Across US, Covid Cases Are Up But Hospitalizations Are Down
And a new study that was done before the omicron variant hit suggests that natural immunity from a covid infection may offer longer-lasting protection than an mRNA vaccine. Even so, the study's authors stressed that "vaccination is a considerably safer way to acquire that immunity."
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Nevada COVID-19 Hospitalizations At ‘Record Low,’ Association Says
Clark County’s COVID-19 metrics stayed relatively flat for the second straight week, as the Nevada Hospital Association reported “record low” statewide hospitalization numbers. The disconnect between state and county case totals for Clark County continued, with the state reporting about 1,000 new cases for Clark County over the past week. The two-week moving average of daily new cases in the county increased slightly to 98, up from 91 last week. (Dylan, 4/20)
Des Moines Register:
Iowa COVID Cases Up, Hospitalizations Down In Weekly Update
New reported COVID-19 cases in Iowa increased slightly and the number of people hospitalized with the disease in Iowa decreased slightly in Wednesday's coronavirus data release from the Iowa Department of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As the state of the pandemic has changed throughout the country — masks are no longer required on airplanes and other forms of mass transportation, while some people are now eligible for a second booster shot — COVID-19 data has remained relatively static in Iowa over the past month. (Webber, 4/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
COVID Hospitalizations Fall In California Despite A Rise In Infections
The number of Californians hospitalized with COVID-19 has dipped below an average of 1,000 this week — the first time that’s happened since the pandemic’s summer lull last June. Patients hospitalized with coronavirus infections numbered 964 as of Tuesday, according to state data. Hospitalizations are continuing to fall despite a recent statewide rise in cases. The case growth follows months of declines since the peak of the omicron surge in January. California is now averaging about 2,800 confirmed cases per day, up from about 2,300 at the beginning of the month. (Vaziri and Ho, 4/20)
Anchorage Daily News:
Alaska Reports 1,526 New COVID-19 Cases In Past Week As Increase Continues
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on Wednesday reported 1,526 cases of COVID-19 in Alaska over the prior seven days. That’s a slight increase from last week, and averages around 218 cases per day. This data does not include at-home tests. The state reported 13 more deaths linked to the virus. In total, 1,215 COVID-19 deaths among Alaska residents and 33 among nonresidents have been reported since March 2020. Many of the deaths reported by the state in recent weeks occurred weeks to months earlier. (4/20)
The Hill:
Hochul Warns Of COVID Spike In New York, But ‘Not Panicking’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Wednesday said that the state was seeing rising COVID-19 cases but added that there was no reason for New Yorkers to panic. “We’ve had a rising tide of cases. My health department has been embedded in constant communication with our local health departments here,” Hochul said at a press conference. (Beals, 4/20)
The Boston Globe:
COVID Levels In Waste Water In Eastern Mass. Climb — But At A Slower Pace
The levels of coronavirus in Eastern Massachusetts waste water, considered an early warning for future COVID-19 case increases, continued to climb through the weekend, but the pace of increase appeared to slow. Virus levels were nearly flat Sunday through Tuesday in both the northern and southern regions of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which released the data. The levels have fallen precipitously from heights reached early this year as the Omicron wave peaked. They bottomed out around the beginning of March. They have been rising gradually since, though they are still just a fraction of their peak. (Finucane and Huddle, 4/20)
In testing news —
CapRadio:
California Will Close Its Central COVID-19 Lab, Cancel $1.7 Billion Contract With PerkinElmer
The Newsom administration has quietly ordered the closure of its central COVID-19 testing laboratory, cutting short a controversial no-bid contract worth up to $1.7 billion with global health care giant PerkinElmer. In a letter obtained by CapRadio, dated March 31, the California Department of Public Health notified the company that it would terminate the contract in 45 days, as allowed under the agreement. The letter thanked PerkinElmer for its partnership and noted the increased availability of antigen testing and expanded commercial testing options as the reasons for terminating the contract. (Rodd, 4/20)
The Washington Post:
How To Use Biden's Free Coronavirus Tests For International Travel
When the Biden administration began distributing free coronavirus tests, the special deliveries did not help international travelers fulfill requirements to enter the United States because they did not offer the option to test under virtual supervision or receive a report to show border officials. As is the case with many things during the pandemic, that has changed within a couple of months. Depending on which brand of free test you receive, you may be able to use it on your next international trip, after all. (Compton, 4/20)
In other news about the spread of covid —
CIDRAP:
COVID-19 Infection May Offer Similar Immunity As Vaccination
In the pre-Omicron variant era, previous symptomatic COVID-19 infection in unvaccinated patients conferred a level of protection against subsequent infections on par with that of mRNA vaccines but longer-lasting, according to a US study of more than 121,000 participants published today in JAMA Network Open. The findings, of course, do not suggest that infection is preferred over vaccination, which is the much safer alternative. (Van Beusekom, 4/20)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Hospitals Prepare To Pick Up The Tab For Uninsured COVID-19 Patients
More than $3 billion in federal money has flowed to Texas health care providers in recent months to help pay for COVID-19 treatments, tests and vaccines for patients without health insurance, according to national health officials. Of that, a tiny fraction — some $2.2 million — went to the local independent hospital in rural Titus County for treating patients during wave after overwhelming wave of the devastating virus in an area where 1 in 3 residents are uninsured. (Harper, 4/20)
In covid news from Spain and China —
Press Association:
Healthcare Worker Gets Covid-19 Twice in Record Time of 20 Days
A healthcare worker was infected with Covid-19 twice in the space of 20 days in what is believed to have been the shortest time between two infections since the pandemic began. The 31-year-old woman from Spain became infected with the Delta variant followed by the Omicron variant of the virus in under three weeks. Researchers said the case shows that even vaccinated people who have had Covid-19 "cannot assume they are protected against reinfection." (Pickover, 4/20)
Houston Chronicle:
Prominent Wuhan Lab Can Ask UTMB To Destroy ‘Secret Files’ And Other Records, Memo States
A prominent research lab in China can ask its partner institution in Galveston to destroy records of their joint work, including “secret files, materials and equipment,” according to a memorandum obtained by the nonprofit news organization U.S. Right to Know and shared with the Houston Chronicle. Dr. James Le Duc, the director of the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch, signed the nine-page memorandum of understanding, which lays out the terms of collaborative efforts with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in 2017. The two research labs, which study some of the most dangerous pathogens in the world, have had a relationship since 2013 and announced a formal cooperative agreement in 2018. (Gill, 4/21)
