot County. With cases of the variant expected to increase, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and doctors have renewed calls for people to protect themselves by wearing masks in indoor public places and getting vaccinations and boosters.
Shots administered at recent walk-in and pop-up vaccination clinics, and at pharmacies, are growing the number of vaccinated Mainers.
On Sunday the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 70.62 percent of all Mainers were fully vaccinated, or 949,247 people. Thats up from one week ago when 68.89 percent of residents in the state were vaccinated.
So far in Maine, unvaccinated people infected with the delta variant have been blamed for filling up hospitals to a point where National Guard and federal medical workers needed to be called in to help. With omicron here, doctors say vaccinations are the best way to avoid becoming severely sick, hospitalized or dead from COVID-19, but that infections will still occur.
The number of Mainers getting booster shots also continues to rise, to 416,323. Thats 45,000 more than a week ago.
Of the Mainers fully vaccinated, 53.52 percent are females, 46.3 percent are males.
More children ages 5-11 are getting vaccinated; 5,517 became fully vaccinated in the past week, 2,246 received their first doses.
The state does not update the number of cases on Sundays. On Saturday the state reported 1,080 new cases and 11 additional deaths.
Although the omicron virus is raising fears, Brown University infectious disease expert Dr. Ashish Jha tweeted Saturday that we now have the tools (vaccines, tests, masks) to manage the surge if we use them smartly. We can prevent deaths, keep hospitals functioning and schools open.
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As case numbers increase in the US and a new variant of concern circulates, its hard to feel optimistic about our upcoming Covid-19 season. Among people who are vaccinated and who have been fairly cautious thus far, a dark feeling of inevitability may be beginning to settle in a sense that even if youve avoided the coronavirus until now, that might not hold through the winter.
While it can be anxiety-inducing to see a cluster of storm clouds gathering and know theres a very good chance youre in their direct path, there is still time to do a bit of weatherproofing, so to speak or at least put on a raincoat and grab an umbrella, so that youre not caught totally off guard when it starts to pour.
Being prepared for a Covid-19 infection in your household is just plain practical. Even if omicron turns out to be less dangerous than previous variants, the US is also still looking at its first winter with delta, which we know is highly transmissible compared to last winters dominant Covid-19 variant. This means people who have tested positive or are symptomatic and waiting for PCR test results need to be especially prepared to tend to their illness without leaving the house, reducing the likelihood of infecting others. Keep in mind that underserved groups are likely to bear the burden of this and future phases of the pandemic; even if you have a case that feels truly mild, its still crucial to do your part to mitigate exposure and keep the pandemic from worsening.
Its also wise to get physically and mentally ready on a personal level. During uncertain times, it can be helpful to gain some small semblance of control. While we wait to learn more about omicron, doing something lightly productive even just restocking your now-expired cold meds can offset feelings of powerlessness or anxiety you may be experiencing.
Lastly, getting a positive diagnosis can be unmooring, even if youre vaccinated and not afraid of a scary outcome. You might feel mostly okay physically, but its unlikely youll want to do a ton of research or make a lot of decisions in that moment. The more time you can spend resting and healing versus, say, trying to find the most up-to-date info on testing and treatments the better.
If youre hoping for the best but still want to plan for the worst, heres advice from one health expert on what you can do right now.
Plain and simple. As Vox has previously reported, booster shots today could fight omicron tomorrow, and getting a flu shot will help keep hospitals from being overwhelmed (and reduce the risk of co-infection).
Its really important for people to get tested, because its really hard to differentiate between seasonal flu, Covid, or just a regular cold, says Syra Madad, the senior director of system-wide special pathogens for NYC Health + Hospitals. There are a lot of overlapping signs and symptoms, and theyre nonspecific. You can have a fever, cough, or runny nose with any of those three.
Depending on how youve been utilizing testing thus far, you may not have put much thought into how or where youll get tested if you start showing symptoms or if you need results ASAP. (According to the CDC, vaccinated people should get tested five to seven days after an exposure or as soon as symptoms develop. Be aware, however, that omicron may have a quicker onset than other variants.)
Its wise to figure out a testing plan now, including at-home and lab tests, when youre presumably healthy. Determine the closest testing site(s) to you and how youll get there if you need a lab test; ideally, youd avoid public transportation and ride-sharing services, but if thats not possible, think about what you might do to minimize the risk to other people. Also make note of the testing sites hours, whether its open on weekends, and whether its walk-in only or if you can make an appointment.
Know that getting tested when you know theres a fairly high probability that you have Covid-19 versus getting tested as a formality or prophylactically can be a stressful experience. In those moments, youre likely going to want your results quickly. So you may also want to figure out where youll be able to get a rapid PCR test near you, if available, and add that to the Covid dossier (a.k.a. Google Doc) youre building out. As Vox has previously reported, its also a good idea to stock up on rapid at-home antigen tests.
Finally, if youre going to be traveling for an extended period of time over the holidays or in the new year, make sure you know where you can get tested while youre at your destination.
It can be difficult to think of yourself as contagious, especially when you feel great or just not that sick. But its important to internalize the reality that, at any point, you could unwittingly pose a much bigger threat to others than you realize. That means taking extra precautions to protect your community, especially if youve gotten a little lax about this since getting vaccinated.
No one wants to experience a breakthrough infection, Madad says. We know that even fully vaccinated people can transmit the virus, obviously at a lower extent, to fully vaccinated individuals. I think thats really important for people to understand. Its not just about you. I know here in America, its a lot about me, me, me, but we need to make sure were also looking at we, collectively.
The best mask is one that fits, so make sure yours does, and think about replacing your cloth masks with N95, KN95, or surgical masks. If you want to stick with cloth, consider whether its time to replace your current supply. (Vox reported in September 2020 that a cloth mask likely needs to be replaced after 100 rounds in the washer or 50 in the dryer because the fabric will start to break down and become more porous.)
A lot of people in the US simply dont have a primary care provider they see regularly even people who are insured. Thats a tough spot to be in when youre sick and everything youre reading is telling you to talk to your doctor about symptoms, and treatments.
I would definitely encourage people to make sure that they have a primary care physician, Madad says. Of course, many people dont, and cant, for a slew of structural and systemic reasons. Madad says shed like to see more centralized hotlines that people can call about symptoms, for guidance on what types of treatments (like monoclonal antibodies) they might qualify for, and to know whether or not to go to the hospital. Until that happens, the best thing for you personally to do is to spend some time on your public health departments website and the nearest public hospitals website to find additional resources and information about free or low-cost telehealth options.
If you do have the resources to get a primary health care provider and have simply been procrastinating doing the research to find one, make that a priority in the next couple of weeks. The good news is that the advent of telehealth means this might be considerably easier, since you wont need to worry as much about the doctor being a long car or bus ride away.
The Covid-19 vaccines are so effective at reducing hospitalization and death that its possible to start to feel like were post-pandemic or that getting Covid-19 is no big deal. It might not be a death sentence if youre young, vaccinated, and generally healthy, but its still not the same as, say, getting a cold (even if it literally feels like you just have a cold). Plus, plenty of people are simply not young or generally healthy and very much want to avoid getting Covid-19 entirely. Which is all to say: Its important to take isolation seriously.
With that in mind, take some time to familiarize yourself with the current CDC recommendations for the Covid-positive. Plan that, per current recommendations, youll likely need to be at home for 10 days and not just mostly at home, but literally not leaving your home, except to get medical care, for 10 days. (Also keep in mind the current guidance could change with omicron.) Here are some other things to think about:
The answer to some of these questions might be, Well, I guess Im screwed! which absolutely does not represent a moral failing on your part. But facing the bleak reality that things like sick leave and child care in the US are not built for a pandemic (or for a non-pandemic, to be frank) is a tiny bit easier and less overwhelming when youre feeling relatively healthy.
One thing that will make it massively easier to isolate and to focus on getting better is a well-stocked medicine chest and pantry.
To tend to your symptoms, youll likely want to have a variety of cold and cough medicines, pain relievers and fever reducers (like acetaminophen and ibuprofen), cough drops, a thermometer, and a few boxes of tissues. Madad says a pulse oximeter to monitor changes in your oxygen levels also isnt a bad idea, though the reliability of this tool varies somewhat, especially for those with dark skin. Think about what you like to eat when youre sick and/or dont have much appetite (jello, popsicles, instant ramen, soup, etc.) and consider bulking up your grocery list for a few weeks with pantry staples and freezer meals for the benefit of Future You.
For extra credit, here are two items that unexpectedly made my own bout of Covid-19 much easier: a big water bottle with a straw (like this), which made it much easier to stay hydrated, and a small trash receptacle to put next to the bed or couch, because having a runny nose and taking lots of individually wrapped cold meds generates a ton of trash, which quickly takes over your nightstand and adds to the generally rotten vibe of having a respiratory illness.
One of the big benefits of planning ahead like this is that itll make it easier to do nothing after youve tested positive something that is critical to the healing process.
During the mild case of Covid-19 I had last January, I immediately took time off work, but I didnt totally understand what it means to truly rest, in the doctor-prescribed sense. I thought I could do light chores if I felt mostly up to them, for example, or read a book. I even, somewhat inexplicably, set my alarm for a normal wake-up time every morning, like it was an average weekend instead of ... time off to deal with the respiratory illness Id spent a year avoiding. It took me a few days to accept that doing anything but lying down and watching TV was draining, and even if I felt okay in the moment, Id pay for it by feeling awful in the hours that followed. If youve been healthy your whole life, it can be difficult to comprehend how physically wiped you might feel after doing your typical version of doing nothing.
We want to give our bodies time to recover, Madad says. Youre not going to get that healing time or recovery time if youre going to constantly be active and on your feet and doing things that we do on a daily basis. I know so many of us live active lives, and to just stay in bed is something thats really hard for many of us. But its really important. And know that if you cant take it easy because, say, your boss expects you to get back to work or you have to take care of your kids, or both it might take you longer to feel like yourself again. If you are not giving that time to your body, then it probably will take longer for you to deal with Covid, Madad says.
If youre not one to answer phone calls from unknown numbers, consider making an exception in the days following your positive test it could very well be the local health department getting in touch. Depending on where you live, they could be calling to get your help with contact tracing, or they might want to ask you some questions about your symptoms, answer any questions you have, and provide you with important info and resources. (On the other hand, Madad says a lot of states are currently overwhelmed, so you may not get a call at all.)
Madad says that people might feel hesitant to share their friends or coworkers personal information with the health department, but stresses that contact tracing is still a critical piece of preventing future outbreaks. Oftentimes, I hear, Im not going to give out my personal information, or Im not going to give information of who I have been in contact with because its none of their business, she says. But, again, I would look at it as a form of community service. If you get that call, give that information, because their goal is to end this pandemic. By giving that information, youre contributing to helping reduce the spread of this virus, which ultimately will help end this pandemic eventually.
Even if youve told yourself youll likely get Covid-19 eventually and its probably not a big deal, its still totally reasonable to feel overwhelmed and upset by a positive test. (Its also completely reasonable to think it is a very big deal, and to feel afraid.) Its okay to be concerned, its okay to have those types of feelings, Madad says. No one wants to experience illness of any kind, whether were talking about Covid-19 or any type of a virus no one wants to get sick. Thats not a condition that anybody wants to experience, especially when you talk about a variant that were still learning more about.
Its also very normal to feel a sense of shame or guilt, but Madad says its important to not let those feelings stop you from taking necessary steps to protect others. Regardless of how you got infected, you want to do the right thing in terms of preventing other people from getting sick and contributing to that community transmission that is happening, she says. That means telling close contacts they need to get tested and taking isolation seriously. I think there should be no shame, no embarrassment, Madad says. Youre doing community service youre letting people know to protect themselves, because youre infected, and you want to make sure that youre staying away from them.
The Washington Football Team has yet to rule anybody outfor Tuesdays clash against Philadelphia, but its worth noting Curtis Samuel wouldnt have dressed if the game had been played Sunday.
The Samuel injury tour continues. If you can believe it, the speedy wideout has finally shed his groin injury. Hes now dealing with a hamstring injury. Tough to call his first year in the Burgundy and Gold anything but a huge disappointment, because its looking less and less likely hell make an impact down the stretch.
Samuel and JD McKissic were the lone DNPs on Saturday. The weird thing about McKissic is that hes managed to clear concussion protocol, but his now listed on the injury report with a neck injury.
In good news, Terry McLaurin got in a full session and looks to be headed in the right direction for Tuesday.
With that out of the way, lets move onto the COVID side of things.
Entering the weekend, Washington had 20 players on the COVID list, tied with Cleveland for the second-most of any team in the NFL. Only the Rams, who leapfrogged the pack by adding nine more players on Thursday, had more with a maximum of 25 before they activated eight players on Saturday.
In light of this breakout, the NFL updated its COVID-19 protocols for vaccinated players and staff members on Thursday, announcing that individuals who are asymptomatic for at least 24 hours can return as early as the day after their positive test by one of the three options outlined in the memo.
The latest high-profile addition for Washington was Taylor Heinicke, who tested positive on Friday, joining backup quarterback Kyle Allen on the COVID list. While Heinicke is asymptomatic and has a chance of returning in time for the game, basic math gives Allen the better chance of being activated sooner.
Heres where Washington stands on the COVID front as of Sunday morning. We decided to keep it simple and just list a players name and give a simple yes or no in terms of whether theyve been activated off the shelf.
This article will be updated through Tuesday evening.
Its a huge sign of encouragement knowing Allen, Sweat, Smith-Williams, Toohill and Wise will be back in the defensive lineup. That could end up making all the difference on Tuesday, but Washington is still far from out of the woods.
These are all the updates we have for now, but feel free to keep tuning back to this article for all the latest on Washingtons COVID conundrum.
INDIANAPOLIS Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who is vaccinated and received a booster shot,wanted to be on the safe side. He had shown signs of a cold for three weeks and continuously tested negative for COVID-19.
But when a headache started to accompany his symptoms during Indiana's win over New York on Dec. 8, he took a rapid test immediately after the game to be sureand assumed the resultwould negative.
It wasn't.
Carlisletook two more COVID-19 tests, onerapid and one PCR,which confirmed that he had contracted the virus. He entered the NBA's health and safety protocols Dec. 9, missing four games, and returned to practice Sunday.
Needlessly to say, he's grateful to be back.
More: 'People think it's easy': Chris Duarte, Pacers plan to use 4-day break to rest, reset, regroup
"It's great to watch the broadcasts and to see the game flow from afar," Carlisle said. "Again, it's a different perspective. The game slows down a lot when you're that far removed from it. And it's a healthy thing to experience, but I think 10 days is enough."
The Pacers went 2-2, with wins over Dallas and Detroit and losses to Golden State and Milwaukee, without Carlisle. He will return to the sideline Tuesday at Miami.
Lead assistant Lloyd Piercefilled in forCarlisle during his absence. Carlisle said he felt comfortable with Pierce taking the reins, especially considering that Piercewas previously the Hawks' head coach. Pierce led Atlanta for 2years before being fired after a 14-20start last season and being hired by Carlisle in the offseason.
"Iencouraged Lloyd to follow his instincts. He's an experienced head coach," Carlisle said."Because when you're on the sidelines and you're making the play calls and you're calling the timeouts and things like that, there's a feel element to it, and you can't have that interrupted just because you work for the guy that's not there.
"This is why you recruit hard to hire a really great staff. Lloyd Pierce, getting him here was as hard as I recruited a lot of free agent players."
Veteran swingmanJustin Holiday, who said he is unvaccinated, also recently returned after testing positive for COVID-19. He entered the league's health and safety protocols Nov. 30 and missed five games while inisolation and an additional contest as he ramped up his conditioning.
Holiday resumed competition Dec.15 at Milwaukee with five points in 20 minutes off the bench.Herejoined the starting lineup at home against Detroit on Dec. 16 and finished with 17 points in 26 minutes.
"(We're) getting back to the old normal because I guess (the team)had to get used to missing a few people, so yeah we're getting back to how things were before," Holiday said. "Still missing a few people as far as the staff, but things are starting to look exactly how they were before."
According to Carlisle, Pacers assistant JennyBoucek and manager of game strategy and analytics Zach Chu are in the NBA's health and safety protocols. Both are vaccinated along with the rest of Indiana's coaching staff.
The Pacers are one of several shorthandedteams due to COVID-19as the number of players, coaches and personnel entering the NBA'shealth and safety protocols surges league-wide.
Sunday was perhaps the most turbulent day of the seasonas the NBA postponed five games Denver at Brooklyn, Cleveland at Atlanta and New Orleans at Philadelphia on Sunday, Orlando at Toronto on Monday and Washington at Brooklyn on Tuesday.
The Bulls had two games postponed last week.
Indiana's game at Miami on Tuesday will now be broadcast on TNT due to the Wizards-Nets postponement. It's the Pacers' first national television game of the season.
Accordingto CBS Sports, a combined 69players from 19 teams are currently in the league's health and safety protocols.
The Indiana State Department of Health announced Sunday that it detected its first COVID-19 omicron variant in the statein an unvaccinated resident. The omicron variant is the latest COVID-19 variant and more contagious than its predecessor, the delta variant, per the department.
"It's a mysterious virus," Carlisle said. "There are justso many unknowns. Every time you turnaround, there's a new version of it, a new variant that has different characteristics. And so we'vejust got to maintain a positive attitude about it,understanding that the league is gonna constantlybe in a situation where there will be needs to pivot and change up on certain things."
There have been a handful of teams that have had COVID-19 outbreaks, including the Nets who currently havean NBA-high 10 players in the league's health and safety protocols. Superstars Kevin Durant and James Harden, who are vaccinated, and Kyrie Irving, who is unvaccinated, are among those 10 in isolation.
New York city has a local vaccine mandate, requiring anyone age 5 or older to be vaccinated in order to enter Barclays Center, the Nets' home venue, or Madison Square Garden, the Knicks' home arena. Irving remains unvaccinated, barring him from home games, but he can play in road games.
Brooklynoriginally decided that Irving could not be a part-time player this seasonbut changed its mind last week. However, once Irvingrejoined the franchise, heimmediatelyentered the NBA's health and safety protocols.
New York city'svaccine mandate only applies to Nets and Knicks players, so unvaccinated visiting players, like Holiday, can play in New York.
Indiana plays at New Yorkon Jan. 4and at Brooklyn on April 15. The Pacershost the Nets on Jan. 5.
Starting Jan. 15, unvaccinated professional and amateurathletes will be barred from entering Canada, according to minister of public safety Marco Mendicino. Toronto, the NBA's long Canadian team, has 16 regular-season home games after that date, including a showdown with the Pacers on March26.
"I have no doubt that we'll get through it, but this period has produced a different set of circumstances, which is raising some questions that are good questions," Carlisle said. "Now (the NFL has) changed what they're doing, and soI think this is an interesting time for the us in the NBA to see how their thing goes."
Currently, anyone who enters the NBA's health and safety protocols must isolate for 10 days or register two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart to return sooner. The NFL had a similar return policy, with players needing two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart to rejoin their teams.
However, now the NFL is also focusing on testing the viral load, or "cycle threshold," of a vaccinatedplayer who contractsCOVID-19. And if that player's viral load comes back at 35 or greater meaning he isno longer contagious heisallowed to return to competition.
"It's not about loosening our standards," NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sill said, per ESPN. "If anything, we're just bringing a higher degree of precision in measuring ourselves against a more precise ruler."
Follow IndyStar Pacers beat writer James Boyd on Twitter:@RomeovilleKid. Reach him via email: jboyd1@gannett.com.
As the league's COVID-19 outbreak worsens, the NFL finally softened on one of its firm lines in the sand and postponed three games slated to be played this week.
Cleveland's matchup against Las Vegas, Seattle's matchup against the Rams and Washington's matchup against Philadelphia have all been postponed due to massive coronavirus outbreaks on some of those teams.
MORE: NFL Week 15 postponements
This comes a day after the league announced new COVID protocols, which not everybody took kindly to and in the same week that the league experienced one of the most exponential rises in cases.
For those doing the math at home, that's roughly 30 players a day over the last five days entering protocols and testing positive. With the season winding down but cases of the Omicron variant seemingly on the rise, it remains to be seen how the rest of the season will take shape and what effect, if any, the protocols will have on mitigating the number of players on the COVID reserve list.
Sporting News has the list of all the players who've entered protocols since the beginning of the week:
Listed players reflect only official team rosters as of 5:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 17.
MORE: NFL power rankings: 49ers, Chiefs, Cowboys climb; Bills, Ravens, Steelers slide for Week 15
Here is the COVID protocol for vaccinated players, according to the NFL :
The main difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated players is that vaccinated players don't have to worry about being a "high-risk" close contact at any point. They also have more freedom to participate in activities than their unvaccinated counterparts. Vaccinated players can go out on the road and more easily spend time with teammates outside the facility, among other perks.
The NFL's COVID protocols are stricter than those for vaccinated players. They are as follows, per the NFL :
Unvaccinated players also have more procedures they must follow to avoid falling into COVID protocol. They include the following:
The NFL considers a player fully vaccinated if they fall into one of the two following categories. They either are 14 days removed from their final dose of Pfizer, Moderna or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or they previously contracted COVID and are 14 days removed from a single dose of any vaccine.
The NFL has left the door open for potential postponements. That said, the league has said that "postponements will only occur if required by government authorities, medical experts, or at the Commissioners discretion."
Of course, the NFL has also said that it's hoping to play its full, 272-game schedule "in a safe and responsible way," so it seems likely that the league will consider postponements where appropriate.
However, the NFL has noted that the burden of postponements or cancellations will fall upon teams featuring COVID spikes among unvaccinated players. If outbreaks occur among vaccinated players, the league will seek to "minimize the burden" of that club.
If a game is canceled/postponed because a club cannot play due to a Covid spike among or resulting from its non-vaccinated players/staff, then the burden of the cancellation or delay will fall on the club experiencing the Covid infection. We will seek to minimize the burden on the opposing club or clubs. If a club cannot play due to a Covid spike in vaccinated individuals, we will attempt to minimize the competitive and economic burden on both participating teams.
What does that mean? If a team has an outbreak that impacts unvaccinated players, they're less likely to get a favorable ruling from the NFL. So, they may be forced to play significantly shorthanded or at a less convenient time.
The NFL also has stated that if a game cannot be rescheduled within its 18-week season due to a COVID outbreak amid non-vaccinated players, the team with the outbreak will be forced to forfeit.
Additionally, the league said that "games will not be postponed or rescheduled simply to avoid roster issues caused by injury or illness affecting multiple players, even within a position group." That principle was in action last year, and the Broncos were the best example of it in action. They had to play with practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton as their quarterback after their quarterback room was exposed to the virus.
No, it's not planning to. The NFL confirmed that they are hoping not to extend the regular season past 18 weeks (17 games and one bye).
:We do not anticipate adding a 19th week to accommodate games that cannot be rescheduled within the current 18 weeks of the regular season."
Perhaps the NFL will change its tune if COVID becomes a bigger issue than the league anticipates, but for now, don't expect the league to add another week to the season.
AUSTIN (KXAN) If youre planning to gather for the holidays, health experts are reminding that now is the time to get vaccinated not just for COVID-19, which has been making headlines, but for other transmittable diseases too.
While much attention has been paid to the COVID-19 vaccine this year, the Texas Medical Association (TMA) is reminding that flu is also a threat, especially this year, and for infants, pertussis, or whooping cough is always a big concern.
Certainly, you need to make sure that youre up to date on all your vaccines, particularly if were talking about pregnant women or if were talking about people who will be in contact with young infants, said Dr. C. Mary Healy, an associate professor of pediatrics specializing in infectious disease at the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Childrens Hospital and a member of the Texas Medical Association.
Whooping cough can cause severe illness and be fatal for infants who are too young to be immunized. Babies under 1-year-old are at the greatest risk.
Heres whats recommended under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect against it:
They really should be vaccinated against everything that they can be vaccinated, Healy said.
As the COVID-19 vaccine has become a political topic, health leaders are concerned about hesitancy as they make this plea for people get their general vaccines this year.
But I think really we need to think about caring for others and that means getting vaccinated, Healy said. Get your vaccines, get your boosters and do everything you can to protect your loved ones.
(The Conversation) SinceCOVID-19 vaccines became availablefor children ages 5 to 11 in early November 2021, many families have been lining up to get their school-age kids vaccinated prior to holiday travel and gatherings.
As of Dec. 14,5.6 million U.S. children ages 5 to 11 or about 19% of this age group have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. And 2.9 million, or about 10% of this age group, are fully vaccinated.
However, thepace has begun to slow. Vaccination rates in this age groupvary widely across the country, and the U.S. is still far from reaching a threshold that would help keep COVID-19 infections in check.
We are a team ofmedicalandpublic healthprofessionals at the University of Pittsburgh. We haveextensive experienceresearchingvaccine misinformation on social mediaandworking with community partnerstoaddress vaccine hesitancy, counter misinformation, andpromote vaccine equity.
Through this work, we have seen and studied the ways that anti-vaccine activists on social media target vulnerable parents who are trying to navigate the challenges of digesting health information to make appropriate choices for their children.
Anti-vaccine activists are a small but vocal group. According to research conducted by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate,just 12 social media accounts the disinformation dozen arebehind the majorityof anti-vaccine posts on Facebook. Studies also show that onlyabout 2% of parentsreject all vaccines for their children.A larger group, or about 20% of parents, can more accurately be described as vaccine hesitant, which means they are undecided about having their children receive vaccinesas recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention.
With regard to COVID-19 vaccines specifically, as of October 2021, about one-third of parents with children ages 5 to 11 years said they would get their child vaccinated right away. Another one-third said they would wait to see how the vaccine is working, and the last one-third said they would definitely not get their child vaccinated.
It can be difficult for parents to sort through the large amount of information available about COVID-19 vaccines both true and untrue. In their search for answers,some parents turn to social media platforms. The problem is, these parents are often targeted by anti-vaccine activists who are better organized andmore skilled at tailoring their messagesto thevaried concerns of people who are vaccine hesitantin comparison to pro-vaccine activists.
Social media, in particular, has beena primary vehiclefor the spread of misinformation. Although sometimes misinformation is blatantly false,other times it is more like a game of telephone. A kernel of truth gets modified slightly as it is retold, which ends up becoming something untrue. Unfortunately, exposure to COVID-19 misinformation has been shown toreduce peoples intent to get vaccinated.
So how can pediatricians and other health care professionals empower parents to feel confident in the choice to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19?
The answer may lie in working with communities to promote the vaccine as trustworthy instead of simply asking communities to trust it. We are part of the Pittsburgh Community Vaccine Collaborative, which is a community-academic partnership that seeks to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccines. Through that effort, we have focused onbuilding trustworthiness of the vaccinesand of the providers and health systems that are offering the vaccines in their communities.
Health care providers are a trusted source of informationfor COVID-19 vaccine information, but they are not the only sources.Research has foundthat it is important to lean on the expertise and voices of community partners, community health workers and religious leaders.
Our research suggests that pediatricians and public health professionalscan effectively use social mediato promote vaccination and provide families with reputable scientific information to address their questions and concerns. Results of a survey that wasrecently published in Academic Pediatricsfound that 96% of parents used social media. Of those, 68% reported using it for health information.
For example,a pediatric groupwe partner withuses comedy combined with informationto combat myths and answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccines. https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6940691573801749765?lang=en-US
Social media is also an effective way to reach adolescents who can decide for themselves if they wantto get a COVID-19 vaccinewithout their parents consent (in some cities and states). Adolescents may also be able to influence their parents.
Research showsthat parents who report high COVID-19 vaccine intention for themselves also report high COVID-19 vaccine intention for their children. Therefore, talking about vaccines as a family may be helpful in combating misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, parents who have had their children vaccinated can use social media to share their experiences andmake it feel more normaland accepted among their peers.
We have also learned that promotingmedia literacy, which encourages people to question the media information they come into contact with, can empower parents to sift through theinfodemicof COVID-19 vaccine information. While social media platforms have announced policies of removing vaccine misinformation,research suggeststhis is not always effective at reducing the influence of such misinformation. Learning how to find the source of a piece of information and thinking about who are the intended targets may help people determine whether the information is true or distorted.
Addressing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation can feel overwhelming. TheAmerican Academy of Pediatricshashelpful information for parentsto support making decisions around the COVID-19 vaccine. Parents can also have conversations with their children about media literacy and evaluating information. And they can talk to their children especially adolescent-age children about how getting the COVID-19 vaccine can protect them and others.
Increasing COVID-19 vaccine rates for children and young people is important to promote their health and wellness, as well as to move closer to ending the pandemic.
Covid-19 cases are surging upward again in the United States, and public health experts are warning the fast-spreading omicron variant may push the number of infections to their highest level yet. Whether this surge will be followed by an unprecedented level of hospitalization and death is uncertain, but researchers say its possible the most devastating phase of the pandemic is yet to come.
Already, countries like South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Denmark have seen sharp spikes in new Covid-19 cases, with some areas reaching record highs. South Africa has reported far fewer hospitalizations from omicron compared to previous waves, but the UK is is in the midst of a sharp rise in hospitalizations, about 30 percent higher week over week.
The big reason is that omicron appears to spread far more readily than the delta variant that has been dominant worldwide since the summer omicron is 25 to 50 percent more transmissible, according to some UK estimates.
The current moment is an eerie echo of December 2020, when the first major variant of Covid-19 began infecting people around the world. But a key difference now is that there are effective vaccines that have been widely deployed in some countries. In the US, more than 70 percent of the population have had at least one dose of a vaccine and 30 percent of those vaccinated have received two doses and a booster, which should absorb some of the impact of omicron.
Yet epidemiologists and health officials are sounding the alarm about another tsunami of infections in hopes people will take more precautions, and to help hospitals and health workers prepare to care for the sickest patients. Omicron could be just as deadly as delta even if it causes milder disease, Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist who has advised the White House, told reporters this week. Considering the potential impact on the health care system is also crucial as decision-makers weigh another round of restrictions closing schools, banning large gatherings, reimposing mask mandates.
In one of the most comprehensive forecasts to date, researchers from the Covid-19 Modeling Consortium at the University of Texas at Austin on Friday chalked out 18 different scenarios for omicron. Their study was not peer-reviewed, but the findings show that the US is facing yet another dangerous variant while the conditions for spreading it the holiday season are at their most favorable.
The most optimistic pathway in the study would lead to more than 50 percent fewer deaths compared to last year the six-month period spanning December 1, 2020, to May 1, 2021 while the most pessimistic route would end with 20 percent more fatalities than that grim period last winter and spring.
Everything weve seen so far growth in Denmark, growth were seeing in the United States, in Canada, in the UK suggests that these scenarios are actually very plausible ... for our country, said Spencer Fox, associate director of the UT Covid-19 Modeling Consortium.
A lot depends on the mutated virus itself, particularly how badly it sickens unvaccinated (and vaccinated) people. While some early reports have hinted that omicron causes a lower rate of severe Covid-19 illness compared to prior variants, theres still not enough data to be sure. Its too uncertain right now to say that, Fox said. (The UT model currently assumes that omicrons severity is the same as with delta in unvaccinated people with no prior infection, and that protection against severe illness from prior infection and vaccines may be similar or reduced.)
Getting a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine is the most effective action an already-vaccinated individual can take to protect against the variant, and if enough people get an extra shot, thousands of deaths could be averted this winter, according to the models.
However, communities around the US have so far responded in drastically different ways to the Covid-19 pandemic some imposing policies that have slowed transmission, and others rejecting those policies and suffering terrible consequences in the form of overwhelmed hospitals and thousands of preventable deaths. So its likely that both the best and worst scenarios could play out in parallel over the coming months, in different places.
As people head indoors to warm up from the cold and celebrate the winter holidays, omicron will find ample opportunities to jump from lung to lung. In addition to its greater transmissibility, early results also show omicron can better evade the shielding provided by the immune system thats built up from vaccines or from prior infections. One recent study suggests that antibodies produced to counter past versions of the virus are far less effective at curbing omicron, which could make the variant more likely to cause a breakthrough infection or reinfection.
At the same time, the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is continuing to wreak havoc, having recently pushed the US death toll above 800,000. Flu could come roaring back this winter, as well, generating a fresh wave of hospitalizations among the most vulnerable to that infection, too. The combined threats of all these respiratory illnesses could push some hospitals to horrific new levels of overcapacity especially those already stretched thin from staffing shortages and other strains after two years of crisis.
Specifically, experts worry that hospitals will have to ration care or turn patients who need life-saving care away something many hospitals had to do in earlier Covid-19 surges if a a lot of new severely ill patients come flooding through the doors.
Besides the toll of suffering and death which will inevitably go up if, in fact, we have that convergence in the winter months of flu and omicron and delta, we could get our hospital systems overwhelmed, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Thursday.
But how bad, exactly, could it get?
Fox and his colleagues modeled Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths through the winter and into May 2022. For their 18 scenarios, they tweaked factors like the transmissibility of omicron, differing degrees of severity of the virus, the level of immunity in the US population, the likelihood of reinfection among Covid-19 survivors and breakthrough infections among those vaccinated, and the number of people who topped up their vaccine doses with a booster.
Under all the scenarios they modeled, omicron supplanted delta and became the main driver of Covid-19 infections, pushing case counts higher. The first key finding is that unless significant transmission reduction happens in our communities, were likely to see an omicron surge that rivals the previous peak that we saw in January 2021, Fox said.
The most optimistic scenario emerged when omicron was 50 percent more transmissible than delta and 10 percent better at eluding immunity from vaccines and previous infections, yet led to equally severe illnesses. That scenario also presumed many people will get boosters at 80 percent uptake by March 2022 but that no other policy or behavior changes are made to reduce transmission. It predicted a Covid-19 peak in mid-January 2022, but with 8 percent fewer cases and 43 percent fewer hospitalizations than the same six-month period the year before. It also led to 54 percent fewer deaths, totaling 152,000 (still a grim result).
The worst outcome arose when the model assumed omicron was just as transmissible as delta, but far more evasive of prior immunity and much more likely to cause severe disease. In this scenario, prior immunity was 85 percent less effective at preventing infection from omicron, and protection against death was 22 percent lower. In this worst case, vaccine booster uptake remained fairly low, reaching only 57 percent by the end of March 2022. This resulted in Covid-19 cases peaking in early February 2022 and 342,000 deaths over six months, a 20 percent increase from 2021.
That Covid-19s devastation could be even worse in an era of vaccines and treatments is tragic, a stark consequence of failing to get the pandemic under control across the country.
However, if the booster uptake rate increased to 80 percent, Covid-19 cases in this scenario dropped by 5 percent, hospitalizations by 12 percent, and deaths by 13 percent. That translates to 1.3 million averted infections and 39,000 lives saved between December 2021 and May 2022.
The scenarios show that there is a bit of luck involved in how harsh the next few months will be, but specific actions like getting booster doses of vaccines rolled out can vastly improve the outlook.
For millions of Americans, now two years into the pandemic, omicron is triggering an exasperating episode of dj vu.
However, the question of the variants severity is still unclear. And researchers warn that even if omicron turns out to be less dangerous for individuals, it could still cause widespread damage if it continues to spread out of control.
The context for the omicron surge also varies throughout the country, something not accounted for in the UT Austin simulation. This analysis is really just looking at an average across the whole country, said Fox.
There are things it doesnt factor in: the rate of preexisting health conditions, access to health care, exposure to prior waves of infection, adherence to mask-wearing, and vaccine uptake which can be radically different around the country. Around 72 percent of the US population have received at least one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine, but in states like Idaho and Mississippi, only half have gotten it. New Hampshire, meanwhile, is above 90 percent. There are around 90 million people who are unvaccinated against Covid-19 throughout the country, but many are concentrated in distinct regions, often aligned with political views.
That means omicron could play out quite differently in different parts of the country, with some places facing far more hospitalizations and deaths than others with high vaccination rates. And given how readily omicron can spread, the regions with lower vaccination rates that have so far lucked out of previous waves may now be vulnerable.
People who have not been previously infected or immunized against Covid-19 face the greatest risk of omicron infection. But omicron has also shown that vaccinations are not an impermeable shield against infection.
Many omicron cases have been detected in people who completed their course of Covid-19 vaccines, even in some people who received booster doses. Its a disheartening prospect for people who have rigorously followed public health advice throughout the pandemic, eager for it to be over.
I share the frustration, said Justin Feldman, a research fellow and social epidemiologist at Harvard University. Unfortunately, I dont think that [the coming omicron wave is] something that individuals can solve with their own personal behaviors.
The most impactful measures for dealing with Covid-19 have to happen at the policy level, according to Feldman. That includes easily accessible widespread testing for Covid-19 to detect infections early so people can isolate from others and seek treatment, something the US is still struggling to do. It also includes mandates for vaccines, quarantine and isolation rules for workers, regulations for indoor ventilation, making high-quality masks widely available, and training a corps of pandemic responders to administer tests, treatments, and vaccines.
These are things Biden should have been trying to build since January 20, but largely hasnt because the administration went with a very vaccine-centric approach, Feldman said.
While the White House has taken some steps to implement some of these policies, like purchasing and distributing millions of rapid Covid-19 tests, its becoming clear there is little political will to implement more restrictions even as another towering wave of Covid-19 infections crests. Mask mandates are lapsing, travel is increasing, businesses are reopening, and large indoor gatherings are resuming.
But that doesnt mean apathy is the solution, wrote Voxs Dylan Scott.
The pandemic playbook of maintaining social distancing, rigorous hand-washing, wearing face coverings, getting tested for Covid-19 after a possible exposure, and getting vaccinated remains useful, even if it doesnt completely solve the problem.
With omicron, there are some tweaks to this; namely, for eligible vaccinated people to get boosters and for people to ditch cloth face masks for higher-quality options, like N95 respirators and KN95 masks.
We are really recommending that people up their mask game, especially now with omicron, Gounder said.
Regardless of what course omicron takes throughout the country, health officials are bracing for a situation that will get far worse before it gets better. I think we really do need to anticipate there probably will be a surge and increase in hospitalizations over the coming months, Gounder said. Just how dangerous it will be is partly in our hands.
