Weekly News From Los Alamos County
December 2, 2022
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Inside this newsletter, you will find...
The Epidemiology Corner - COVID-19 Update, COVID/Flu/RSV - What's the Difference, Twitter Removes Info Policy, Weekly Survey, COVID-19 data, and more.
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COVID-19 Update:
“Tridemic” of COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV Straining US and New Mexico Hospitals Beyond Capacity – NMDOH Issues Public Health Order...
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NMDOH Issues New Public Health Order Addressing Surge in Respiratory Illnesses
On December 1, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) issued a new public health order directing New Mexico hospitals to work cooperatively to address over-capacity levels of hospitalization driven by sustained increases in COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). See HERE NMDOH advises that children experiencing symptoms of RSV should stay home from school and daycare settings (See HERE for symptoms and care), and that New Mexico families exercise additional precautions this holiday season to prevent disease transmission, including wearing masks when in indoor public settings and refraining from meeting with friends and family when experiencing respiratory disease symptoms. NMDOH further advises that families obtain vaccinations and boosters for influenza and COVID-19 to prevent illness.
COVID-19 Update: Omicron BQ.1x Variants Continue Rapid Ascent, XBB Variant Emerges
CDC projects that Omicron variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 (BQ.1x) now account for 63% of cases nationwide, and up to 72% of cases in the Northeast US, including New York City. CDC is also tracking the emergent XBB variant, which has increased in prevalence by five-fold over the past month, and now accounts for 6% of cases nationwide and up to 9% in the Northeast US. All other variants circulating in the US appear to be stable or descending in prevalence, particularly the formerly predominant variant BA.5, which now accounts for just over 10% of cases. See HERE Increased immune resistance likely accounts for the rapid ascent of BQ.1x and XBB over BA.5. Laboratory and real-life studies suggest that the current bivalent booster should provide protection against these new emergent forms, but, the extent of protection is uncertain. See HERE
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COVID-19 in the County: Community Level Risk is LOW But Most Metrics Are Historically Elevated
For the week ending November 30, the Community Level was LOW for Los Alamos County, as it also was for the three other counties (Taos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe) which collectively comprise the regional Health Services Area (HSA) over which CDC hospitalization metrics are calculated. County incidence rates generally have mirrored those in the three other HSA counties since August, with the most recent rates oscillating around the 200 cases per 100,000 threshold criteria level. Recent rates of new hospital admissions for COVID-19 have also remained historically elevated near the 10 per 100,000 threshold criteria level. NMDOH indicates that two Los Alamos County residents were hospitalized for COVID-19 during the week ending November 27, which translates to a hospitalization rate of 10.3 per 100,000, a measure just above the CDC threshold level.
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NMDOH Reports Spike in Weekly Emergency Department Visits for COVID-Like Symptoms
NMDOH reports the percentage of emergency department (ED) visits in county residents for COVID-like symptoms was 12.8% for the two-week period ending November 29, compared to 5.0% for the two weeks ending November 22. See HERE This is a level not seen in the county since the strong June 2022 case surge. However, NMDOH also is reporting a statewide surge in ED visits for influenza-like illness, and it’s possible that some misclassification between influenza and COVID-19 might have occurred and contributed to the elevated ED measure reported for the county. No coincident spike in reported cases was observed over the past several weeks in the county, but COVID-19 hospitalizations increased above short-term trend due to two new admissions in county residents for the week ending November 27.
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County Wastewater Surveillance Reports Spike in SARS-Cov-2 Virus Levels and Circulation of BQ.1x Variants
Smoothed levels of SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in county wastewater increased sharply over the past several weeks with a doubling peak observed in the third week of November followed by a subsequent modest decline. See https://biobot.io/data/ The spike was not accompanied by any notable rise in reported cases. A review of the raw data supplied by the Biobot contractor revealed an outlier result inconsistent with trend for the November 22 White Rock sample. The subsequent November 29 White Rock sample point affirmatively returned to trend. Genomic sequencing of virus detected in county wastewater during the week ending November 14 indicates a 25% prevalence of BQ.1x variants, with the remainder largely involving BA.5. Given the more recent US variant profile discussed above, it is reasonable to assume that BQ.1x may now be at or near predominance in the county.
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New Mexicans Encouraged to use NM Notify app to Report Positive COVID-19 Home Tests
To assist with more complete case monitoring in New Mexico, NMDOH encourages residents to download the NM Notify app and to report positive COVID-19 home tests on the app. See the NMDOH press release HERE. NMDOH has retired the online self-reporting tool for COVID-19 rapid home tests formerly available on its website. The NMDOH/CDC COVID-19 incidence data reviewed here are based on PCR-confirmed testing results and do not include data on positive at-home antigen tests. As such, case counts are incomplete and underestimated, but by how much cannot be determined precisely at any given time point.
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Suffering from flu, RSV or COVID-19? How you can tell the difference
The U.S. is facing a surge of respiratory viruses, mainly driven by COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
All three viruses have symptoms that are similar, which can make them difficult to tell apart. But knowing which virus a person has can help them receive proper treatment or, if need be, let them know if they need to isolate.
What are the symptoms?
COVID-19, flu and RSV are more similar to each other than they are different in terms of symptoms.
One of the only symptoms exclusive to one virus and not the others is loss of taste and smell, which has been a hallmark symptom of COVID-19.
However, public health experts told ABC News the absence of one of the symptoms does not mean a patient doesn't have a particular virus and that the only way to be sure is to get tested.
How quickly did symptoms come about?
Flu symptoms typically appear rather quickly while symptoms of RSV and COVID-19 appear more gradually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
COVID-19 has an incubation period of two to 14 days while RSV has an average incubation of about five days but can be anywhere from two to eight days.
By comparison, flu has an incubation period of one to four days.
How old is the patient?
Public health experts told ABC News that depending on how old a patient is can affect the severity of the disease.
For example, RSV is most severe for infants younger than six months older and young children, particularly those with weakened immune systems or congenital lung or heart disease.
What treatments or precautions do I need to follow?
With COVID-19, it's important to follow CDC guidelines, which include isolating for at least five days -- or longer if symptoms don't improve -- and wearing a mask around others.
Additionally, they can be prescribed Paxlovid if they are at risk of severe illness.
With flu, patients can receive Tamiflu to shorten the course of their illness as long as it is given early on and people who are exposed to flu can receive the treatment to prevent them from getting sick.
However, the most important thing a person can do if they are infected -- when possible -- is to stay home.
To read the full article, click HERE!
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Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advises on flu, RSV and COVID-19
Health officials are warning of a "triple threat" of flu, RSV and COVID-19 across the country and hospitals are continuing to see a surge in pediatric RSV cases.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy joined "GMA3" to discuss how people can best prepare themselves for the winter months, what this flu season will look like, and how the federal government is working with hospitals and health care workers across the country.
GMA3: Doctor, good to have you with us, as always. I know you have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, but we're talking about flu, RSV and COVID. Can you give us an idea, though, which one of these is kind of your leading concern, given what we're seeing in hospitals?
MURTHY: Well, it's so good to be with all of you again. Look, I think we have to be cognizant that all three; COVID, RSV, and the flu are threats… The good news is that we are not powerless in the face of these viruses. There is something we can do to help prevent our kids and adults from getting these.
Well, with COVID and the flu, the good news is we have vaccines available and the most important job of these vaccines is to save your life and keep you out of the hospital. And by that measure, they are working well.
So I would urge parents to please get your children and get yourself vaccinated for COVID and the flu. You can do that at the same time by the way.
And taking measures like staying home if you're sick, avoiding contact with those who are sick, making sure you're washing your hands regularly. These can all help us with reducing the spread of the virus.
Let's keep this in mind because it's more important than ever, especially as hospitals are filling up, children's hospitals in particular, that we take these measures because they're one way that we can take care of our kids, but also relieve the strain on health care workers.
GMA3: I want to stay on RSV for a second because as you know, there are some hospitals in certain parts of the country that are at or approaching 100% capacity for their pediatric beds, even though elderly people are also affected by RSV. What in particular is being done at the hospital level to help them with resources that they need?
MURTHY: Yeah, I'm glad you raised this because I think many people may not realize this strain on our hospital systems right now. And this is a strain not just due to RSV, but for the last two and a half years.
Our nurses, doctors, pharmacists, health care workers have been dealing with waves of COVID, and they are under great strain now. We have been cognizant of this and working very closely with health care systems, with the medical associations and with states and local jurisdictions directly.
We're doing several things. Number one, we're offering them direct support when they need it in terms of personnel, ventilators, equipment. We are also working closely with them to coordinate so that across a given region or a state, beds can be utilized and at the most efficient, so that even if one hospital doesn't have beds, they can work with other institutions that may have space, you know, in their region.
But keep in mind that if you want to help the hospital systems one of the most important things you can do is to get vaccinated for COVID and flu, to reach for Paxlovid, which is a medication to treat COVID-19 if you're in a high risk group. These are some of the best ways to keep people out of the hospital, and our hospitals need all the support that they can get right now.
GMA3: Dr. Murthy, I want to talk about influenza now. According to the CDC, two thirds of states here in this country are reporting high or very high levels of influenza-like activity. Talk about why we're seeing these high numbers so early and what your concerns are heading into the winter months.
MURTHY: Hmm. So it's a good question. The last couple of years have been very unusual for flu and RSV. You know, during the early years of COVID, when people were isolated, taking precautions, including wearing masks, we actually saw very low rates of flu and RSV compared to normal years.
And now as we come back to normal and as you know, more and more people are getting back to their day to day lives. We're seeing these viruses come back and at some point they will equilibrate.
But this year, we have seen RSV and flu come earlier than normal.
We have to take the precautions that we need to prevent the spread of these viruses, like washing our hands, wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces, and like making sure that we're staying home if we're sick. And of course, again, with COVID and flu, please get vaccinated as soon as you can.
GMA3: What's your prediction right now? A potential COVID surge this winter, given what you're seeing right now?
MURTHY: Well, I think we have to be prepared for the fact that we will see a rise in COVID cases in some parts of the country. We're already seeing cases start to go up. But I do think that we will be in a better place than we were in the last two winters when we had surges.
And the reason I think we'll be in a better place is that we have more people who have protection, either from vaccinations or from prior infection. We also have medications like Paxlovid to treat those who are in high risk groups like the elderly.
To read the full article, click HERE.
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Are you more concerned about COVID-19, Flu, RSV, or other illnesses?
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Twitter ends enforcement of COVID misinformation policy
Twitter will no longer enforce its policy against COVID-19 misinformation, raising concerns among public health experts and social media researchers that the change could have serious consequences if it discourages vaccination and other efforts to combat the still-spreading virus.
Eagle-eyed users spotted the change Monday night, noting that a one-sentence update had been made to Twitter’s online rules: “Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy.”
By Tuesday, some Twitter accounts were testing the new boundaries and celebrating the platform’s hands-off approach, which comes after Twitter was purchased by Elon Musk.
Twitter’s decision to no longer remove false claims about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines disappointed public health officials, who said it could lead to more false claims about the virus, or the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
The virus, meanwhile, continues to spread. Nationally, new COVID cases averaged nearly 38,800 a day as of Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University — far lower than last winter but a vast undercount because of reduced testing and reporting. About 28,100 people with COVID were hospitalized daily and about 313 died, according to the most recent federal daily averages.
Cases and deaths were up from two weeks earlier. Yet a fifth of the U.S. population hasn’t been vaccinated, most Americans haven’t gotten the latest boosters, and many have stopped wearing masks.
Under the policy enacted in January 2020, Twitter prohibited false claims about COVID-19 that the platform determined could lead to real-world harms. More than 11,000 accounts were suspended for violating the rules, and nearly 100,000 pieces of content were removed from the platform, according to Twitter’s latest numbers.
Despite its rules prohibiting COVID misinformation, Twitter has struggled with enforcement. Posts making bogus claims about home remedies or vaccines could still be found, and it was difficult on Tuesday to identify exactly how the platform’s rules may have changed.
A search for common terms associated with COVID misinformation on Tuesday yielded lots of misleading content, but also automatic links to helpful resources about the virus as well as authoritative sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 coordinator, said Tuesday that the problem of COVID-19 misinformation is far larger than one platform, and that policies prohibiting COVID misinformation weren’t the best solution anyway.
Speaking at a Knight Foundation forum Tuesday, Jha said misinformation about the virus spread for a number of reasons, including legitimate uncertainty about a deadly illness. Simply prohibiting certain kinds of content isn’t going to help people find good information, or make them feel more confident about what they’re hearing from their medical providers, he said.
To read the full article, click HERE.
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Los Alamos Vaccine & Booster Information |
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How do I know if I'm eligible for a vaccine or booster?
Follow these links to review the CDC eligibility guidelines:
Where can I get my COVID-19 Vaccine or Omicron booster?
In addition to the clinics that use the NMDOH scheduling site, Los Alamos has other options available. Click below on the vaccine/booster resources website for more information.
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Los Alamos County COVID Vaccine/Booster Resources
Visit the County COVID Page for information regarding vaccinations/boosters, click below:
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CDC COVID Data Tracker - December 2, 2022
To get today's break down of positive case data, demographics information, vaccine status and more for Los Alamos County or other counties across the United States, click HERE
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NMDOH Epidemiology Reports - Daily and Weekly Data
As part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, NMDOH collects and analyzes statewide data for COVID-19 positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. The reports reflect these critical data and are updated weekly - click HERE
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QUESTIONS:
- Is the County paying Biobot to monitor our waste water for covid?
- Why are the Biobot variant prevalences do different than the CDC's Region 6 variant prevalences?
- Is Biobot tracking the BF and BQ variants?
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ANSWERS:
A CDC cooperative agreement is funding the county wastewater surveillance program.
As far as comparing Biobot data to CDC data, a few important points to consider:
- The Biobot sequencing data lags the CDC data by about two weeks. The November 28 update on the Biobot website is actually for virus samples collected the week of November 7. Comparing these data to the November 26 CDC data is not a fair comparison given the rapidly changing profile of Omicron variants in the US. The fair comparison would be to the November 5 CDC data, when BA.5 was roughly at 50% prevalence nationwide. Biobot is reporting roughly 85% prevalence for BA.5, which would not be unexpected since they are not sequencing for BQ.1/BQ.1.1. Biobot does report an "Other variant" category, but it's unclear what falls into this. It's important to remember that both the CDC and Biobot sequencing data are percentage distributions based on different sequencing protocols and hence not directly comparable.
- The Biobot regional data are not directly comparable to the CDC regional data since they are not the same in terms of their constituent states. Also, we cannot directly compare Los Alamos County wastewater surveillance data since Biobot includes samples from both townsite and White Rock, and CDC only includes townsite. Also, they use different data analysis and smoothing algorithms.
- Biobot viral concentration (load) data is independent of the variant sequencing data. Hence one cannot make inference on the validity of the virus concentration data from putative discrepancies in the sequencing data.
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We are listening to you!
Your feedback is helping to shape future newsletters, inform decisions regarding services, and make Los Alamos County healthier and safer. Make sure to participate each week to be heard!
Check out the responses to our last survey:
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Remember, we appreciate your questions! We always try to respond in a timely manner, and if appropriate, we will include those Q&As in future newsletters.
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Have a question? Email us. |
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Los Alamos Testing Information
With the Thanksgiving holiday behind us, it’s important to know exactly when to test for COVID-19 in case you may have been exposed at a family gathering.
Get your COVID-19 testing frequently asked questions answered HERE.
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Los Alamos County COVID Testing Resources
Visit the County COVID Page for information regarding testing, click below:
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Los Alamos Treatment Information |
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Los Alamos County COVID Treatment Resources
Visit the County COVID Page for information regarding treatments, click below:
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What else would you like to see in this newsletter?
Click below to email us your feedback and questions!
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