It was overwhelming, say immunologist Dr Chris Puliuvea and virologist Dr Natalie Netzler.
TheNew Zealand Association of Scientists(NZAS) had called to say the pair had won New Zealands most coveted science communication prize, the 2023Cranwell Medal,for their community engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was such a privilege and an honour, Netzler says.
We all remember the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic the fear and the lockdowns, the loneliness, and perhaps the losses of those we loved. The quiet cities. The variants and the vaccinations. Working from home, the toilet paper wars.
Those days are still raw, and of course, COVID-19 is still with us.
Puliuvea, who is Tongan, was then a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland. Netzler is Mori and Samoan and a senior lecturer also at the University of Auckland. Neither set out to win the prize, they were simply responding to the Mori and Pasifika communities need for unambiguous, factual information on the disease, and on the vaccinations under development. Pasifika communities are people of Pacific ethnic origin living in New Zealand.
By the end of June 2021, both researchershad been fielding COVID-related questions from family and friends in their Pasifika and Mori communities for months. Whats this new vaccine?, Why get vaccinated Is it safe?, What do we do?
New Zealands often-cursed tyranny of distance and government policy were working in the countrys favour by then,there were just 2741 cases,and31 people had succumbed to the disease. Globally, the picture was dire, withabout 180 million cases and almost 4 million deaths.TheUS Food and Drug Administrations approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer BioNTech, on 23 August was then still almost two months away.
Then Puliuvea and Netzler received invitations to talk at theInaugural Pacific Peoples Fono(meeting), held In Auckland in June 2021. The conference, hosted by Mori and Pacific Island researchers from the Universities of Auckland and Otago, discussed research into issues affecting Pacific peoples.
Subjects ranged from antimicrobial resistance to drug development, traditional medicines, and COVID-19, with Netzler covering vaccines and PuIiuvea, the immune response. Researchers also focussed on correcting misinformation and disinformation, says Puliuvea. The hall was packed with a broad cross-section of Aucklands Mori and Pacific communities, including community organisations, nurses, midwives, clinicians and doctors.
Puliuvea and Netzler were flooded with questions. Netzler says that the response showed the communitys appetite for answers they were really struggling to find a touch-point that was relatable, where they could get the answers that they needed, she says.
Multiple invitations followed, and more talks were given, at community groups and organisations in Auckland, and online more than 60 events:videos, webinars, Tik Tok and Facebook Lives, reaching into Mori and Pasifika communities in New Zealand, Australia and throughout the Pacific, says Netzler.
The videos, on how vaccines work and getting vaccinated, were created because the pair couldnt keep up with demand, says Puliuvea. Many of the face-to-face and online events were set up by Youth Horizons (Kia Puwai) Pasifika Principal Advisor, Synthia Dash, with the first aimed at Kia Puwais Pasifika and Mori frontline staff, 90% of whom were averse to vaccination.
Dash knew that Netzler and Puliuvea had the necessary cultural competency and humility to sensitively frame the information without stepping on the cultural and religious beliefs holding staff back from vaccination. Proportions reversed after 6 months of work, with 90% taking the needle. What we wanted was to answer specific questions and make sure that people felt like it was a two-way dialogue, so they were empowered, says Netzler. At one of those meetings, she continues, a guy got up and said: Ive never seen a scientist that looks like us, before.
Science is full of jargon converting the language of COVID-19 into understandable English was, and is, a challenge in itself. Translation into meaningful Mori, Tongan, Samoan, Niuean and Tuvaluan, adds further complexity, particularly as there are often no equivalents for the terms needed.
The researchers presentations were translated into these languages through a range of organisations. A partnership with theMokoFoundation delivered the English-Mori translation, and Puliuvea did the Tongan translations. He would often Tonganise a word to make it flow within a sentence in that language. Antibody would become antipoti, lockdown would become lokatauni, so that the Tongan community could relate it to the English word when they came across it, he says. Immune system became sisitemi malui. Malui means to protect.
At one of those meetings, a guy got up and said: Ive never seen a scientist that looks like us, before.
Puliuvea and Netzler also made extensive use of analogies. One of Netzlers favourites involved going to war with the virus, and comparing the vaccination to a fire drill. Antibodies are the weapons, shed say, and the vaccine is like a fire drill, teaching your body how to fight off the virus before it brings the house down. Viruses, like fires, can get away on you, shed continue, and become uncontrollable. If youve had a vaccination, your immune response has been trained and can quickly quench a real infection before it brings the house down.
In addition, Puliuvea says Mori and Pasifika communities are showing a lot of interest in the publication of a dictionary of medical terms in their languages. We dont need to wait for a pandemic for this to happen, he adds. We need medical terms and their Mori and Pasifika translations, to improve communication between communities and local medical professionals.
Some lists do exist already April 2020 saw the release of a list ofMori terms for COVID.
Its not merely the need to understand concepts which drives these communities.
Data are hard to come by, but the New Zealand Medical Journalreportedthat Mori are 2.5 times, and Pasifika 1.8 times, more likely to die of a COVID-19 infection than European New Zealanders.
A variety of issues contribute, includingmultigenerational livingwhich tends to overcrowding because of the lack of suitable housing, andpoverty, which exacerbates access to health care.
We need medical terms and their Mori and Pasifika translations, to improve communication between communities and local medical professionals.
And there may be genetic reasons. The gene, LZTFL1, has been associated witha two-fold increase in respiratoryfailure in COVID patients. A variant of this gene causes shorter villi in the upper respiratory tract in some Southeast Asian populations, which means that the virus spreads more easily into the body, resulting in severe disease, says Puliuvea.
That gene is slightly different in Mori and Pacific people, and Puliuvea is currently exploring linkages with disease. If the variant is associated with severe illness, we can prioritise carriers for vaccination, he says. We detected more than 2000 unique genetic variants in Mori and Pasifika people, that were virtually absent in other populations. Some of these unique variants occurred in up to 30% of the people sampled, he adds.
Puliuvea and Netzler continue to drive health literacy and empower Mori and Pasifika communities. As Netzler said, Chris and I were really honoured with this medal, but there was such a group effort, involving a lot of partnering with a lot of people, including churches, charities, schools, and other organisations.
image:
Jaccard distance Jd between dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants in the United Kingdom.
Credit: Levi et al
An AI model can predict which SARS-CoV-2 variants are likely to cause new waves of infection. Current models used to predict the dynamics of viral transmission do not predict variant-specific spread. Retsef Levi and colleaguesstudied what factors could shape the viral spread based on analysisof 9 million SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequences collected by the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) from 30 countries, along with data on vaccination rates, infection rates, and other factors. The patterns that emerged from this analysis were used to build a machine-learning enabled risk assessment model. The model can detect 72.8% of the variantsin each countrythat will cause at least1,000 cases per million peoplein the next three months after an observation period of only one week after detection.This predictive performance increases to 80.1% after two weeks of observation. Among the strongest predictorsthat a variant will become infectious are the early trajectory of the infections caused by the variant, the variants spike mutations, and how different the mutations of a new variant are from those of the most dominant variant during the observation period. The modeling approach could potentially be extendedto predict the future course of other infectious diseases as well, according to the authors.
Predicting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants: An artificial intelligence enabled early detection
2-Jan-2024
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
Dent County residents should be aware of the currently circulating respiratory illnesses affecting our county so they may make informed choices. Over 200 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in November and December. Influenza cases have started already as well, which is earlier than usual for Dent County.
Free Vaccines Still Available
We have a small supply of free influenza and COVID-19 vaccine. Dont let lack of insurance stop you from being protected!
While there are no official numbers, rhinovirus (typically causes the common cold) is also circulating extensively. Normally we would not report this, as it is not out of the usual. However, we have received reports from individuals and healthcare providers that many individuals who have rhinovirus are sicker than they normally would be. Our staff will continue to monitor the situation.It should be noted that there are no reports (that we are aware of) that rhinovirus is causing severe illness requiring hospitalization, like COVID-19 and Influenza are capable of. Residents should take normal wintertime precautions for rhinovirus.
Cover your coughs and sneezes
Consider wearing a mask, especially when sick
There are currently no treatments or vaccines available for rhinovirus other than supportive care (antihistamines, decongestants, fever reducers, etc.).
Our 19-panel Biofire test includes a test for rhinovirus. This test costs $149 but is available without a physician order at our office.
Strep throat is a common bacterial illness in children and has been prevalent in Dent County recently. It is even more common after a viral illness like COVID-19 or rhinovirus. Sometimes, viral illnesses can mimic the signs of strep throat. Strep throat is contagious and children should stay home until they have had 12-24 hours of antibiotic treatment and are fever free. A quick throat swab can detect the bacteria that causes strep throat. At our office this is $20 and no physician order is necessary.
Current COVID-19 hospitalization rate is about half of what it was in winter of 2021 during the Delta wave. Vaccination reduces the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
According to the CDC, as of Dec. 28, 2023, in Dent County, the COVID-19 hospital admission level is medium.
If you are at high risk of getting very sick, wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) when indoors in public.
If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact, and consider wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them.
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
Maintain ventilation improvements.
Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Follow recommendations for isolation if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Follow the recommendations for what to do if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19.
COVID-19 has branched off many times. Current strains are still considered to be Omicron, but subtypes are still tracked and the virus has mutated many times. In the course of about a month, the variant JN.1 has become the predominant strain in the United States. Current vaccines are shown to provide good protection against the variant, with possibly the strongest protection coming from the Novavax protein subunit vaccine.
Immunity wanes rapidly after COVID-19 infection. People are subject to reinfection after about 3 months. Immunity from vaccines wanes at a similar rate, but provides better protection and without the risk of COVID-19 itself.
Previously having COVID-19 does not mean you cannot get COVID-19 again.
Masking: As a virus primarily spread by aerosol and droplets, high quality masks (preferably N95s) can reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by reducing the number of viral particles being expelled from the infected individual and reducing the number of viral particles inhaled by the healthy individual.
No mask can prevent 100% of viral particles from being transmitted, but several studies have shown that reducing the exposure (smaller number of viral particles) gives the body a greater chance of getting ahead of the infection. A larger dose of viral particles often leads to more severe illness. Therefore, a mask may not completely prevent you from getting COVID-19, but it will reduce your risk of severe illness if you do get it.
Vaccination: Vaccine efficacy is variable depending on many different factors. Current vaccines will not prevent you from getting COVID-19, but they strongly reduce your risk of severe illness and death. They also reduce your risk of Long COVID, which can be severely debilitating. Vaccination is recommended for all individuals ages 6 months and over.
Long COVID can include a wide range of ongoing health problems; these conditions can last weeks, months, or years.
Long COVID occurs more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, but anyone who has been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience it.
People who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and become infected may have a higher risk of developing Long COVID compared to people who have been vaccinated.
People can be reinfected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, multiple times. Each time a person is infected or reinfected with SARS-CoV-2, they have a risk of developing Long COVID.
While most people with Long COVID have evidence of infection or COVID-19 illness, in some cases, a person with Long COVID may not have tested positive for the virus or known they were infected.
CDC and partners are working to understand more about who experiences Long COVID and why, including whether groups disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 are at higher risk.
At this time of year, it is recommended to test for COVID-19 and influenza jointly if experiencing respiratory symptoms. We offer this combination antigen test for $20 at our office without a physician order.
We can perform molecular testing as well.
Our 19-panel Biofire test includes a test for influenza A&B. This test costs $149 but is available without a physician order at our office
While pandemic protocols like two weeks to flatten the COVID-19 curve and the following mask and vaccine mandates are pretty much in the rearview mirror for most Florida residents, businesses and institutions, the virus is still circulating and sickening people.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to monitor the presence of COVID-19, and as it does institutions like Hillsborough County Public Schools are looking to the agency for ongoing guidance to set policies and inform families and students who have questions.
The district continues to communicate CDC guidelines if and when a parent seeks guidance from our student health professionals, said Hillsborough County Public Schools Chief of Chief of Communications Tanya Arja.
Arja added that a doctor is the best person to determine a students health status, and a basic guideline is that feeling unwell is a sign to stay home and not stress too much over out-of-class time.
We let parents know that they should follow the instructions from their doctor, which is typically to isolate for five days. Overall, if students and staff do not feel well, they should stay home. Our staff works with parents on make-up assignments that were missed due to illness.
Participation in one district education program that may involve stricter COVID-19 rules regarding masking and vaccinations is the EMT training program operated out of Aparicio-Levy Technical College. Students working with the programs clinical partners are generally required to follow their masking and vaccine requirements.
Free COVID-19 tests are available from the CDC by visiting www.covidtests.gov, where you can also find additional information about the current state of the disease and recommended precautions. According to the agencys website, each home in the country can order four at-home tests at no charge. If the household has not requested any tests so far in 2023, a total of eight tests can be ordered.
The CDC states on its website that if you know you have been exposed to COVID-19, you should wait at least five days before taking a test. The CDC also suggests testing might be appropriate before visiting someone, such as an older or chronically ill person, or attending some social gatherings.
As for how the virus may affect things like operating schools in Hillsborough County, Arja said, The health and wellbeing of our students and staff is a priority for the district.
The CDCs www.vaccines.gov website provides information about getting vaccinated.
Seven months after the World Health Organization (WHO) downgraded monkey pox from a global threat, an outbreak in Africa could go beyond the continents borders.
After a year in which nearly 90,000 people were infected with monkey pox, and 140 people died, the WHO downgraded the disease in May 2023 from its status as a global health emergency.
Monkey pox, also known as mpox, had spread rapidly in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic when awareness of public health was at a maximum.
Monkey pox continues to pose significant public health challenges that need a robust, proactive and sustainable response, said WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the time. And he was right.
By mid-December last year, the WHO was sounding the monkey pox alarm again.
On December 15, the WHO warned that an epidemic of monkey pox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could spread internationally, as a rise in sexual transmissions had been detected.
Japans health ministry reported two days earlier on December 13 that the country had seen its first fatality from monkey pox.
The patient had a prior infection with HIV and no travel history, said the health ministry in a statement, and it was not immediately clear how they had become infected.
There are ongoing outbreaks in Asia in Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and China so, the case neednt have come from Africa.
But Rosamund Lewis, the WHOs technical lead for monkey pox, said the organisation was concerned about further international transmission from the DRC.
There was a rapidly expanding outbreak in the country, she explained, with more than 13,000 suspected cases of the disease more than 1,000 per month and up to or more than 600 deaths so far.
While monkey pox can be transmitted sexually, experts do not describe the disease as a sexually transmitted infection (STI). But sex is one of the main transmission routes.
The WHOs official advice states that monkey pox is spread by close contact with an infected person. That includes talking and breathing near an infected person via droplets as we learned during the COVID pandemic, but also via sexual activity.
(S)kin-to-skin (touching or vaginal/anal sex); mouth-to-mouth (such as kissing); or mouth-to-skin contact (such as oral sex or kissing the skin). During the global outbreak that began in 2022, the virus mostly spread through sexual contact, states the WHO.
It can also spread via cuts, lesions and contact with mucous membranes washing hands after any such contact, and disinfecting surfaces, is essential for preventing the spread of monkey pox.
Monkey pox can also be transmitted from animals to humans, for instance if an infected animal is consumed by a human but the meat is not sufficiently cooked.
There are indications that monkey pox can also spread from humans to animals, such as pets, but the evidence is inconclusive.
Monkey pox is an infectious virus that experts now prefer to call mpox to avoid associations with monkeys or the idea that it does not affect people.
It was first discovered in 1958 among monkeys used for research in a Danish laboratory.
The first reported human case of the disease was in a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.
A common symptom of the disease is a rash that persists for 2-4 weeks. The rash often a blister or as sores can affect the face, palms of the hands and soles of the feet, and groin, genital and anal regions of the body.
The extent of the rash can range from just a few blisters to thousands, with lesions found in the mouth, throat, rectum and vagina hence, that heightened risk of transmission through sexual activity.
Further symptoms are typical of other viral infections: fever, headache, muscle pain, low energy, and swollen glands.
In severe cases, monkey pox has been linked to secondary bacterial infections, and can spread to the lungs, eyes, brain and heart.
The monkey pox mortality rate lies between 0.1% and 10% of cases.
There is an antiviral medication called tecovirimat SIGA, which is used to treat monkey pox, cowpox and smallpox the latter is an eradicated disease.
The European Medicines Agency Europes drug approval body says the three infections are all caused by viruses that belong to the same family, known as orthopoxviruses.
Tecovirimat interferes with a protein (called VP37) found on the surface of the virus and slows down its ability to spread.
There are three vaccines against monkey pox derived through research into smallpox.
Currently, the WHO does not advise mass vaccination against monkey pox.
It says only people who are at risk should be considered for vaccination and people at risk are those who have close contact with an infected person including, but not limited to, sexual partners and healthcare workers.
VOORHEES TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- Travel respiratory illness numbers are going up across the Philadelphia region following holiday gatherings.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of December 29, flu activity is minimal in Delaware, high in Pennsylvania, and very high in New Jersey.
The latest data from the New Jersey Department of Health shows every corner of the state is affected, with more than 19,000 cases reported since early October, and more than 6,000 in just the past week.
Action News asked Dr. Charles Nolte, Virtua Health medical director, why New Jersey is currently faring the worst in the region.
SEE ALSO: RSV in winter: Everything you need to know about symptoms, treatments, shots
"It's hard to predict why that happened but I can tell you feeling it in the department. I've been practicing emergency medicine for 19 years and this does feel like it's the highest volume. I think it's the confluence of having those three viruses at the same time," Dr. Nolte said.
Flu, COVID-19 and RSV are all circulating right now. While the surge in sickness is expected this time of year, Nolte said the volume of patients and battling these three viruses at once is unique.
"It's not too late to be vaccinated, so if you haven't been vaccinated for COVID-19 or influenza and you're not currently having symptoms, it is your best interest to seek vaccination," Nolte said. Additionally, Nolte said it's important for those with underlying medical conditions or comorbidities to be especially thoughtful as they go about their day-to-day routine as they're more susceptible to illness than the average person.
For now, Virtua Health is requiring doctors and staff to wear masks. It's highly recommended but optional for patients.
SEE ALSO: RSV, flu and COVID-19: How can you tell the difference? Doctor explains
RSV, flu and COVID-19: How can you tell the difference? Doctor explains
Nolte anticipates another spike in illness and an even higher volume of patients in the weeks ahead.
In order to relive activity in emergency departments at hospitals, if you think you might have the flu, COVID-19, or RSV, he recommends visiting an urgent care facility or checking with your family doctor first.
"If you feel like you have a viral-like illness, fever, chills, headache, cough, and cold, there's other resources besides emergency departments where you can get care. Having that little bit of self-triage can offload emergency departments," Nolte said.
In 2021 and 2022, the proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 and influenza patients admitted to a US intensive care unit (ICU) were similar, but COVID-19 patients admitted during the Omicron BA.5 variant period were more likely to die in the hospital, according to a study published late last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
A team led by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers analyzed medical records and COVID-19 and flu surveillance network data from selected counties in 14 states from October 2021 to September 2022.
"After very low levels of influenza circulation during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, circulation increased during the 2021-2022 season," the researchers wrote. "The epidemiology of COVID-19 has also changed during the pandemic with circulation of new variants and increasing population-level immunity."
In total, 5,777 and 2,363 eligible adults were hospitalized for COVID-19 and flu, respectively. Amid the Delta variant-predominant period (October to December 2021), 1,632 were hospitalized, compared with 1,451 during the Omicron BA.5 period (June to September 2022). During the 2011-22 respiratory virus season, 2,363 people were hospitalized for flu.
During the Delta- and Omicron BA.5- predominant periods, 29.6% and 70.3% of hospitalized adults, respectively, completed at least a primary COVID-19 vaccination series, while 56.2% of flu patients were current on seasonal flu shots.
Continued monitoring of severity trends is warranted as new variants circulate and population-level immunity changes.
The proportion of COVID-19 patients who were admitted to an ICU, received invasive mechanical ventilation/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (IMV/ECMO), or died in the hospital declined from the Delta to the Omicron BA.5 period. A similar percentage of Omicron BA.5 and flu patients were admitted to an ICU (15.5% vs 13.3%) and received oxygen via high-flow nasal cannula (7.1% vs 9.5%), noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (11.7% vs 14.4%), or IMV/ECMO (5.9% vs 4.2%).
Relative to flu patients, those infected with Omicron BA.5 had higher rates of vasopressor use (8.2% vs 4.8%), renal replacement therapy (5.2% vs 3.4%), and in-hospital death (4.6% vs 2.6%). In-hospital death rates were higher only for those aged 18 to 49 years during the Omicron BA.5 period; there was no difference in death rates for any other age-group between Omicron BA.5 and flu.
The reduced disease severity amid Omicron BA.5 predominance is likely multifactorial, including increased population-level SARS-CoV-2 immunity from vaccination and previous infection, broader availability of effective drugs, and refined clinical management strategies, the study authors said.
"Despite declines in COVID-19 severity, this analysis demonstrates that both viruses continue to cause severe disease among hospitalized patients, and optimizing disease prevention and treatment strategies like vaccinations, antiviral medications, and use of non-pharmaceutical interventions may attenuate severe disease," the researchers wrote. "Continued monitoring of severity trends is warranted as new variants circulate and population-level immunity changes."
FOX News contributor Deroy Murdock discusses a decline in vehicle manufacturing productivity, the UAW strike and the Biden administration's latest student loan handout on 'The Bottom Line.'
Congressional Republicans are celebrating the Small Business Administration (SBA) collecting on COVID-19 loans after putting pressure on the agency to do so.
Several GOP senators and House members have put the SBA in their sights regarding the pandemic-era loans, with the agency telling lawmakers they are going to collect repayments from defaulted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loans under $100,000.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has been a leading voice on the issue, told Fox News Digital that "2024 is already bringing new opportunities for accountability at Bidens mismanaged SBA!"
HOUSE REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING SBA OVER ALLEGED MISAPPROPRIATION OF COVID FUND
Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital that the SBA is moving to get repayments from defaulted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loans under $100,000. (Getty Images)
"After nearly a year of oversight, the agency finally answered my calls to collect billions of taxpayer dollars in delinquent and fraudulent COVID loans," Ernst, the ranking member of the Senate Small Business Committee, said.
"I will keep working to ensure the more than $200 billion the agency doled out to fraudsters does not go unpunished or uncollected, and as always, I am committed to making Washington bureaucrats squeal and protecting our hard-earned dollars from waste and abuse," she said.
House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams told Fox News Digital it "is great to see the Committees oversight activities culminate in the SBA reversing course to finally do right by the taxpayers."
"However, our work is not done," Williams said. "The Committee will continue looking into why the SBA didnt send these loans to Treasury earlier, the quantitative analysis to justify this decision, and how the government should appropriately handle the remaining pandemic loan portfolio."
Rep. Roger Williams, a Republican from Texas, speaks during a House Financial Services Committee hearing investigating the collapse of FTX in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Fox News Digital obtained the December letter from SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman announcing the move by the agency.
The letter was sent to Ernst, Williams and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., ranking member of the Senate Small Business Committee, as well as House Small Business Committee ranking member Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.
"As we have shared with your teams and committed to in collaboration with the Inspector General, the SBA has performed a more recent analysis of the debt performance of the portfolio as part of our ongoing management and protection of taxpayer funds," Guzman wrote.
"Our aim is to leverage as many collection steps as are financially beneficial," she continued.
Guzman said, "I am writing to inform you that with this latest analysis, and using recent, updated data, SBA's debt collection forecast for the PPP and COVID-19 EIDL portfolio now show a likely positive return to the taxpayer with a referral to the Department of Treasury, the final step of collection."
Fox News Digital obtained the December letter from SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman announcing the move by the agency. (Bill O'Leary-Pool/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"SBA will begin referring PPP and COVID EIDL small business borrowers with loans under $100,000 in default to the Treasury for IRS-led and third-party collection activities," Guzman said. "As you are aware, currently those with loans $100,000 and over in default are already referred to the Treasury."
"SBA continually monitors all of our loan portfolios, including PPP and COVID EIDL, through regular reporting and sophisticated financial modeling," she continued. "This work is especially critical for PPP and COVID EIDL because both programs were the first of their kind."
"Given the unique nature of these programs, SBA took careful consideration to find the best course of action to appropriately manage limited taxpayer resources while supporting the small businesses who fell on difficult times during the pandemic," Guzman added.
Guzman wrote that the "SBA fully exhausts all collection tools at its disposal including direct customer outreach, collateral and personal guarantees, credit reporting, and CAIVRS/ Treasury Do Not Pay lists, among others" and that in "the spring of 2022, SBA analyzed the cost effectiveness of the final step of collection, which is Treasury referrals, on loans under $100,000 and found the activities would cost taxpayers more to collect than the anticipated amount recovered due to the unique statutory components of these COVID programs."
"Accordingly, I executed my authority under section 3711 of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996," Guzman wrote.
"Nothing about that 2022 process on $100,000 and under loans changed SBA's fundamental position that every borrower who takes a loan from SBA should pay it back or comply with the requirements for forgiveness, in the case of PPP."
"That is why SBA has always continued to collect on all loans and communicate the consequences from nonpayment," she continued.
"Additionally, please note that the above discussion does not apply to fraudulent activity. Please be reminded that all identified fraudulent and likely fraudulent loans are referred to the Office of the Inspector General for appropriate collection through law enforcement following every legally permissible step to collect. All other loans without indicia of fraud follow the steps outlined in the attachment How SBA Collects, which we shared with your offices earlier this year."
The SBA said it would be collecting on PPP and EIDL loans under $100,000, reversing its earlier policy. In 2022, the agency enacted a policy to not collect some loans under $100,000, citing the cost of referring the loans to the Treasury Department for collection.
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The SBA said last month that it estimated $30 billion in unpaid PPP and EIDL loans that are up to $100,000, and that the potential loss to the programs would be nearly 2.5 percent of their total portfolios.
An SBA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that after "an updated December 2023 data analysis determined that referring COVID EIDL and PPP loans less than $100,000 to IRS and Treasury will be cost effective for the government, the Small Business Administration (SBA) took swift action to incorporate this into our collection process."
"There have always been repercussions for nonpayment, including reporting to credit bureaus and ineligibility for other federal programs, and theSBA will continue to pursue every legal, cost-effective method to help small business borrowers come into compliance by either securing forgiveness for or repaying their pandemic loans as required by law," the spokesperson added.
Flu cases continued a steep climb last week while RSV cases dropped again, according to new figures from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The department tallied 13,525 lab-confirmed flu cases during the week ending Saturday, up from about 12,000 during the previous week. Because most people who get the flu dont get tested, those cases represent only a fraction of the total.
In its weekly update on the impact of respiratory illnesses in the state, the health department said emergency department visits involving the flu are increasing all over the state among all age groups.
Pennsylvania has seen 31 flu-related deaths during the respiratory illnesses season that officially began Oct. 1.
RSV cases fell for the second consecutive week but remained high, with the department recording 4,771 cases, down from a recent peak of 5,458 weekly cases.
The health department said emergency department visits involving people who tested positive for COVID-19 increased slightly during the week ending Saturday, with the number of hospital patients who tested positive for COVID-19 also increasing.
That included 1,295 people who tested positive for COVID-19 admitted to Pennsylvania hospitals during the week ending Dec. 23, up from 1,031 the previous week.
Since Oct. 1, Pennsylvania has registered 894 COVID-19-related deaths, including 57 during the most recent week.
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. COVID-19 cases across the United States are on the rise once again. A map recently published by the Centers for Disease Control shows that Region Seven, which includes Missouri and Kansas, is the worst-affected area.
Some hospitals are recommending mask mandates again. In light of rising cases, KSHB 41 asked the Johnson County Health Department and KU Health System about the potential for another mask mandate for its employees and visitors.
We have some individual patient wards that have gone back to masking for the staff and for patients, and in some cases, the visitors as well, said Dr. Steven Stites of KU Health System. I don't see that we're going to go to general masking across the entire health system in the immediate future.
At the Johnson County Health Department, the only procedure they have in place is for employees who are not vaccinated to wear a mask.
Regardless of any policies around personal protective gear, both health care providers are concerned about the recent uptick in cases and, especially, the low vaccination rates.
Right now in JoCo, COVID-19 vaccination rates for children is only at 10%, and for adults, it is around 20%.
Even though the virus is changing, the booster will still have some impact in terms of the level of severity, said Hunt. Were still recommending people get vaccinated. Even though the numbers are much higher now than they were a few weeks ago, its not too late to get vaccinated."
A year and a half after her first COVID-19 infection, Sarah Freyman found herself down for the count again. She dealt with her second infection in late December, when area health officials say they started to see a spike.
I feel like were living in a world where not as many people talk about COVID. So, didnt think that I was going to test positive, but that was the biggest shock of the whole thing, said Freyman.
Having recently had it, Freyman hopes she will be stronger against the virus in the coming months. But she also says a yearly booster is not out of the question for extra protection.
Obviously, no ones wearing masks anymore and think that were all just not as in the know about potentially getting COVID, said Freyman.
Health care providers expect to see COVID-19 cases increase following Christmas and New Years Eve. It is also important to remember COVID-19 infections take time to test positive, so current numbers do not accurately reflect the holidays.
What will that do to the COVID numbers here or in about two or three weeks? said Dr. Stites.
