As Signs Of New Variant Reported In US, Health Officials Raise New Alarms

AP: Experts Worry About How US Will See Next COVID Surge Coming 
As coronavirus infections rise in some parts of the world, experts are watching for a potential new COVID-19 surge in the U.S. — and wondering how long it will take to detect. Despite disease monitoring improvements over the last two years, they say, some recent developments don’t bode well: As more people take rapid COVID-19 tests at home, fewer people are getting the gold-standard tests that the government relies on for case counts. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon use fewer labs to look for new variants. (Stobbe, 3/25)

The Atlantic: A Stress Test For America's New COVID Plan Is Coming
Outbreaks have erupted across Asia. Massive swaths of Europe, including the United Kingdom—America’s best pandemic bellwether for much of 2021—are firmly in the grip of a more transmissible Omicron subvariant called BA.2 that’s been simmering stateside for months. Already, scattered spots throughout the U.S. look a shade foreboding. Several states’ wastewater-surveillance sites are witnessing a rise in viral particles, which, in previous waves, has preceded increases in documented infections by several days. Many states’ case rates have now hit a plateau, and a handful are even beginning a slow march back up. The other COVID shoe seems poised to drop in the U.S. at some point, perhaps quite soon. (Wu, 3/23)

In more updates on the spread of covid —

AP: COVID-19 Rates Plunge As Decision Nears On US Asylum Limits 
COVID-19 rates are plunging among migrants crossing the border from Mexico as the Biden administration faces a Tuesday deadline to end or extend sweeping restrictions on asylum that are aimed at limiting the virus’ spread. Lower rates raise more questions about scientific grounds for a public health order that has caused migrants to be expelled from the United States more than 1.7 million times since March 2020 without a chance to request asylum. (Spagat and Ghisolfi, 3/24)

AP: Contagious Omicron Subvariant In Oregon
An extra-contagious version of the omicron variant that is fueling COVID-19 surges in parts of Europe and Asia has been found in the wastewater of some Oregon communities. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Oregon State University collected samples from more than 40 wastewater plants statewide, providing officials with measures of how much virus is in a community and the particular variants of the virus. Based on the collection in early March the omicron subvariant has been found in at least four communities. (3/24)

ABC News: Cornell University Reports Indications Of 'Substantial Prevalence' Of COVID-19 On Campus
After a significant viral outbreak before winter break in December, COVID-19 infection levels at Cornell University had markedly declined, as the omicron surge receded, and students returned to campus for the spring semester. However, as new case totals begin to tick up in the state of New York, the campus is once again reporting a viral resurgence. This week, Cornell elevated its COVID-19 alert system to "yellow," indicating that transmission is rising, and prevalence of the virus is above predicted levels. (Mitropoulos, 3/24)

KHN: Watch: Omicron Subvariant Is Nothing To Sneeze At, Explains KHN’s Public Health Expert 
Dr. Céline Gounder, KHN editor-at-large for public health, discusses that new omicron subvariant, how to know if your runny nose is spring allergies or covid-19 (that’s hard!), and the debate over whether Americans will need a fourth vaccination. (Zuraw, 3/25)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas County Reports Backlog In COVID Case Updates, Citing Omicron Wave
Dallas County officials said Wednesday that a backlog in COVID-19 cases has caused data that was not up to date to be reported publicly by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and others. After questions from The Dallas Morning News about a discrepancy between the regular news releases sent by Jenkins’ office and the county’s COVID-19 dashboard, a spokesman for Jenkins said the backlog was from the omicron wave earlier this year. He said it was not immediately clear how large the backlog was or when it would be resolved. (Scudder, 3/24)

Also —

CIDRAP: NFL Games Didn't Contribute To County COVID-19 Spread, Study Suggests
National Football League (NFL) games played with fans in the 2020 season, with mask mandates and physical distancing in place, had no effect on COVID-19 infections in the surrounding county, suggests a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers, the study estimated the effects of games played from September 2020 to early January 2021, well before the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. Of 29 stadiums, 13 were closed throughout the season, and 16 opened with reduced capacity, mask requirements, distanced seating, mobile ticketing, and enhanced cleaning.(3/24)

USA Today: Navajo Nation's Response To COVID-19 Makes Them A Model, Officials Say
Two years after the first cases of COVID-19 were detected on the Navajo Nation, the tribal government still requires masks in public, even as many cities and states elsewhere have relaxed the rule. It's part of a strategy put in place after the coronavirus swept through the Navajo Nation in the early weeks and months of 2020, leaving hundreds of people sick and dying. Officials say the response ultimately made Navajo a model for fighting a pandemic. Navajo officials have reported 1,659 COVID-19-related deaths since the first case was reported. Though numbers may be on the decline, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said the pandemic isn’t over. (Becenti, 3/24)

Roll Call: Longshoremen Seek Workers’ Comp Law Change For COVID-19 Coverage 
Between Dec. 29 and Jan. 14, Mark Bass, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1410 in Mobile, Ala., watched as COVID-19 cases swept through the maritime workforce, ultimately infecting about 20 percent of it. With workers packed in tight quarters, loading and unloading ships and often interacting with seamen coming in from different countries, infection was unavoidable. “There are just some jobs where you can’t stay 6 feet apart,” he said. And getting workers’ compensation for missing shifts because of the disease wasn’t easy. They and other workers had to prove they contracted the illness while on the job. (Wehrman, 3/24)