Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #110

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Gemmie said:
Just an update on my earlier post and my question at the bottom... "is the current bivalent booster doing any good if it's not targeting what's currently going around? Hopefully it's still good at preventing hospitalization, serious illness and death."

Post I'm talking about: Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #110

My update is that I have emailed the CDC Q&A line asking that Q and will get back to you all with an answer as soon as I have one. :) They've been super fast in the past but this is a holiday weekend...
Click to expand...
Wow... I got an answer this morning, even though it's a holiday! My Q was "is the current bivalent booster doing any good if it's not targeting what's currently going around (XBB.1)? Hopefully it's still good at preventing hospitalization, serious illness and death, but I'm not completely sure about that."

Here it their response. Due to there being links in the response I'm posting a SS of the top of the email to prove the source is the CDC, but then I'll copy and paste the text of the entire response below the SS proof so you can have access to their links.

1685380708205.png

Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO.

We appreciate your concern about future COVID-19 variants and COVID-19 vaccines.

Here is the information you requested on COVID-19 variants and booster doses.
New variants of SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 illness, have emerged. Current data indicate that COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States offer some protection against all known variants, especially against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccine doses provide additional protection from the most recently circulating COVID-19 Omicron variants. Getting and staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines remains the best tool to fight against COVID-19 variants, protect yourself, and the people around you.

CDC continues to investigate how the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines is affected by different variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. For more information, please visit the CDC website: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Scientists are currently investigating Omicron, its sublineages, and other potential variants, including how vaccinated people will be protected against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older protect themselves from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated. CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive at least one updated (bivalent) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine . Vaccination remains the best public health measure to protect against severe health outcomes, and slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

All COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death, including infections caused by emerging variants. Some people may still get a COVID-19 infection after vaccination. However, these people are much less likely to experience severe health outcomes than people who are unvaccinated.

To learn more, these additional links might also have relevant information for you. The CDC website is updated regularly, please check back to get most up to date information.
CDC Resources

COVID-19 Vaccines Work
COVID-19 Vaccination

What You Need to Know about Variants
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Understanding Variants
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/understanding-variants.html

We hope this information is helpful. Thank you for contacting us.

Sincerely,
George
CDC-INFO Correspondence Team
 
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Since I don't feel the answer I got in my above post easily answered my question (Information overload)... I Googled for it and got:

The new booster shots are bivalent, meaning they are designed to protect against both the original strain and the BA.5 omicron subvariant that caused most infections over the summer. The latest data shows that the booster protects people from getting sick with XBB.1.5 about as well as it did against BA.5.

...which is more to the point than all the info I got from the CDC. And as you're all aware, the current bivalent booster targets BA.4 & BA.5, as well as the original strain. (Source for this comment)

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/01/25/covid-bivalent-booster-xbb15-infections/

ETA - there are a lot of good links in the WP link above.
 
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BetteDavisEyes said:
^ Thank you for sharing this information with us. I'm sure everyone appreciates your efforts.
Click to expand...
You are very welcome. I like to help others when it comes to Covid, but my family and friends don't want to hear anything about Covid. I totally understand (Covid fatigue) but as I tell them... knowledge will help keep you safe. :)

It's just really nice to have a community to share with that's interested and receptive to shared information, so my thanks goes out to this group. :)
 
Gemmie said:
Wow... I got an answer this morning, even though it's a holiday! My Q was "is the current bivalent booster doing any good if it's not targeting what's currently going around (XBB.1)? Hopefully it's still good at preventing hospitalization, serious illness and death, but I'm not completely sure about that."

Here it their response. Due to there being links in the response I'm posting a SS of the top of the email to prove the source is the CDC, but then I'll copy and paste the text of the entire response below the SS proof so you can have access to their links.

View attachment 425275

Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO.

We appreciate your concern about future COVID-19 variants and COVID-19 vaccines.

Here is the information you requested on COVID-19 variants and booster doses.
New variants of SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 illness, have emerged. Current data indicate that COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States offer some protection against all known variants, especially against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccine doses provide additional protection from the most recently circulating COVID-19 Omicron variants. Getting and staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines remains the best tool to fight against COVID-19 variants, protect yourself, and the people around you.

CDC continues to investigate how the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines is affected by different variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. For more information, please visit the CDC website: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Scientists are currently investigating Omicron, its sublineages, and other potential variants, including how vaccinated people will be protected against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older protect themselves from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated. CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive at least one updated (bivalent) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine . Vaccination remains the best public health measure to protect against severe health outcomes, and slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

All COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death, including infections caused by emerging variants. Some people may still get a COVID-19 infection after vaccination. However, these people are much less likely to experience severe health outcomes than people who are unvaccinated.

To learn more, these additional links might also have relevant information for you. The CDC website is updated regularly, please check back to get most up to date information.
CDC Resources

COVID-19 Vaccines Work
COVID-19 Vaccination

What You Need to Know about Variants
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Understanding Variants
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/understanding-variants.html

We hope this information is helpful. Thank you for contacting us.

Sincerely,
George
CDC-INFO Correspondence Team
Click to expand...
Thank you for posting the CDC’s response. Due to my age and some health conditions, I choose to mask when in close confines, frequent handwashing, and stay boosted. I plan on getting the newest booster when we're nearing the fall.
 
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Gemmie said:
Since I don't feel the answer I got in my above post easily answered my question... I Googled for it and got:

The new booster shots are bivalent, meaning they are designed to protect against both the original strain and the BA.5 omicron subvariant that caused most infections over the summer. The latest data shows that the booster protects people from getting sick with XBB.1.5 about as well as it did against BA.5.

...which is more to the point than all the info I got from the CDC. And as you're all aware, the current bivalent booster targets BA.4 & BA.5, as well as the original strain. (Source for this comment)

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/01/25/covid-bivalent-booster-xbb15-infections/

ETA - there are a lot of good links in the WP link above.
Click to expand...
Yes--that sentence you bolded seems to be the best answer available for now. Thanks for the link to that helpful WaPo article.

After getting the bivalent vaccine in mid September, I got Covid in late December--around 3 months after the shot. My symptoms were mild, fortunately. Of course I have no idea which variant I had. Since DH and I are in our late 70s and will be traveling in July, we will get another bivalent shot probably this week and hope for the best.
 
anneg said:
Yes--that sentence you bolded seems to be the best answer available for now. Thanks for the link to that helpful WaPo article.

After getting the bivalent vaccine in mid September, I got Covid in late December--around 3 months after the shot. My symptoms were mild, fortunately. Of course I have no idea which variant I had. Since DH and I are in our late 70s and will be traveling in July, we will get another bivalent shot probably this week and hope for the best.
Click to expand...
With regard to travelling, at least by plane, I was pleased to learn that our friends who went to Beijing in mid-April only ended up getting Covid about three weeks after arriving in Beijing, in spite of a 13-hour plane trip to get there.
 
www.nbcnews.com

Is Covid ticking up? Viruses and other bugs could make a summer comeback, doctors say

Doctors are on the lookout for worrisome upticks in Covid, human metapneumovirus and enteroviruses.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
Covid threw the infectious diseases playbook out the window this past winter.

Instead of the typical flu season, the U.S. endured a record mix of invasive strep infections, flu, RSV, enteroviruses and other respiratory illnesses that competed with Covid to make most Americans sick at some point.

It might not be over yet...

Covid​

It is impossible to know how many Covid cases are circulating. The CDC isn't tracking cases, although wastewater testing is still underway. Some areas of the country, such New York City, are now seeing high levels of Covid in those samples.

It's too soon to know whether those cases will result in a new wave of severe sickness. As temperatures rise, people will increase their chances of getting infected just by gathering inside in air conditioned areas, behind closed windows and doors...
 
Speaking of Covid found in wastewater testing... I just saw this (not sure how they know it's 1 person, but I'm sure they have a way or they wouldn't state that):

Earlier this year Marc Johnson, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, took to social media with an appeal: "Help me solve a COVID cryptic lineage mystery," he wrote on Twitter.

Johnson told Insider that he was looking through a database of COVID samples when he came across a brand-new version (or, "lineage") of the virus. There were massive amounts of this unique strain — all coming from a single mystery person in Ohio.

Johnson told Insider that he has been identifying "cryptic" COVID lineages in wastewater around the country since 2021. These are strains "that don't match anything we've seen before," he said, showing SARS-CoV-2 still has some tricks up its sleeve and there's plenty we don't know.

While these cryptic strains have only been identified in wastewater, they could be harbingers of variants to come. Long before Omicron emerged, researchers were collecting samples of COVID that they didn't recognize — cryptic lineages that we now understand to be similar to Omicron, according to a preprint paper (not-yet-peer-reviewed) published last month by Johnson and his team.

 
Gemmie said:
Speaking of Covid found in wastewater testing... I just saw this (not sure how they know it's 1 person, but I'm sure they have a way or they wouldn't state that):

Earlier this year Marc Johnson, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, took to social media with an appeal: "Help me solve a COVID cryptic lineage mystery," he wrote on Twitter.

Johnson told Insider that he was looking through a database of COVID samples when he came across a brand-new version (or, "lineage") of the virus. There were massive amounts of this unique strain — all coming from a single mystery person in Ohio.

Johnson told Insider that he has been identifying "cryptic" COVID lineages in wastewater around the country since 2021. These are strains "that don't match anything we've seen before," he said, showing SARS-CoV-2 still has some tricks up its sleeve and there's plenty we don't know.

While these cryptic strains have only been identified in wastewater, they could be harbingers of variants to come. Long before Omicron emerged, researchers were collecting samples of COVID that they didn't recognize — cryptic lineages that we now understand to be similar to Omicron, according to a preprint paper (not-yet-peer-reviewed) published last month by Johnson and his team.

Click to expand...
Fascinating article! Johnson's Twitter post says "We believe they are from patients with very long COVID infections."

Another excerpt:

The first cryptic COVID lineage Johnson found, in 2021, was a classic example of his discoveries. There was so much virus in the wastewater that he thought it was coming from a nursing home, or maybe an animal reservoir like a dog shelter. But his team traced it to a single office building in Wisconsin with about 30 employees, they wrote in the preprint paper.

"I didn't believe a person could shed that much," Johnson said.

All the workers in the building were notified and able to get tested. Eventually, the lineage disappeared from the wastewater.
 
anneg said:
Fascinating article! Johnson's Twitter post says "We believe they are from patients with very long COVID infections."

Another excerpt:

The first cryptic COVID lineage Johnson found, in 2021, was a classic example of his discoveries. There was so much virus in the wastewater that he thought it was coming from a nursing home, or maybe an animal reservoir like a dog shelter. But his team traced it to a single office building in Wisconsin with about 30 employees, they wrote in the preprint paper.

"I didn't believe a person could shed that much," Johnson said.

All the workers in the building were notified and able to get tested. Eventually, the lineage disappeared from the wastewater.
Click to expand...
It makes me wonder (and I can't get Goog to understand me and return an answer) if a single person can shed SO much into the wastewater, would that person be SUPER contagious? Like every exhalation of breath would be so virus packed that you could practically see it? (sorry about the exaggeration there. lol) I'm thinking likely not as there'd be other indications, like huge spikes in cases emanating from wherever this person is. At least I hope they aren't super cootiefied. It's very interesting that a single person can shed so much. I really hope they are a handscrubber. So many simply leave the bathroom without washing, or doing a so-so job of it.

ome 15% of men didn’t wash their hands at all, compared with 7% of women. When they did wash their hands, only 50% of men used soap, compared with 78% of women.

Overall, only 5% of people who used the bathroom washed their hands long enough to kill the germs that can cause infections.

[...]

A bigger study published in 2009 that used more high tech methods at a busy highway rest stop in the UK was equally, if not more, damning.

[...]

“If there were no people around, people tended to zap out with no one noticing.”

 
Gemmie said:
It makes me wonder (and I can't get Goog to understand me and return an answer) if a single person can shed SO much into the wastewater, would that person be SUPER contagious? Like every exhalation of breath would be so virus packed that you could practically see it? (sorry about the exaggeration there. lol) I'm thinking likely not as there'd be other indications, like huge spikes in cases emanating from wherever this person is. At least I hope they aren't super cootiefied. It's very interesting that a single person can shed so much. I really hope they are a handscrubber. So many simply leave the bathroom without washing, or doing a so-so job of it.

ome 15% of men didn’t wash their hands at all, compared with 7% of women. When they did wash their hands, only 50% of men used soap, compared with 78% of women.

Overall, only 5% of people who used the bathroom washed their hands long enough to kill the germs that can cause infections.

[...]

A bigger study published in 2009 that used more high tech methods at a busy highway rest stop in the UK was equally, if not more, damning.

[...]

“If there were no people around, people tended to zap out with no one noticing.”

Click to expand...
I don't know the answer to your question. But the abstract from the paper Marc Johnson described is below. I used red font to highlight the "Interpretation" part of the abstract. The authors don't seem to address whether the person would be contagious, but I read a few things online that suggest people with long covid would not be contagious as long as they have a negative Covid test. But I do find this issue confusing.

www.medrxiv.org

Tracing the origin of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-like spike sequences detected in wastewater

Background The origin of divergent SARS-CoV-2 spike sequences found in wastewater, but not in clinical surveillance, remains unclear. These “cryptic” wastewater sequences have harbored many of the same mutations that later emerged in Omicron lineages. We first detected a cryptic lineage in...
www.medrxiv.org www.medrxiv.org
Abstract

Background The origin of divergent SARS-CoV-2 spike sequences found in wastewater, but not in clinical surveillance, remains unclear. These “cryptic” wastewater sequences have harbored many of the same mutations that later emerged in Omicron lineages. We first detected a cryptic lineage in municipal wastewater in Wisconsin in January 2022. Named the “Wisconsin Lineage”, we sought to determine this virus’s geographic origin and characterize its persistence and evolution over time.

Methods We systematically sampled maintenance holes to trace the Wisconsin Lineage’s origin. We sequenced spike RBD domains, and where possible, whole viral genomes, to characterize the evolution of this lineage over the 13 consecutive months that it was detectable.

Findings The persistence of the Wisconsin Lineage signal allowed us to trace it from a central wastewater plant to a single facility, with a high concentration of viral RNA. The viral sequences contained a combination of fixed nucleotide substitutions characteristic of Pango lineage B.1.234, which circulated in Wisconsin at low levels from October 2020 to February 2021, while mutations in the spike gene resembled those subsequently found in Omicron variants.

Interpretation We propose that prolonged detection of the Wisconsin Lineage in wastewater represents persistent shedding of SARS-CoV-2 from an infected individual, with ongoing within-host viral evolution leading to an ancestral B.1.234 virus accumulating “Omicron-like” mutations.
 
Gemmie said:
It makes me wonder (and I can't get Goog to understand me and return an answer) if a single person can shed SO much into the wastewater, would that person be SUPER contagious? Like every exhalation of breath would be so virus packed that you could practically see it? (sorry about the exaggeration there. lol) I'm thinking likely not as there'd be other indications, like huge spikes in cases emanating from wherever this person is. At least I hope they aren't super cootiefied. It's very interesting that a single person can shed so much. I really hope they are a handscrubber. So many simply leave the bathroom without washing, or doing a so-so job of it.

ome 15% of men didn’t wash their hands at all, compared with 7% of women. When they did wash their hands, only 50% of men used soap, compared with 78% of women.

Overall, only 5% of people who used the bathroom washed their hands long enough to kill the germs that can cause infections.

[...]

A bigger study published in 2009 that used more high tech methods at a busy highway rest stop in the UK was equally, if not more, damning.

[...]

“If there were no people around, people tended to zap out with no one noticing.”

Click to expand...
I've been super careful about using my shirt to open doors my entire adult life due to a conversation with my brother-in-law who's an OBGYN. I also learned to flush a public toilet with my foot and the proper handwashing techniques from my NP daughter. Am I obsessed, you bet.
 
Teche said:
I've been super careful about using my shirt to open doors my entire adult life due to a conversation with my brother-in-law who's an OBGYN. I also learned to flush a public toilet with my foot and the proper handwashing techniques from my NP daughter. Am I obsessed, you bet.
Click to expand...
While some may, I certainly don't find you obsessed. You're what I call "germ smart" way upthread. Here's my post on the subject:

www.websleuths.com

Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #110

Thanks. I talked to my Mom last night, and it has been about a month since I took my test, my voice is still hoarse, and I have graduated now to a severe head cold. She could tell that I still sounded sick. At least the fatigue is fading. My husband caught Covid on Christmas Eve. Thank...
www.websleuths.com www.websleuths.com

More people should be germ smart IMHO.
 
Teche said:
I've been super careful about using my shirt to open doors my entire adult life due to a conversation with my brother-in-law who's an OBGYN. I also learned to flush a public toilet with my foot and the proper handwashing techniques from my NP daughter. Am I obsessed, you bet.
Click to expand...
Speaking of being "germ smart"... I've passed on birthday cake long before Covid hit. It's a basic duh (to me) that people are spraying it with any germs they may have! That includes the common cold, flu, etc. Seriously! It would be like having someone else blow on your dinner plate for you to cool it down! You wouldn't let someone do that. Or, if I really want a piece, I'll scrap off the frosting since that's where all the potential cooties are. I just find the habit gross. It, like handshaking, needs to go to the wayside. And handshaking not just for the germs that might be on someone's hands, but some tend to do the vise grip shake, and you never know who will do that!

A food scientist examined what happens when someone blows out candles on a birthday cake. The results could make you think twice at your next birthday party.


My old handshaking post: Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #110

and

www.websleuths.com

Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #110

I am glad you guys had a great time!!!!! It was so nice to get away after three years without traveling. It was mostly warm, sunny, and we enjoyed sitting on our balcony while we were sailing. The fresh sea air is amazing! I hope you will be able to return to your condo next winter.
www.websleuths.com www.websleuths.com
 
New name for long covid, in case anyone missed it:

postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)

“.....A framework for identifying PASC cases based on symptoms is a first step to defining PASC as a new condition. These findings require iterative refinement that further incorporates clinical features to arrive at actionable definitions of PASC.....”

jamanetwork.com

Development of a Definition of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

This study aims to develop a definition of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) based on self-reported symptoms and describe PASC frequencies across cohorts, vaccination status, and number of infections using a cohort of adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection.
jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com


—-

Episode 132: Looking in the Windows

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the latest data on long COVID, bivalent boosters, and mpox. Dr. Osterholm also shares the feedback we've received from our listeners on what this podcast will look like going forward. COVID is coming back in China; lockdowns are not (Buckley...
www.cidrap.umn.edu www.cidrap.umn.edu
 
margarita25 said:
New name for long covid, in case anyone missed it:

postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)

“.....A framework for identifying PASC cases based on symptoms is a first step to defining PASC as a new condition. These findings require iterative refinement that further incorporates clinical features to arrive at actionable definitions of PASC.....”

jamanetwork.com

Development of a Definition of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

This study aims to develop a definition of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) based on self-reported symptoms and describe PASC frequencies across cohorts, vaccination status, and number of infections using a cohort of adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection.
jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com


—-

Episode 132: Looking in the Windows

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the latest data on long COVID, bivalent boosters, and mpox. Dr. Osterholm also shares the feedback we've received from our listeners on what this podcast will look like going forward. COVID is coming back in China; lockdowns are not (Buckley...
www.cidrap.umn.edu www.cidrap.umn.edu
Click to expand...
I prefer the new name - Postacute Sequelae instead of Long Covid- It sounds much more serious- as it definitely is very serious.
 
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