Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

“Let’s not pretend [Trump] wants to engage in high-minded discourse.”

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

“woke” is the new caravan.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Fight them, without becoming them!

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Joe Biden can go out like FDR, not by dying in office, but by crushing the fascists.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Consistently wrong since 2002

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: February 7, 2024

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: February 7, 2024

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This post is in: ,

… The CDC’s latest biweekly estimate of the variant’s spread was published Friday. It comes as key trends reflecting COVID-19’s spread are now showing signs of slowing, following a peak over the winter holidays.

“Several key indicators are showing decreasing levels of activity nationally,” the agency said Friday in its weekly respiratory viruses report.

Only the South has seen trends of the virus rise in wastewater over recent weeks, according to the CDC’s tally through Feb. 1.

Most parts of the country are also seeing steep slowdowns in COVID-19 cases diagnosed in emergency rooms, except in the South where trends now appear to have roughly plateaued in some states…


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For four years now, either as a physical virus or as a looming threat, the COVID-causing pathogen SARS-CoV-2 has been the elephant in every room—sometimes confronted and sometimes ignored but always present. While once we dreamed of eradicating COVID, now much of society has resigned itself to SARS-CoV-2’s constant presence—a surrender that would once have been unthinkable.

Worldwide, there were more than 11,000 reported deaths from COVID between mid-December 2023 and mid-January 2024, and more than half of those deaths occurred in the U.S. In that same time frame, nearly one million cases were reported to the World Health Organization globally (although reduced testing and reporting means this is likely a vast undercount). In particular, epidemiologists are monitoring the newest variant of SARS-CoV-2, JN.1, and looking for any signs that it may be more severe than previous strains.

Although the WHO declared an end to the COVID public health emergency in May 2023, the organization has emphasized that the pandemic isn’t over—it’s just entered an endemic phase, which means that the virus will continue to circulate indefinitely. Throughout the past four years, Maria Van Kerkhove, now interim director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, has helped lead the agency’s response to COVID. Scientific American spoke with Van Kerkhove about entering the fifth year of a pandemic that many want to ignore despite its permanent impact on lives around the world.

How would you describe the overall state of COVID at this point in the pandemic?

COVID’s not in the news every day, but it’s still a global health risk. If we look at wastewater estimates, the actual circulation [of SARS-CoV-2] is somewhere between two and 20 times higher than what’s actually being reported by countries. The virus is rampant. We’re still in a pandemic. There’s a lot of complacency at the individual level, and more concerning to me is that at the government level.

Lack of access to lifesaving tools such as diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines is still a problem. Demand for vaccination is very low around the world. The misinformation and disinformation that’s out there is hampering the ability to mount an effective response. So we feel there’s a lot more work to do, in the context of everything else—[we no longer have a] COVID lens only, of course, but using masks for respiratory pathogens that transmit through the air is a no-brainer—plus vaccination, plus distancing, plus improving ventilation. People are living their life; we’re not trying to stop anyone from doing anything, but we’re trying to work with governments to make sure they do that as safely as possible.

We don’t know everything about this virus. Even in year five, there’s still a lot of research that needs to be done…

Are there any other things you’d like people to know about COVID right now?

I think it’s important that we continue to talk about it. We understand you don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want to talk about it. But we need to because there’s more we can do. We cannot prevent all infections. We cannot prevent all deaths. But there’s a hell of a lot more that we can do to really keep people safe and save them from losing a loved one.

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A dangerous ‘side effect’ of pandemic anti-vaxx propaganda:

Reader Interactions

29Comments

  2. 2.

    Evap

    I got Covid for the second time, tested positive a few days ago.  Very mild symptoms but I’m taking Paxil anyway at my docs advice.  My first bout was in July 2022 and the symptoms were much worse.  Nobody around me seems to have it and I’m not sure how I got it.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Vaccines may work better if arms are alternated for each shot

    Which is the same as saying, “Vaccines may not work any better if arms are alternated for each shot.”

    Either way it makes no difference to me because I can never remember which arm I got the shot in the last time. I always say, “It doesn’t matter.” when they ask.

  5. 5.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    *Now* they tell me about the alternating arm.  I’m swimming in Moderna vaccine, all thru my right arm.  For almost two years, I thought something was amiss when it *wasn’t* hurting from one shot or another.

  6. 6.

    OzarkHillbilly

    #Covid infections make insomnia more likely, especially in people w/ anxiety or depression, according to new research from scientists in Vietnam. Team found substantial insomnia among non-hospitalized Covid survivors who had histories of depression/anxiety

    SNAFU for me.

    Measles in Clay County? Color me not surprised.

  7. 7.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Baud:

    I don’t trust any shots that aren’t in the ass.

    Easier to administer to someone who doesn’t wear pants.

  9. 9.

    lowtechcyclist

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: ​
     

    *Now* they tell me about the alternating arm. I’m swimming in Moderna vaccine, all thru my right arm. For almost two years, I thought something was amiss when it *wasn’t* hurting from one shot or another.

    My last two Covid shots (fall 2022 and fall 2023) I’ve gotten flu shots at the same time, and I have no idea which shot went in which arm either time, since I had one in each arm to spread the pain around.

    Last time, the soreness wore off after about a day in both arms, so no big deal for me.

  12. 12.

    Scout211

    Reposted from way downstairs, but relevant to this thread:

    While everyone is celebrating the DC Circuit Court decision smacking down Trump’s total immunity nonsense, another Circuit Court issued a ruling Monday that was good to hear.

    Refusing to wear a mask during a health emergency is not free speech.

    The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in two related cases stemming from lawsuits against officials in Freehold and Cranford, New Jersey.

    The suits revolved around claims that the plaintiffs were retaliated against by school boards because they refused to wear masks during public meetings. In one of the suits, the court sent the case back to a lower court for consideration. In the other, it said the plaintiff failed to show she was retaliated against.

    Still, the court found that refusing to wear a mask during a public health emergency didn’t amount to free speech protected by the Constitution.

    “A question shadowing suits such as these is whether there is a First Amendment right to refuse to wear a protective mask as required by valid health and safety orders put in place during a recognized public health emergency. Like all courts to address this issue, we conclude there is not,” the court said.

    The court added: “Skeptics are free to — and did — voice their opposition through multiple means, but disobeying a masking requirement is not one of them. One could not, for example, refuse to pay taxes to express the belief that ‘taxes are theft.’ Nor could one refuse to wear a motorcycle helmet as a symbolic protest against a state law requiring them.”

    Ronald Berutti, an attorney for the appellants, said they intend to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

  13. 13.

    TBone

    Insomnia✓

    Slower reaction time✓

    Horrid dry cough✓

    Other lingering symptoms✓

    Anxiety✓

    Paxlovid: no soup for you!

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @raven: I had to google that and the searches all showed up as people, such as
    South Koreans mourn teen hero who made first emergency call from ferry

    My Korean is limited to a few insults I learned from a vet* who served there. For all I know he made them up as a joke.

    *He was a good guy to hang out with, went to Vietnam too where he cooked for Westmoreland during his tour there. I was very happy he was on that island with me as we were the only 2 normal people there. (the other 2 were Peter Thiel rich). The first gay man I ever actually got to really know.

  17. 17.

    raven

    @OzarkHillbilly:  It is, in fact, GI slang in Vietnam.  ”

    “Trời đất” (heaven and earth) is also a phrase for exclamation.

    Said in a southern Vietnamese accent it (kinda) sounds like “Choi duk”

    “Trời ơi” means “oh heavens!” There’re a few alternatives to this interjection. If you want to be extra melodramatic you can use “trời đất quỷ thần ơi” (oh heaven, earth, demons and gods)

  18. 18.

    New Deal democrat

    As distressingly common, the Biobot and CDC wastewater analyses disagree. The CDC shows a 40% decrease nationwide, but a complete rebound in the South. Contrarily, Biobot shows a 10% rebound nationally, all from the Northeast.

    Perhaps more noteworthy, hospitalizations have declined almost 40% from their holiday peak, from 35,000 to 23,000. Deaths continued to increase slightly through the week of January 13, to 2,100. If they follow the same path as hospitalizations, in the next several weeks they will decline to about 1,300.

    As to JN.1, its vanquishing of all other variants so quickly suggests that it has been burning through the most vulnerable population. If so, that would also suggest a more rapid decline this spring.

  20. 20.

    Soprano2

    @OzarkHillbilly: I got a story alert on my phone a couple of days ago about that. These idiot anti-vaxxers are having to learn this lesson all over again. Too many people are bad at learning from the experience of others.

    Our weekly wastewater counts are down, so that tracks against Biobot. Plus that first tweet – Covid will probably continue to change forever.

  23. 23.

    Chris T.

    Measles in Monkey County (Montgomery Co MD)?!

    (I grew up in that county, back when it was semi-swanky, maybe it still is. Certainly Potomac MD has to still be all hoity toity.)

  24. 24.

    Expletive Deleted

    Does anyone known what the cost actually is for getting the Covid shot at the moment? I’m a UK resident now but will be back in SoCal in a few weeks and figured I’d see what my options were since you cant get it here anymore. (That might be changing in April, but still)

    But the Walgreens appointment form seems to assume you have insurance.

  25. 25.

    Scout211

    @Expletive Deleted:

    Here’s what GoodRx says:

    The people most likely to face charges for the vaccine are adults without insurance. Even if the vaccine is free, these individuals could face an administration fee.
    How much is the COVID vaccine without insurance?

    The vaccine is still free for most people, even those who don’t have insurance. You can get a free COVID vaccine at:

    • Federally qualified health centers
    • Health departments run by state, local, tribal, or territorial authorities
    • More than 20,000 retail pharmacies nationwide, including CVS and Walgreens locations, participating in the CDC’s Bridge Access Program

    If you can’t find a free dose, you may be charged about $115 for the Pfizer vaccine and about $128 for the Moderna vaccine. And these prices don’t include a potential administration fee.

  26. 26.

    tarzanne

    I received a COVID booster in September and would like to receive another one soon as I understand they lose effectiveness after six months.  I have seen no announcement as to whether I will be allowed to get another booster before next fall (or any risks if I do).  Could you look into this from your sources over the next few weeks?  It would be very helpful for many of us.  Thanks!

  28. 28.

    Another Scott

    @tarzanne:

    Made me look… CDC.gov:

    Note: People ages 65 years and older should only receive the recommended number of dose(s) of updated (2023–2024 Formula) mRNA or Novavax vaccine; an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine is not recommended at this time. ACIP will continue to evaluate available data on the epidemiology of COVID-19 and the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Based on these assessments, ACIP will update COVID-19 vaccine policy and guidance as needed, especially for people at increased risk for severe COVID-19, including people ages 65 years and older.

    It’s a long page, but it says people who are “moderately or severely immunocompromised” can get an additional dose and that vaccination providers should not deny someone who wants an additional dose because they don’t have documentation.

    HTH a little.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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