Covid Subvariant BF.7 In Spotlight After Surge In China

CBS News: BF.7: What To Know About The Omicron COVID Variant
Since the COVID variant Omicron emerged in late 2021, it has rapidly evolved into multiple subvariants. One subvariant, BF.7, has recently been identified as the main variant spreading in Beijing, and is contributing to a wider surge of COVID infections in China. (Mohammed, 12/20)

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Efficacy Against Infection In Kids Dropped Amid Omicron 
The estimated effectiveness of two COVID-19 vaccine doses was 61% among children and 67% among adolescents in Argentina during Delta variant predominance and 16% and 26%, respectively, during the Omicron period, finds a test-negative, case-control study published in BMJ. (Van Beusekom, 12/20)

CNBC: Long Covid Patients Face Battle Claiming Disability Insurance Benefits
Mike Yada remembers the day in August 2020 when it became clear that his unusual symptoms — which emerged after a mild case of Covid-19 earlier in the year — were worsening. “I went for an easy hike, but by the end I was so winded that I couldn’t walk back to my car,” said Yada, who, pre-Covid, would have easily traversed the flat terrain near the beach. He had to call an Uber for the one-mile ride back to his parked car. (O'Brien, 12/20)

Minnesota Public Radio: COVID Nearly Killed Him, Then The Hard Part Began
Gabe Pastores is walking on a treadmill and cracking jokes. Given what he’s been through the past two years, he’d count those as giant steps. “Next, I’m gonna sing…‘Cover of the Rolling Stone,’” he half-seriously tells his pulmonary rehab specialist. Pastores, 58, loves classic rock, and the intro to that ‘70s song by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show could not be more appropriate. (Richert, 12/21)

On masks and mandates —

CIDRAP: Study: Wearing Surgical Masks Over N95s Can Cause Dangerous Leaks 
For optimal protection against respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, procedure masks shouldn't be worn over N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. (Van Beusekom, 12/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland Reinstates Mask Mandate In Government Buildings Amid Surging COVID
Oakland will require all employees and visitors to wear a face mask when entering city facilities beginning immediately — an attempt to get a handle on the “tripledemic” hitting the Bay Area of COVID, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. (Ravani, 12/20)

The New York Times: It’s Time for New Yorkers to Mask Up Again, Mayor Adams Says
Mayor Eric Adams put his face mask on again on Tuesday and encouraged New Yorkers to do the same. Mr. Adams held a news conference at City Hall to urge residents to take precautions in the face of a winter surge of Covid-19 cases and other illnesses. “With the holiday season in full swing and cases of Covid-19, flu and R.S.V. rising, we are asking New Yorkers to protect themselves and their loved ones once again,” Mr. Adams said. It was the mayor’s first Covid briefing in months, and he does not typically wear a mask in public. (Fitzsimmons, 12/20)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Senate Committee Calls For Ban On Mask And COVID Vaccine Mandates
A Texas Senate committee wants the state to ban mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates, a sign pandemic policy may become a flashpoint in the upcoming legislative session. The Republican-led Senate Health and Human Services Committee included the coronavirus recommendations in a newly released 37-page report. (Morris, 12/20)

In other pandemic news —

Politico: Biden Administration Wants Supreme Court To End Title 42 — Just Not Yet
The Biden administration said it could no longer wind down the so-called Title 42 policy by Wednesday, even if the Supreme Court allowed it to follow through on a lower court’s ruling to effectively terminate the border directive that has prevented the entry of millions of migrants. The response on Tuesday from the Department of Justice comes a day after Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay of a federal district court judge’s order that required the Biden administration to lift the implementation of Title 42 by Wednesday morning. (Ward and Gerstein, 12/20)

Axios: Congress's Pandemic Prep Effort Receives Mixed Reviews
The $1.7 trillion omnibus Congress is poised to pass this week has provisions addressing the ability to respond to future pandemics, but some experts say its lack of new spending, including on COVID-19, will leave Americans vulnerable. (Sullivan and Owens, 12/21)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Public Health Officials Look To Mend Relationships After COVID-19
Public health officials in Michigan have spent much of this year trying to return to normalcy after the peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are looking forward to mending relationships with schools and businesses that were stressed by the pandemic. They also face other statewide challenges in 2023. (Hall, 12/20)