Omicron Subvariant BA.2.12.1 Responsible For 58% Of New US Cases
And the pace of infections continues to accelerate, with the nation surpassing 100,000 confirmed daily covid cases for the first time since February. The trends are prompting some facilities and regions to encourage masks again.
The New York Times:
Another Omicron Subvariant, Known As BA.2.12.1, Has Become The Dominant Form Among New U.S. Virus Cases.
Another form of the Omicron subvariant BA.2 has become the dominant version among new U.S. coronavirus cases, according to federal estimates on Tuesday, a development that experts had forecast over the last few weeks. There was no indication yet that the new subvariant, known as BA.2.12.1, causes more severe disease than earlier forms did. BA.2.12.1 made up about 58 percent of all new U.S. cases, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the week ending May 21. (Hassan, 5/25)
Vox:
Meet The New Subvariants, Your Summer Bummers
The parent of these subvariants, omicron, provides some important lessons about what to expect with BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5. Omicron stands out from past Covid-19 variants because it has so many changes, close to 50 mutations compared to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. Many are in the virus’s spike protein, enhancing how it breaks into human cells and making it harder for the immune system to target. So protection conferred by the previous versions of SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t translate as well to omicron and its subvariants. Omicron also appears to replicate much faster in the upper airways, making it easier to breathe out virus particles and spread them to others. Health officials warned in January that omicron would “find just about everybody.” (Irfan, 5/24)
In other news about the spread of covid —
AP:
Oregon COVID Cases Rise, Hospitalizations To Peak June 9
Oregon is reporting some of the highest numbers of new COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started more than two years ago. The Oregon Health Authority reported nearly 12,000 new cases last week and the state is averaging 1,685 new cases a day, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Tuesday. (5/24)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area COVID Cases Surpass 2021 Winter Surge, But Far Fewer Hospitalized
Coronavirus cases in the Bay Area’s spring surge have surpassed the peaks of the devastating winter wave of early 2021, but high levels of vaccination and immunity in the community are keeping hospitalizations at more manageable levels so far, and deaths remain notably low throughout the region. Statewide, coronavirus cases continue to rise sharply, with the Bay Area reporting overall higher levels than the rest of California. Officials said the current surge shows no signs of waning: The Bay Area is reporting about 53 new cases per 100,000 residents as of Tuesday, up from 18 per 100,000 a month ago and 42 last week. (Vaziri, 5/24)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
St. Louis Hospital Officials Push Masks Again, As COVID Cases Rise
COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations are again rising, and hospital officials here on Tuesday urged residents to reconsider wearing masks indoors. The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported that the seven-day average of new COVID-19 admissions to area hospitals had doubled, to 32 on Monday, up from a low of 16 last month, and doctors expect rates to continue to rise. “We haven’t seen signs of that breaking,” said BJC Healthcare Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Clay Dunagan, who co-leads the task force. “So we expect that to continue to rise.” (Merrilees, 5/24)
AP:
University Of Hawaii Requires Masks Indoors Amid COVID Spike
The University of Hawaii said Tuesday it will require masks indoors across its 10-campus system amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the islands. The new rule takes effect Wednesday. Those working alone or who are separated by more than 6 feet from others will be exempt. (5/24)
In related news —
AP:
Man Pleads Guilty To Sending Threatening Emails To Dr. Fauci
A West Virginia man pleaded guilty Monday to sending emails that threatened Dr. Anthony Fauci and former National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, federal prosecutors in Maryland said. Thomas Patrick Connally Jr., 56, most recently of Snowshoe, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to making threats against a federal official, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron announced in a news release. Connally also admitted threatening former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, a Massachusetts public health official and a religious leader in New Jersey. (5/24)
Stat:
Viruses On Hiatus During Covid Are Back — And Behaving In Unusual Ways
For nearly two years, as the Covid pandemic disrupted life around the globe, other infectious diseases were in retreat. Now, as the world rapidly dismantles the measures put in place to slow spread of Covid, the viral and bacterial nuisances that were on hiatus are returning — and behaving in unexpected ways. Consider what we’ve been seeing of late. The past two winters were among the mildest influenza seasons on record, but flu hospitalizations have picked up in the last few weeks — in May! Adenovirus type 41, previously thought to cause fairly innocuous bouts of gastrointestinal illness, may be triggering severe hepatitis in healthy young children. (Branswell, 5/25)
