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After reporting 34 cases of JN.1 on December 25, an additional 165 cases from Karnataka are found to be infected with the highly transmissible new sub-variant of Omicron. With this, the total JN.1 cases in the State has now touched 199.
This follows whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 601 samples at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and NCBS in Bengaluru. As of Monday, of the results of 262 samples that have been received, while 76% have been found to be infected with JN.1, 11% (28) are found to be positive for XBB and the remaining are other variants.
While the district-wise break up of the JN.1 cases was not made available, officials said over 60% are from Bengaluru. In the first lot of 34 JN.1 cases, 20 were from Bengaluru.
On Monday, one more death and 296 new cases were reported, taking the total number of active cases to 1,245. The total number of deaths reported since December 15 has now touched 14. A 55-year-old male from Mysuru, who was diagnosed with SARI and admitted to a government hospital on December 26, died on December 29. He also had diabetes, hypertension and was on dialysis.
Of the 296 cases, as many as 131 are from Bengaluru. The city now has 634 active cases. Of the 1,245 active patients, 66 are being treated in hospitals. While 20 are being treated in ICUs, the remaining have been isolated in general wards.
As many as 5,021 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours of which 4,036 are RTPCR tests. With this the days test positivity rate (TPR) touched 5.89%.
Meanwhile, the State has received 30,000 doses of Corbevax from the Centre on Sunday (December 31). According to an official press release, the doses have been distributed to the districts based on the requirement.
Of the 30,000 doses, as many as 5,680 doses have been allotted to BBMP followed by 2,280 to Belagavi. While Mysuru has been allotted 1,360 doses, Tumkuru 1,300 and Dakshina Kannada 1,140 doses.
As per guidelines issued by the Centre, Corbevax will be used to administer heterologous precaution dose to those who have not yet taken the third dose. A list of elderly, immunocompromised citizens and those with other comorbidities who have not taken the precaution dose will be downloaded from COWIN portal to prioritise beneficiaries.
The vaccine will be available in district hospitals and taluk hospitals identified by the districts. The health department will take up IEC activities to inform people about the vaccine availability and vaccination centres, stated an official press release.
With 19 coronavirus positive cases detected in Visakhapatnam in the last two days, the doctors opine that compliance with standard safety protocols such as wearing masks can check the spread of the virus. The city reported nine positive cases on December 31 (Sunday) while 10 cases were confirmed on January 1 (Monday).
In total, 4,103 COVID-19 tests have been done since December 1, 2023 in Andhra Pradesh, of which 152 cases have been confirmed positive. The positive cases include 25 from Visakhapatnam (including 20 undergoing treatment in home isolation and five hospital admissions); 16 from NTR district, 11 from Kurnool, eight from Guntur, five from Eluru and four from East Godavari district, according to State Public Health and Family Welfare Director K. Padmavathi.
Oxygen beds are ready in government hospitals, while RT-PCR test is being done at the King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam. There is no cause for alarm. However, non-compliance with the safety protocols such as wearing masks in large gatherings may lead to problems, especially those with existing health issues, says Dr. K. Rambabu, Director of Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS).
The nine positive cases identified at the KGH on December 31 came from different districts of north Andhra region. All the patients are responding well to treatment. The 51-year-old woman, who had died at KGH on Dec 26 had pre-existing conditions, though she tested positive, said Dr. G. Butchi Raju, Principal of Andhra Medical College (AMC).
Referring to the new variant, P.V. Sudhakar, Dean of NRI Institute of Medical Sciences said the JN.1 variant is a sub-type of Omicron and its symptoms are the same. RT-PCR test can detect the presence of the virus, while genome sequencing can detect the variant. Though the transmissibility of JN.1 variant is high, it is rarely causing severe complications, he said.
Deaths caused by the JN.1 variant were reported in some countries. Those with co-morbid conditions and using immuno-suppressive drugs should avoid large gatherings. They should invariably wear a mask, maintain social distance and sanitise their hands frequently to minimise the risk of infection, he said.
There is no cause for alarm as the hospitals are equipped to tackle the eventualities, observed K. Phaninder, a pulmonologist from the city.
However, awareness among the people is important to check the spread of the virus. Most cases are responding to treatment, he said.
The spurt in cases after a gap of 225 days has alerted us and we are planning a mass campaign to educate the people, especially those living in slums on the need to wear masks in social gatherings and to adopt safety precautions, said Praja Arogya Vedika general secretary T. Kameswara Rao.
Hospitals across the U.S. are reinstating COVID-19 mask mandates as the JN.1 variant becomes the dominant strain spreading throughout the country.
Hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. have all brought back divisive rules meaning masks are mandatory for selected people in medical settings. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control has recorded a 10.4 percent increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations across America in the week leading up to December 16. There has been an increase of 3.4 percent in deaths related to coronavirus in the same period. Newsweek has contacted the CDC for comment via email.
Mask mandates have long been controversial since they were implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, which reached the U.S. in early 2020. Medical professionals and the CDC have consistently advocated for mask wearing, including outside of doctor's office or hospital. Currently, no state in the country has a mandatory mask policy for any indoor and outdoor setting.
This week, Mass General Brigham, the largest health system in Massachusetts, said that effective January 2, masks will be essential for healthcare staff directly engaging with patients in clinical-care settings until respiratory illnesses fall below a certain percentage. Patients and visitors are also strongly encouraged to wear masks, which will be provided by the hospital, and staff in hallways and common areas are exempt.
Mass General Brigham said that its policy is determined by the percentage of patients with respiratory illness symptoms presenting at emergency departments or outpatient clinics.
The mandatory masking rule is activated when this percentage surpasses 2.85 percent for two consecutive weeks and will be lifted once the rate falls below the same percentage for a week.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, also said that it would require masks wearing for patients and staff on December 18. The hospital added that the policy would be in place for the foreseeable future.
The hospital said on its website: "We check a number of different data points, including rates of influenza-like illness, staff absenteeism, and emergency room visits and hospitalizations caused by respiratory viruses. We will lift the mask requirement when these data points remain consistently lower."
Staff at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington D.C. are currently required to wear a mask while at work, according to political website The Hill.
University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics are also asking that people wear masks in its medical buildings, including University Hospital, American Family Children's Hospital and East Madison Hospital.
In New York, NYC Health + Hospitals has said there would now be a mask policy in place at all of its facilities, adding on its website that "COVID-19 and other respiratory infections continue to pose a threat to all New Yorkers."
Hospitals in California are also asking patients, workers and visitors to mask up.
Officials in Yolo County said in a news release that, due to "a rise in respiratory virus activity in the community," individuals should consider wearing masks "in crowded, indoor spaces." Aimee Sisson, Yolo County public health officer, said: "Our wastewater monitoring program is currently detecting high COVID-19 and RSV levels. I recommend that everybody in the community take steps to protect themselves from infection, including wearing a high-quality mask when indoors around others."
Marin County hospitals have had a mask mandate in place since November 1 of this year. In Santa Clara County, masks have been required since April 4, 2023. In San Francisco, masks are required in hospital settings for all workers in medical fields and in prisons.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Some hospitals across the United States are reinstating indoor masking rules amid rising cases and hospitalizations of respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 and influenza.
Hospitals in at least six states -- California, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin -- have put masking guidelines in place, according to an ABC News count.
Over the weekend, Mass General Brigham, which is the largest health system in Massachusetts, told ABC News it issued guidelines requiring employee caregivers and those working in patient care areas to wear masks.
Another Massachusetts hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told ABC News it reinstated its masking requirement on Dec. 18 due to higher rates of respiratory illnesses.
Additionally, Cook County Health, which has hospitals and community health centers in and around Chicago, wrote on its website that it began requiring masks for all staff, patients and visitors aged 2 and older in waiting rooms and patient exam rooms on Dec. 26
What's more, a Los Angeles County Public Health order, requiring all health care personnel to wear masks while in contact with patients or working in patient care areas, went into effect after the county's COVID-19 hospital admission level hit the "medium" threshold, meaning between 10 and 19.9 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000.
Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor, said hospitals are full of patients and staff at risk of severe illness, which is why mask guidelines have been reintroduced as cases rise.
"Ultimately, health systems, hospitals, places that deliver care are going to see some of the most vulnerable and at-risk individuals -- many, with underlying conditions," he said. "Those are especially the places where we want to protect individuals and so when we have this rapid rise in respiratory illness, those are going to be the first places to try to use measures to reduce chances of transmission, both to protect patients, those receiving care, as well as workforce."
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 31 states, plus Washington, D.C., are experiencing '"high" or "very high" levels of respiratory illness activity, described as people visiting their primary care office or the emergency departments with respiratory complaints such as fever, sore throat or cough
During the week ending Dec. 23, the latest date for which data is available, there were 29,059 new weekly hospital admissions due to COVID-19, according to the CDC. It marks the seventh consecutive week of increases and the highest figure reported since late January 2023.
Meanwhile, there were 14,732 new hospital admissions linked to influenza for the week ending Dec. 23 compared to 9,930 the previous week, CDC data shows.
Brownstein said the increase is not surprising given that the U.S. is in the middle of respiratory virus season in combination with recent holiday travel and gatherings.
"While there's nothing unusual about what we're seeing, the data still reflects an increase in illness and, as we know, masking will be helpful, regardless of the respiratory pathogen: RSV, COVID, flu, and the other respiratory pathogens that are circulating," he said." So, it's sort of a one size fits all strategy."
Because an increase in respiratory illnesses risks putting a strain on the health care system, Brownstein recommends staying home when sick and seeking care if symptoms worsen or do not improve.
"Of course, we're in a situation where there's a lot of illness out in the population, but we want to make sure that we limit the impact on hospitals and save care for those who especially need it," he said. "If people need to use emergency department, they absolutely should, but we're in a moment now where capacity definitely is a big topic of focus for hospitals that are trying to both maintain their ability to take care of patients with severe illness as a result of these pathogens, but also be able to manage routine care as well."
ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud, Dr. Chris Medrano and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
India has recorded more than 160 cases of the new Covid variant as per the data by the INSACOG, a forum set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The INSACOG's data showed 145 Covid cases recorded in the country in December had the presence of JN.1, while 17 such cases were detected in November.
Besides, 743 fresh infections were also reported, the highest single-day rise in 225 days. Additionally, seven deaths were also reported on Saturday as per the data by the Union Health Ministry.
Seven new fatalities -- three from Kerala, two from Karnataka, and one each from Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu -- were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.
The number of daily cases was in double digits till December 5 but it began to rise again amid cold weather conditions and after the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly increasing spread. However the UN body said that it poses a "low" health risk.
India records over 4,000 active Covid cases, 5 deaths today | 10 updates
The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country.
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Published: 30 Dec 2023, 09:40 AM IST
Many people now view covid-19 as an almost routine inconvenience, much like flu, RSV and other seasonal infections. But four years after reports surfaced of a new respiratory illness, prompting a massive response among researchers, the diseases aftereffects commonly called long covid continue to confound doctors and patients alike.
We know a lot about this particular coronavirus, said Francesca Beaudoin, chair of the department of epidemiology at Brown University. That does not translate into an understanding of the long-term consequences of infection.
As many as 7 percent of Americans report having suffered from a slew of lingering symptoms after enduring covid-19, including fatigue, difficulty breathing, brain fog, joint pain and ongoing loss of taste and smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there is still no clearly defined cause of, or cure for the syndrome.
The costs of our lack of understanding are vast, Beaudoin and others say, creating a huge new burden on the health-care system, as people report limitations in their daily activities including being able to work.
Hospital overcrowding increased sharply on the first day of the new year as flu and Covid-19 cases continued to rise.
Hospitals are bracing themselves for further increases in patient attendances this week as the holiday season comes to an end.
However, with trolley numbers so far running at about half the level recorded last year, a repeat of last years record overcrowding crisis is not expected. There were 80 per cent fewer patients on trolleys over Christmas compared to the previous Christmas.
Attendance at emergency departments remained relatively high throughout the Christmas period, and GP out of hours services were also very busy, the Health Service Executive said. High levels of respiratory illness continue to circulate, and we are seeing increasing numbers of patients attending our EDs and subsequently being admitted due to respiratory symptoms.
An expected 3,000 cases of respiratory illness in the coming weeks and the re-opening of GP surgeries on Tuesday will place further pressure on hospitals, it added.
There were 229 patients waiting for admission to a hospital bed on New Years Day, up from 165 the previous day, according to the HSEs TrolleyGar count. Some 182 of these were boarded in hospital emergency departments and 47 were on wards.
New Years Day 2023 saw 454 patients on trolleys, and numbers increased to record levels in the days that followed.
The HSE has warned that flu and Covid-19 cases will continue to rise for a number of weeks, putting hospitals under further pressure.
Hospitalisations of patients with Covid-19 are running at slightly over half the level seen a year ago. There were 358 patients with Covid-19 in hospital on New Years Day, compared to 678 on the same day in 2023.
There were 11 patients with Covid-19 in ICU on New Years Day, compared to 29 on the same day a year earlier.
Nonetheless, the number of Covid-19 hospitalisations has increased significantly over the past month, as has the percentage of positive tests recorded.
Flu infections were increasing sharply before Christmas, while RSV cases were in decline from very high levels. Updated figures for both viruses were not published over the holiday period.
Monaghan GP Illona Duffy said her practice had its busiest week after Christmas, with three doctors seeing over 100 patients last Friday.
Its almost all respiratory. Theres a definite rise in flu cases, RSV is increasing among kids and Covid-19 is still there.
Some of the children are sicker with RSV, in line with what the HSE is saying, and require hospitalisation.
Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms with high temperatures should restrict their movements and take a Covid-19 test, she recommends.
Vaccine fatigue has contributed to a drop in the number of people with recent flu or Covid-19 shots, she noted.
Separately, some parents anxious about their childrens condition are seeking medical advice prematurely, before the progression of the illness can be established, she said. So long as the child isnt serious, its often better to wait a day or two before going to the GP.
With many people reporting sinus congestion, she advises over-the-counter decongestant remedies and nasal rinsing to ease the problem.
Entering the fifth year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation said the virus continues to evolve and a new phase is beginning with the XBB and BA.2 sublineages circulating and the HN. 1 variant becoming dominant.
Senior WHO scientist Dr Maria van Kerkhove said she was worried that Covid-19 was still a global health threat, circulating at the same time as other pathogens such as flu and RSV.
Cases and hospitalisations for Covid-19 have been on the rise for months. Hospitals in many countries are burdened and overwhelmed from Covid and other pathogens, and deaths are on the rise.
Im worried that too many think Covid is not something to worry about, that they need a new variant with a Greek letter to take this virus seriously.
Im worried we so badly want to move on that governments, many of whom have new leadership and have moved on, will forget the overflowing hospitals, the tents in parking lots for the sick, refrigerated trucks serving as morgues, burial grounds, fire pyres, exhausted health workers.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) showed reduced immune responses to the COVID-19 vaccine compared with controls, in a recent study published in Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine Model | image credit: Jacob Lund - stock.adobe.com
Patients with RA carry increased risks for developing infections, including COVID-19. Since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, additional concerns have emerged regarding the potential of vaccine-induced RA flare-ups or other forms of autoimmune or inflammatory phenomena. As DMARDs have provided benefits to patients with RA, such as reducing and modulating inflammatory and immune system responses, researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate lacking data on COVID-19 vaccine responses in patients with RA receiving DMARDs.
From May 2022 to April 2023, patients with RA receiving DMARDs were evaluated at 2 tertiary care centers. Patients with seropositive as well as seronegative status were accepted. Investigators gathered data on individual COVID-19 infection and vaccination histories, prescribed and administered medications (DMARDs), as well as scaling on the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28). Blood samples of 10 mL were also taken for examination of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), liver and renal function, and neutralizing antibodies for COVID-19.
In total, 103 patients with RA were recruited and compared with 185 controls. In the RA group, 42% of individuals had comorbiditiesmost commonly, hypothyroidism (16.5%). The RA group was also vaccinated against COVID-19 at rates of 79.6% compared with 91.3% in the controls. No controls had a history of COVID-19 infection, but 13.6% of patients with RA did. Most of the patients with RA were identified as having low disease activity (mean DAS28 of 2.9).
Researchers observed that patients with RA had overall higher mean levels of ESR and elevated IL-6 compared with controls (ESR: 26.0 vs 19.2; P = .0004; IL-6: 15.8 vs 3.7; P < .0001).
Each group registered positive results for antispike antibodies; this was significantly higher in controls compared with patients with RA (95.9 vs 89.5; P < .0001). Interestingly, in patients with RA, age was positively correlated with levels of anti-spike antibodies (P = .0015), but this was not significant in controls. Antibody status in groups using different amounts of DMARDs were statistically significant, especially between individuals on a 3-drug regimen compared with those on a single-drug regimen of hydroxychloroquine alone (P = .0192). The authors noted that neither the presence of comorbidities nor the type of COVID-19 vaccine received, prior infection, or booster status had a statistically significant effect on antibody concentration.
The authors noted the positive takeaway that patients with RA exhibited robust immune responses following their COVID-19 vaccination, although this response was reduced compared with controls. They theorized that this could be due to disease-related or immunosuppressive treatment factors, and advocated for future research to be conducted to analyze responses following second vaccination doses.
Reference
Eerike M, Parimi VP, Pyati A, et al. Clinical and immunological responses to COVID-19 vaccination in rheumatoid arthritis patients on disease modifying antirheumatic drugs: a cross-sectional study. Rheum Dis. 2024;31(1):15-24. doi:10.4078/jrd.2023.0054
Areas across the U.S. are experiencing a rise in COVID-19 infections, with some hospital authorities recommending mask mandates once again.
A map using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows where the worst-affected areas in the country are, with the Midwest and Northeast showing notable case numbers.
The flu season, when respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 rise in the winter, has led to some hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. bringing in mask mandates.
The data shows that, on average, the worst-affected area is known as 'Region Seven,' consisting of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. Region Seven has seen 18.3 percent of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in the week leading up to December 23. There was a minor rise in positivity of 0.1 percent.
There is a similar picture in 'Region Five', which is made up of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where positivity rates have gone down by 0.1 percent, but 14.8 percent of performed tests were positive.
Major Massachusetts care system Mass General Brigham said masks would be in place for all healthcare staff in direct contact with patients until the COVID-19 rate fell sufficiently.
MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington D.C. staff are required to wear masks at work, The Hill reported, along with NYC Health + Hospitals.
Newsweek has approached MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital and Mass General Brigham for comment by email.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) made an advisory statement on December 14 that healthcare facilities should "step up mitigation efforts to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses."
A recommendation in Yolo County, California, not mandatory, advised individuals to consider wearing masks "in crowded, indoor spaces."
Aimee Sisson, Yolo County public health officer, said: "Our wastewater monitoring program is currently detecting high COVID-19 and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] levels. I recommend that everybody in the community take steps to protect themselves from infection, including wearing a high-quality mask when indoors around others."
Another CDC map showing the rate of hospital admissions shows high rates in counties U.S. from Idaho to New England and as far south as Texas.
The most-recent data from the CDC indicates there is around 7.36 percent of the U.S. with high levels of hospital admissions per 100,000 people. This increased by just over 1 percent in the week to December 23.
Data for COVID-19 hospitalizations in certain counties is difficult to assess, due to low populations in some areas. In Idaho, new hospital admissions in Lemhi County were down by a third in the week to December 23, but there were just two cases per 100,000 people.
Lemhi County has an estimated population of around 8,000. On the CDC map, it is still considered to have a high rate of COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
