Category: Corona Virus

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China urges ‘patience’ as COVID cases rebound ahead of key congress – Reuters

October 11, 2022

BEIJING, Oct 10 (Reuters) - China called for "patience" with its tough COVID policies and warned against any "war-weariness" as local cases soared to their highest since August, days ahead of a pivotal Communist Party congress.

Many countries are learning to co-exist with COVID-19, but China has repeatedly quashed any speculation of a let-up in its policies, which can range from locking down a local community to an entire city, even though fatalities remain low by global standards and symptoms, if any, are mostly mild.

Pressure on officials to stop outbreaks as soon as they spring up has risen in recent weeks as the highly transmissible Omicron sub-variants BF.7 and BA.5.1.7 appeared in mainland China for the first time, ensnaring travellers during a just-ended week-long national holiday.

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Across China, 1,939 locally transmitted cases were reported on Oct. 9, the highest since Aug. 20, according to Reuters calculations based on official data published on Monday.

Thousands of cases caused by the BF.7 have been reported in Inner Mongolia since Oct. 1, turning the region into China's latest COVID epicentre and wrecking havoc on travel plans during the National Day "Golden Week" holiday.

A few days into the Golden Week, the western region of Xinjiang also barred people from leaving as cases ticked higher. Tourists stranded in Xinjiang could seek temporary work as electricians, cooks and wood craftsmen, advised authorities in its capital Urumqi.

Shanghai, which locked down its entire population of 25 million in April and May, reported 34 local cases on Oct. 9, the most in almost three months.

"The transmission and pathogenicity (of Omicron) have not weakened, and it still poses a relatively large threat to the elderly and people with underlying diseases," according to a commentary in the state-owned People's Daily on Monday.

"It is for this reason that we must remain vigilant against the spread of the epidemic, increase our confidence and patience in our country's epidemic prevention and control policies, and overcome any numbness of the mind, any war-weariness, any thought of leaving things to chance, and any complacency."

The COVID restrictions came days before a once-every-five-years Communist Party congress starting on Oct. 16, where Xi Jinping is widely expected to extend his decade-long leadership for another five years. read more

Xu, a native from Inner Mongolia who works in Beijing, had planned to take the train back to the Chinese capital on Oct. 7 after attending a friend's wedding in her hometown of Baotou, but has since been trapped there due to a local quarantine lockdown.

"What I worry most now is when I can get to return to Beijing," said Xu, who declined to identify herself further.

"All this waiting around is tough."

While most of the new infections in Shanghai were detected in quarantine, the city's Putuo, Changning and Jiading districts weren't taking any chances, announcing on Monday the suspension of leisure and entertainment venues.

One recent Changning case was a man who arrived from Xinjiang on Oct. 2. He was declared a carrier five days later.

Guests at the hotel where he stayed have been locked down. Patrons to the bars and restaurants he visited have been treated as close contacts.

Sona and her husband were told to quarantine themselves at home after going to an underground bar strip the Changning case visited.

"It wasn't even the same day as the guy was there, and we weren't even at the same (restaurant)," said Sona, a foreigner who has lived in Shanghai for years, speaking on condition of anonymity.

They have not been able to leave their home, as a magnetic device on the door installed by the authorities would track its opening and closing.

"It's really, really hard to deal with - you think it's over, but its not over."

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Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom and Casey Hall in Shanghai; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Ana Nicolaci da Costa

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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China urges 'patience' as COVID cases rebound ahead of key congress - Reuters

Exploring spatial distribution of social vulnerability and its relationship with the Coronavirus disease 2019: the Capital region of South Korea – BMC…

October 11, 2022

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Exploring spatial distribution of social vulnerability and its relationship with the Coronavirus disease 2019: the Capital region of South Korea - BMC...

Bradley Beal enters NBAs health and safety protocols – Bullets Forever

October 11, 2022

UPDATE: Beal has exited protocols. The original article is below.

On Sunday, the Washington Wizards announced that Bradley Beal was placed on the NBAs health and safety protocols. Because of that, he will miss tomorrows game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Given what health and safety protocols mean, deal has likely tested positive for the coronavirus. It is a reminder that the coronavirus is still something that can disrupt the season, though probably not like past seasons. And it is also a good reminder that you should get a booster shot before the winter.

According to the NBA, vaccinated players like Beal are not subject to weekly testing. However unvaccinated players and staff have to unless they recently recovered from the virus.

All players and staff, regardless of vaccination status, must test if they have coronavirus-like symptoms. They must also report any positive cases from close contacts like family.

Beal should be ready to return before the regular season begins, assuming he has no complications.

Read this article:

Bradley Beal enters NBAs health and safety protocols - Bullets Forever

Japan Is Reopening To Individual Tourists Effective Tomorrow, October 11th 2022 Here’s What To Expect! – LoyaltyLobby

October 11, 2022

The big day is finally here: Japan is, at last, opening its borders to individual tourists again as of midnight, October 11th 2022 after having locked out leisure travel for the last 2.5 years.

Since Im already in Japan for the past week to monitor and track preparations of the government as well as the hospitality industry I think its a good time to highlight what people can expect when returning.

There has been A LOT of confusion during the past 2.5 years when it came to anything Japan travel related and pretty much all of it was their own doing by sending mixed signals through frequent policy changes / adjustments.

One question we frequently received was about transit flights via Japan en route to another country such as between North American to South East Asia via Tokyo. This was never a problem, provided the ticket was sold in one itinerary and on the same day without airport changes. Ive transited four times in Tokyo-Haneda as well as Narita during the pandemic when the country was closed to tourists and it was fine aside from the rather dull airport experience as most shops were closed.

Last week I entered Japan at Tokyo-Haneda Airport using the visitor visa which I applied for with the help of a business partner in Tokyo and while this will be no longer be necessary starting in a few hours, the fast track system (which I found extremely efficient) will remain in place.

There was also an article in the Japan Times today, highlighting the main requirements once more.

Having arrived at this stage via staggered increments, it can still be a little confusing for those outside Japan many of whom have lost work or school opportunities, struggled to maintain long-distance relationships, or simply found themselves unable to enjoy a culture that they love to figure out just how open the country will become.

Below are answers to the most pressing questions would-be tourists and other arrivals should be asking as they dust off their suitcases, open up those phrase books and get ready once again for a journey to Japan.

From Tuesday, Japan will completely lift its daily cap of 50,000 arrivals and recommence visa-free independent travel for those arriving from any of the 68 countries previously on its short-term visa-exemption list. Travelers from countries not on the visa exemption list remain subject to the same pre-pandemic entry restrictions.

Will I need to book a guided tour?

The short answer no!

Will I need to be tested or vaccinated to enter?

An on-arrival COVID-19 test is no longer required once you get to Japan.

However, to enter, you must still fulfill one of the two following requirements:

In both instances, travelers must fill out a pre-arrival COVID-19 questionnaire, which the government recommends they complete online in advance using their Fast Track service which is available in Japanese, English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian and an associated app called MySOS, which you can install on your smartphone via QR code or a link.

Do I need to quarantine? What should I do if I get sick?

In principle, visitors will no longer be required to isolate upon arrival, meaning they can move freely other than in cases where they have been diagnosed with the coronavirus after arrival in Japan.

In the event a traveler to Japan suspects they may have caught COVID-19 following their arrival, the government recommends that they contact the Japan Visitor Hotline at 050-3816-2787 for an over-the-phone consultation with a health professional who will determine the severity of the case and offer advice on the next steps to take. The service is offered in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.

Do I need to wear a mask?

As a general rule yes.

The situation is complicated as, despite the governments repeated calls for the public to remove their face masks while outdoors, the majority of Japanese people still continue to wear masks while outside the house, even in situations where overseas travelers might consider it unnecessary.

The government is expected to revise legislation to allow hotel operators the right to refuse entry to anyone not wearing a mask.

Entering Japan will be contingent either upon having received three doses of a vaccine and being able to prove it with a government-issued document or by taking a pre-departure PCR test.

As far as the vaccines are concerned, these are the details of what is accepted:

Download (PDF, 336KB)

The MySOS app was very efficient and quite user-friendly, also I had to fumble around with it for a while to figure out which vaccine certificate could be uploaded. I received my BLUE barcode (departing to Japan from Germany) within a few hours of registration.

Arrival at Haneda was very easy. The barcode was scanned twice and then arriving passengers were sent to the immigration counters, where processing took place with less than two minutes of wait. Picking up the suitcase and proceeding through customs was the last formality after which I was free to go.

Situation in Japan Hotels, Public Outdoor Areas, Public Transport

While not mandatory by law, Id say 97% of people are wearing a mask at all times and the vast majority even outdoors. You can handle that as you wish and how it suits the situation. I wear a mask indoors and always on public transportation. Outdoors Im not wearing a mask, and no matter where we went neither myself or my Japanese friends have been hassled about masks.

Weve always worn masks in Japan, especially when we didnt feel well or during train/plane travel so this whole pandemic mask situation wasnt a mirage that suddenly made its way into the life of people living here (or in Korea for that matter).

Restaurants are still equipped with plastic or plexiglass shields which might take away from the dining experience depending on where you go. The New York Bar at the Park Hyatt Tokyo has a big screen across the bar table as strangers usually face each other there so this makes total sense. However, rather than having a nice view over Tokyo, you now look through a plastic shield first and that takes away the purpose of visiting the NY Bar as its just a mood killer.

This was the first time in two decades that Ive seen the bar EMPTY on a Saturday night. Even the staff didnt know what happened. That bar feasts off the energy in the room, and unfortunately, there was none, so we left after one drink and ~ 40 minutes.

Service at the hotels was friendly and professional. A lot of the shops were happy to see tourists again, especially those watch- and luxury good stores in Shinjuku and Nakano that used to have a lot of foreign customer traffic. I talked to some of the salespeople today while looking at watches and they hope people come back so that sales pick up again. Even though their Chinese customers probably wont be coming anytime soon. If youre in the market for any such items there are great deals to be had on the Japanese grey market for watches and handbags.

Conclusion

Starting in a few hours from midnight, October 11th 2022 individual tourists can once again re-enter Japan without the need to apply for visas, participate in guided North Korea style tours or have a local contact invite you for business reasons. Visa waiver agreements are all in place again.

Travelers are required to utilize the MySOS App to receive a Barcode for the Fast Track service and upload their vaccine credentials or PCR Test results in preparation for arrival in Japan.

I have a friend who will arrive on Thursday under the new framework and will update the post if there are any significant, noteworthy items that are of interest.

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Japan Is Reopening To Individual Tourists Effective Tomorrow, October 11th 2022 Here's What To Expect! - LoyaltyLobby

Fall COVID-19 wave or winter coronavirus surge with Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH – American Medical Association

October 8, 2022

AMA Update covers a range of health care topics affecting the lives of physicians, residents, medical students and patients. From private practice and health system leaders to scientists and public health officials, hear from the experts inmedicineon COVID-19, monkeypox, medical education, advocacy issues, burnout, vaccines and more.

Featured topic and speakers

AMA's vice president of science, medicine and public health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH discusses the latest from the CDC on monkeypox treatments and universal masking guidelines for health care settings. Also covering new Omicron boosters and "most resistant variant" emerging in the UK. AMA Chief Experience Officer Todd Unger hosts.

Learn more at the AMA COVID-19 resource center.

Unger: Hello and welcome to the AMA Update video and podcast, an ongoing series covering a range of health care topics affecting the lives of physicians and patients. Today, we have our weekly look at the headlines with AMA's Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health Andrea Garcia in Chicago. I'm Todd Unger, AMA's chief experience officer, also in Chicago.

Andrea, let's start off by talking about the new bivalent booster. Word on the street is the uptake is on the slow side. Is that the truth?

Garcia: Yeah, well, reports have suggested that the updated boosters are having a visibility problem and that's according to a recent report by the Kaiser Family Foundation. By mid- to late September, nearly half of adults had heard little to nothing about these new boosters and I think there are many others who are confused about whether they are eligible to receive these new vaccines. The exception that we're seeing is older adults.

Since the initial rollout, people 65 and older, who are the most vulnerable to COVID complications, have been the largest group to get vaccinated and they also displayed the broadest awareness of the new booster, according to the survey. I think this is where physicians can play a really important role in educating patients and asking about them about the updated booster at annual checkups or other appointments.

Unger: Absolutely. And we talked last week about the availability for the next age group younger, that's 5 to 11, thinking that would be mid-Ocotber, which is right around the bend, of course. Is that progressing as expected?

Garcia: Yeah. If you're following the media reports, it looks like FDA authorization for these updated COVID boosters could be available for younger kids as soon as early October. Of course, those vaccines will have to be authorized by FDA and recommended by the CDC for use in those age groups. We do know that both Pfizer and Moderna have asked FDA to authorize those boosters for young children, and we're currently waiting on the review of that data and that authorization by FDA.

As we've discussed, these boosters target the original COVID-19 strain and the Omicron BA.4, BA.5 subvariants, so they're just like the boosters that became available to those 12 and older in September. I think it's important to keep in mind that those original monovalent booster doses from Pfizer and Moderna do remain available for this younger population. And then according to the CDC guidance, children and adults who have recently had COVID could consider delaying their booster dose for three months.

Unger: Now, we, of course, are already in October and heading quickly toward winter. Do we have any idea what to expect as we head into what is typically heavy season in terms of surges both for possibility of COVID and for flu?

Garcia: Well, it looks like the United Kingdom may be heading into a fall COVID wave, and experts say the U.S. may be next. I think we've talked before that, historically, what happens in the U.K. with COVID is reflected here within a matter of weeks. So this wave may be driven by several new and highly immune-evasive strains of the virus, all of which, for now, seem to be subvariants of Omicron. So one called BA.2.75.2 appears to be spreading quickly in India, Singapore and areas within Europe, and one virologist called this new strain the most resistant variant we've ever evaluated.

Researchers in China and Sweden have also found this variant can evade nearly all of the monoclonal antibodies that are used for treating COVID-19. But here in the U.S., right now, BA.5 remains the dominant variant but its proportion is starting to decline. And we're seeing BA4.6 and BF.7 starting to increase. We know the virus keeps evolving and experts know that many more people have recovered from infection or have received that additional vaccine dose, including the Omicron-specific booster. So there's really hope that that is going to boost our overall antibody levels going into the fall and winter.

Unger: Well that is some worrisome news, and I guess we should not take for granted the trend that we've been seeing. Are we continuing to see that decline or are we seeing any hints of a surge at this point?

Garcia: So most northeastern states are seeing cases start to increase in the past two weeks, and in the west, we're seeing case counts climbing in states such as Montana, Washington and Oregon. But nationally, if we look at those numbers, COVID cases have continued to fall. We're at just over 46,000 cases per day being reported nationwide. It's the lowest level since April of 2022 and a decrease of 24% over the past two weeks.

Unger: And on the hospitalization and deaths, those stats, kind of similar story to what we were seeing last week, which is perplexing. What is the word there?

Garcia: So hospitalizations are falling. The daily average is 27,596 people hospitalized with COVID. Nationally, they've declined by 12% over the past two weeks. Deaths remain that most concerning statistics nationally. We're still hovering around 400 deaths reported per day on average. That number is down 12% over the past two weeks.

Unger: Well, in more COVID-19 news, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released two reports on long COVID in response to a memo from President Biden calling for a government response on this issue, which is still very incredibly important and lots of questions there. Andrea, what can you tell us about those reports?

Garcia: Well we know that long COVID or post-COVID conditions continue to be pervasive problems. They're affecting between 7 and 23 million Americans and causing lost work hours for at least a million Americans. One of the HHS reports outlines a national research agenda around prevention, diagnosis and treatment of long COVID. These reports are really the first time HHS has collected all of the long COVID research into one place, which, according to Dr. Rachel Levine, who's the assistant secretary for health with HHS, helps to create a cohesive path to move forward.

The second report is designed to help patients, families and communities and public, private organizations, and it compiles 200 federal services and supports for people who have long-term effects of COVID-19. And according to Dr. Levine, this data shows that between 5% and 30% of people with COVID will experience some form of long COVID.

Unger: That's interesting, because we talked to several experts over the course of the pandemic and those numbers, they've really held. So hopefully we'll continue to learn more about long COVID and how to address that. And we'll follow all that research as it comes out. We'll also continue to see changes in our current COVID response.

Last Monday, the CDC revised its guidance about universal masking in health care facilities. What do we need to know about this?

Garcia: Well, this decision reflects a major departure from the CDC's previous infection prevention and control recommendations for universal masking in health care settings, and the CDC states that relaxing of the masking guidance reflects high levels of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity and, of course, the availability of effective treatments and prevention tools. I think it's important to keep in mind that this is not an across-the-board lifting of masking in health care settings, which, based on some of the reporting out there, it could be seen that way. But this change really applies to facilities that are not in areas of high COVID transmission.

We know that about 73% of the U.S. is experiencing high rates of COVID transmission and the removal of masks in health care settings is not going to apply to most of the country right now. When SARS-CoV-2 community transmission levels are not high, it's going to be up to individual health care facilities to choose whether or not to require universal masking. So you'll see those decisions being made on a local level within each facility.

Unger: Andrea, let's turn our attention now to another virus of concern, which is monkeypox. How are the numbers looking this week?

Garcia: Well, overall, the virus is showing signs of waning in the U.S., which is easing some fears about the virus spilling into populations of older adults, pregnant women and young children. However, we are seeing case numbers going up in a few states, such as Indiana, Virginia and Massachusetts, and Hispanic and Black men are making up nearly 2/3 of those infected. There have been over 26,000 reported cases of monkeypox in the U.S. and the U.S. accounts for nearly 40% of the global case count.

I think, in addition, it's important to note that the CDC has shared that there have been severe manifestations of monkeypox among people who are immunocompromised due to HIV or other conditions. This indicates that HIV status should be determined for sexually active adults and adolescents with suspected or confirmed monkeypox.

Unger: Well, related to this, the CDC also issued a new warning about monkeypox. What is the clarification there?

Garcia: Yeah, so CDC issued a health advisory last Thursday about severe illness in people with monkeypox as observed in the U.S. in the current outbreak. And, again, people who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for severe manifestations. This alert came as Ohio reported an individual with monkeypox died. This was the third known death of a patient with monkeypox in the U.S.

The Ohio Department of Health on Friday said that an adult male with monkeypox had died and the individual did have other health conditions. The first death due to monkeypox was confirmed last month in LA County. The county public health department and the CDC said the person had a severely weakened immune system and had been hospitalized. And there was also a patient in Harris County, Texas, who had monkeypox and died in August.

The virus' role in that death and the impact of monkeypox are still being confirmed. I think, with that being said, it's important to note that deaths from monkeypox are still extremely rare, and globally, among 67,000 reported cases in the current outbreak, there have been 27 deaths, according to the WHO.

Unger: Andrea, is there any news that we need to know about the vaccine and treatments that are being used to help contain the outbreak?

Garcia: So last week, the CDC announced that it's expanding the eligibility for the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine, and that is now to include higher-risk people who've not been exposed to the virus. So it's really shifting to a pre-exposure prophylaxis strategy. And while some research does suggest that a single dose of the two-dose vaccine may not protect sufficiently against that virus, according to data shared by CDC last Wednesday, men at high risk for monkeypox were 14 times more likely to be infected if they were unvaccinated and that was compared to those who were at least two weeks past their first dose of the vaccine.

This research reflects early data collected on the efficacy of the monkeypox vaccine. I think it's an important milestone in the administration's fight against monkeypox. And we heard CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky say that this new data provides us with a level of optimism that the vaccine is working as intended. On the treatment side, we know that Siga Technologies did win a DOD contract for its Tpoxx antiviral treatment and Tpoxx is the drug that is available via CDC's expanded access protocol to treat monkeypox virus.

Unger: Well, I think optimism is a good note to end today's discussion on. Andrea, thanks so much for being here. We'll be back soon with another AMA Update. You can find all our videos and podcasts at ama-assn.org/podcasts. Thanks for joining us today. Please take care.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this video are those of the participants and/or do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the AMA.

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Fall COVID-19 wave or winter coronavirus surge with Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH - American Medical Association

Coronavirus formation is successfully modeled | News – UC Riverside

October 8, 2022

A physicist at the University of California, Riverside, and her former graduate student have successfully modeled the formation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that spreads COVID-19, for the first time.

In a paper published in Viruses, a journal, Roya Zandi, a professor of physics and astronomy at UCR, and Siyu Li, a postdoctoral researcher at Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory in China, offer an overall understanding of the assembly and formation of SARS-CoV-2 from its constituent components.

Understanding viral assembly has always been a key step leading to therapeutic strategies, Zandi said. Numerous experiments and simulations of viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B virus have had a remarkable impact on elucidating their assembly and providing means to combat them. Even the simplest questions regarding the formation of SARS-CoV-2 remain unanswered.

Zandi explained that a critical step in the life cycle of any virus is the packaging of its genome into new virions or virus particles. This is an especially challenging task for coronaviruses, like SARS-CoV-2, with their very large RNA genomes. Indeed, coronaviruses have the largest genome known for a virus that uses RNA as its genetic material.

SARS-CoV-2 has four structural proteins: Envelope (E), Membrane (M), Nucleocapsid (N), and Spike (S). The structural proteins M, E, and N are essential for the assembly and formation of the viral envelope the outermost layer of the virus that protects the virus and helps facilitate entry into host cells. This process occurs at the membrane of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Golgi Intermediate Compartment, or ERGIC, a complex membrane system that provides the coronavirus its lipid envelope. The assembly of coronaviruses is unique compared to many other viruses as this process occurs at the ERGIC membrane.

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Most computational studies to date use coarse-grained models where only details relevant at large length scales are used to mimic viral components. Over the years, the coarse-grained models have explained several virus assembly processes leading to important discoveries.

In this paper, using coarse-grained models, we have been able to successfully model the formation of SARS-CoV-2: the N proteins condense the RNA to form the compact ribonucleoprotein complex, an assembly of molecules containing both protein and RNA, Zandi said.This complex interacts with the M proteins that are embedded in the lipid membrane.

She added that budding, which is when a part of the membrane starts to curve up, completes the virus formation. The model Zandi and Li developed allowed them to explore mechanisms of protein oligomerization, RNA condensation by structural proteins, and cellular membrane-protein interactions. It also allowed them to predict the factors that control virus assembly.

Our work reveals key ingredients and components contributing to the packaging of the long genome of SARS-CoV-2, Li said. The experimental studies regarding the specific role of each of the several structural proteins involved in the formation of viral particles are soaring but many details remain unclear.

According to Zandi, the insight presented in the research paper and the comparison of the findings with those observed experimentally could provide some of these details and inform the design of effective antiviral drugs to arrest coronaviruses in the assembly stage.

The physical aspects of coronavirus assembly explored within our model are of interest not just to physical scientists beginning to apply physics-based methods to the study of enveloped viruses, but also to virologists attempting to locate the key protein interactions in virus assembly and budding, she said. We now have a better understanding of what interactions are important for the packaging of the genome and the formation of the virus. This is the first time we have been able to fine-tune the interaction between the genome and proteins and obtain the genome condensation and the assembly simultaneously.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives.

The title of the paper is Biophysical Modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Assembly: Genome Condensation and Budding.

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Coronavirus formation is successfully modeled | News - UC Riverside

COVID-19 Daily Update 10-7-2022 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

October 8, 2022

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of October 7, 2022, there are currently 1,022 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been five deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 7,450 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 57-year old male from Wood County, a 90-year old female from Wayne County, a 79-year old female from Fayette County, a 93-year old female from Lincoln County, and an 84-year old female from Kanawha County.

Our thoughts are with the families who are experiencing the pain of loss due to COVID-19, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Please schedule your COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot today to protect yourself, your family and your community.

CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (12), Berkeley (69), Boone (12), Braxton (7), Brooke (9), Cabell (27), Calhoun (3), Clay (2), Doddridge (5), Fayette (28), Gilmer (3), Grant (2), Greenbrier (18), Hampshire (10), Hancock (12), Hardy (5), Harrison (47), Jackson (14), Jefferson (46), Kanawha (69), Lewis (18), Lincoln (7), Logan (19), Marion (39), Marshall (16), Mason (8), McDowell (10), Mercer (48), Mineral (18), Mingo (18), Monongalia (41), Monroe (7), Morgan (23), Nicholas (20), Ohio (21), Pendleton (6), Pleasants (5), Pocahontas (8), Preston (43), Putnam (26), Raleigh (51), Randolph (4), Ritchie (6), Roane (11), Summers (8), Taylor (17), Tucker (1), Tyler (5), Upshur (13), Wayne (13), Webster (2), Wetzel (1), Wirt (3), Wood (48), Wyoming (38). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.

West Virginians ages 6 months and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. All individuals ages 6 months and older should receive a primary series of vaccination, the initial set of shots that teaches the body to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Those ages 5-11 years are recommended to get an original (monovalent) booster shot when due, and those ages 12 years and older are recommended to get an Omicron booster shot (bivalent) at least two months after completing their primary series.

Originally posted here:

COVID-19 Daily Update 10-7-2022 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

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