Omicron’s BA. 2. 75. 2 subvariant, a new strain of coronavirus that some scientists worry only causes disruption, has arrived in Los Angeles County.
BA. 2. 75. 2 has been described by Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s lead medical adviser for the pandemic, as “the one that looks suspicious, that may begin to evolve as a [problematic] variant. “
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer is also keeping a close eye on him. Three specimens of BA. 2. 75. 2 were detected in Los Angeles County. “It can evade past protections” of immunity, such as those from past COVID-19 injections or infections, “and not respond to some of our latest treatments. “
If the body’s immune formula doesn’t recognize a mutated strain without problems, it’s more likely to cause an infection. In other people at higher risk, especially those who have not received a recent booster, such infections can lead to serious illness or death. .
“I’m concerned about BA. 2. 75. 2 in the same way that we’re concerned about the proliferation of new mutations emerging,” Ferrer said. “It’s very mutated, it looks very different and it escapes some of the protections we’ve put in place. , whether it’s vaccines and herbal immunity. “
At this point, however, Ferrer said it’s a “theoretical concern. “Just because a new variety has potentially problematic homes doesn’t mean it will outperform other versions.
However, a new subvariant emerges, “we have to be careful and [study] because, obviously, a new strain creates more threats for all of us,” Ferrer said.
While the pandemic is heading in the right direction, with a decline in cases and hospitalizations, many officials and experts believe there is likely to be another increase during the fall and winter. And although the U. S. While the U. S. is now quite familiar with Omicron’s BA. 5 subvariant, which has ruled for months, other subvariants are beginning to represent larger instance stocks.
“You have the progressive appearance of variants that are sublineages, like BA. 4. 6. We don’t have many BA. 2. 75. 2 yet, but there are other countries that do. So while we may feel smart that we’re moving in the right direction, we can’t let our guard down,” Fauci said Tuesday in remarks at the USC Center for Health Journalism.
In Los Angeles County, BA. 5 accounted for about 90% of coronavirus cases tested in mid-September, up from 93% earlier in the month. The percentage of cases attributed to BA. 4. 6 increased from 3% to 5% during the week-week. The percentage of instances attributed to BF. 7, also known as BA. 5. 2. 1. 7, is 1. 4%.
They are all part of the extended Omicron family.
Although subvariants beyond BA. 5 are increasing, their expansion has been slow and yet to signal a major alarm, according to Ferrer.
“While this does not guarantee that, in the coming weeks, there will not be an acceleration in the proliferation of those strains, as they appear to have mutations that can help them spread smoothly, there is hope that with a buildup in absorption in autumn boosters, which fit well with what is circulating recently, and the use of common-sense precautions as we enter colder months, We can mitigate the effect of projected accumulation on transmission that could be related to those new strains,” she said.
However, Ferrer is concerned about the lack of interest in the updated reinforcement.
In L. A. County, about 7 million vaccinated citizens are eligible for the new vaccine. But as of Oct. 2, only 355,000, or 5%, have received it since it became available last month. Only 10% of eligible seniors 6 and older won the new retirement.
“Given that other people over the age of 65 are at the greatest risk of serious illness if infected, those low numbers are concerning,” Ferrer said. “If you are an older person or have seniors in your life, at work, at home or in your network; Let them know the importance of getting this extra protection. “
Coronavirus reinfections occur, infrequently, within a few weeks.
“In fact, we’ve had examples of other people saying. . . “I was given poor health 3 weeks ago and it looks like I made a full recovery, and now I’ve tested positive 3 or 4 weeks later,” Ferrer said.
Among those who have had repeated infections is Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla, who said he tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-August and then returned in late September. In a statement, Bourla said he had not yet won the updated test. His company’s bivalent Omicron booster because it followed a suggestion from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. UU. de that other people would wait 3 months after a previous infection before receiving the updated vaccine.
Authorities don’t know if reinfections occur among other people who are twice inflamed with BA. 5 or two other strains.
And while “there’s a higher chance that you have herbal immunity that protects you,” Ferrer said, it’s clear that protection is limited in scope and duration.
“Nothing is one hundred percent, not herbal immunity, not our vaccines. Therefore, taking steps to be careful and cautious when seeking to avoid becoming inflamed is a moderate step,” he said.
Ferrer noted that the CDC’s recommendation still allows other people to decide to get the updated recall more than three months after a coronavirus infection.
But the company says other people postpone a vaccine or booster until they have recovered from an acute illness and can come out of isolation. In addition, the CDC says other people don’t get the updated booster less than two months after their last vaccination or traditional COVID-19 booster shot.
Officials hope the new recall will eliminate the threat of infection and the accumulation of coverage rather than serious illness and death, especially for high-risk seniors.
A published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Last month, more than 1. 6 million veterans were tested over an 11-month period ending in May and a low incidence of hospitalizations for COVID-19 pneumonia was found following a traditional booster vaccine when the Delta and Omicron variants dominated.
Health officials and experts have noted, however, that other high-risk people who have not gained a recent booster are still at risk of dying. And death rates, while improving, are still significant. Since August, Los Angeles County has recorded an average of 70 to 125 COVID-19 deaths each week. In contrast, L. A. County recorded 25 to 50 deaths consistent with the week of May.
And evidence of an increased long-term COVID threat among survivors is building, adding persistent symptoms of fatigue, reduced trainability, respiratory problems, mental confusion and loss of smell.
“In some cases, other people also report sudden hair loss that lasts for months,” Ferrer said.
He cited a study published in July that followed Italian fitness staff for two years and found that 31% of people who were inflamed and out of hospital had prolonged COVID symptoms that lasted more than four weeks. According to the study, the more vaccine doses healthcare personnel had, the less likely they were to report prolonged COVID later on.
Studies also suggest that surviving COVID-19 leads to an increased risk of long-term physical disorders. A study published last month found a 42 percent increased risk of neurological disorders, as well as strokes and seizures, among veterans who were 12 months away from contracting the coronavirus. infection. A pre-print report also showed that six months after coronavirus reinfection, veterans “had a two-fold death threat, a threefold greater threat of requiring hospital care, and a 21/2-fold greater threat of arriving at the center. “or lung disease or blood vessel and blood clotting disorders that had become inflamed only once. “Ferrer said.
Overall coronavirus case rates in Los Angeles County continue to decline. But this would likely reflect less genuine trends than at the beginning of the pandemic, given the proliferation of at-home testing, the effects of which are not systematically communicated to authorities. Coronavirus levels in Los Angeles County wastewater would likely have stalled, likely meaning “viral transmission in Los Angeles County is no longer decreasing,” Ferrer said.
The number of COVID-19 outbreaks in the county’s K-12 schools is increasing, albeit at a modest level. There were 20 outbreaks between Sept. 25 and Oct. 1, compared with 16 last week and 10 last week. it accumulates most commonly in elementary schools, Ferrer said.
The latest updated COVID-19 reminder is only available for ages 12+. However, Ferrer said the government may soon allow the updated vaccines for ages five to 11, and they might only be available in Los Angeles County starting Oct. 19.
Although deaths from COVID-19 remain rare among young people, they still occur. Ferrer announced Thursday the fourteenth pediatric death from COVID-19 in L. A. County. Of the 14 pediatric deaths, 8 were in adolescents; 4 in young people aged five to 11; and two of the youngest young people.
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Luke Money is a Metro reporter who covers the latest news in the Los Angeles Times. In the past he was a reporter and local deputy editor for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication in Orange County, and prior to that, he wrote for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.
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Rong-Gong Lin II is a San Francisco-based subway reporter who specializes in covering safety issues opposed to statewide earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bay Area local graduated from UC Berkeley and the Los Angeles Times in 2004.
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