News From Los Alamos County
February 3, 2023
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Inside this newsletter, you will find...
The Epidemiology Corner - COVID-19 Update, Biden to End COVID Emergency, WHO Update, Free Testing Sites, Weekly Survey, COVID-19 data, and more.
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COVID-19 Update:
XBB.1.5 Variant Continues Gaining in National Prevalence as Low Level Transmission in County Causes Health Impacts...
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COVID-19 Update: Omicron XBB.1.5 Variant Soon Expected to Account for All US Cases
CDC projects that the Omicron variant XBB.1.5 now accounts for 66% of COVID-19 cases nationwide, with most remaining cases due to the quickly receding BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 (BQ.1x) variants. XBB.1.5 first emerged in the northeastern US, where it now accounts for roughly 92% of cases. It is expected that XBB.1.5 will likely account for nearly all US cases within the next month or so. All other Omicron variants currently circulating in the US are declining in prevalence and CDC has reported no new emerging variants of interest or concern on the horizon. See HERE Although clinical data are still limited, US health experts remain hopeful that the highly transmissible XBB.1.5 variant will not cause more severe disease and that the updated booster will continue to offer protection against hospitalization and death. See HERE A recent study by CDC has shown that the bivalent mRNA booster dose provided additional protection (40%-50%) against symptomatic XBB/XBB.1.5 infection for at least the first 3 months after vaccination in persons who had previously received 2–4 monovalent vaccine doses. See HERE
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CDC Community Level Risk Remains at LOW throughout January but COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death Continue to Occur in County
For the week ending February 1, the CDC Community Level remained at LOW for Los Alamos County, as it did 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. Total reported cases in the county have remained well under 10 for the past four weeks, however case reporting is known to be incomplete due to the high prevalence use of at-home testing. Reported case incidence rates in all four counties comprising the HSA remain stable and well below CDC threshold criteria. The four-county HSA hospitalization rate increased slightly over the past two weeks from 3.7 to 4.1 new admissions per 100,000. NMDOH reported one new hospital admission for COVID-19 in a county resident for the week ending January 29. CDC reported one COVID-19 death in a county resident for the week ending February 1.
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Emergency Department Visits for COVID-Like Illness Remain Stable at Low Level
NMDOH reports the percentage of emergency department (ED) visits in county residents for COVID-like illness remained largely unchanged at 1.4% for the two-week period ending January 29. Statewide, the percentage of ED visits for COVID-like illness stands at about 2%, while ED visits for flu-like illness have declined sharply from a peak of 18% in December to about 4% currently. See HERE These declining ED visit trends suggest that the winter wave of respiratory illness in New Mexico has passed. At the same time, the county ED visit data indicate that continual low level transmission of COVID-19 is occurring in residents, among whom some require emergency medical care for their COVID-19 symptoms.
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COVID-19 Virus in County Wastewater at Stable Low Levels - XBB.1.5 Variant Predominates
Levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in county wastewater continue to remain at stable low levels indicating on-going low level transmission of COVID-19. For the week of January 16, the CDC/Biobot contractor reports that the XBB.1.5 variant accounted for 57% of detected virus in county wastewater. See https://biobot.io/data/
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Decline in Officially Reported Cases in Most Age Groups Consistent with Sharp Drop in PCR Testing and Greater Reliance on At-Home Rapid Testing
Reported case incidence rates decreased sharply for nearly all age groups in January 2023 compared to the preceding several months. Reported incidence in county seniors strongly declined on a monthly basis for the first time since mid-2022. No COVID-19 cases in county residents under age 20 years were officially reported by NMDOH during January 2023 (through the 27th). However, January cases were reported by the Los Alamos Public School District among elementary/middle school students and staff at a level consistent with that seen in prior months, clearly indicating on-going transmission among county youth - a finding consistent with on-going low level detection of virus in county wastewater. CDC testing data indicate that 7-day average daily PCR testing decreased by roughly 4-fold in the county from mid-December going into January 2023. Sustained PCR testing at this very low level will render official statistics difficult to interpret and force greater reliance on other measures, such as wastewater surveillance, to monitor trends in county transmission.
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New Mexicans Encouraged to Self-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, or for a fast and easy way to report your at-home test results online, visit https://makemytestcount.org/.
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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President Biden to end COVID-19 emergencies on May 11
President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared.
The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations would formally restructure the federal coronavirus response to treat the virus as an endemic threat to public health that can be managed through agencies’ normal authorities.
It comes as lawmakers have already ended elements of the emergencies that kept millions of Americans insured during the pandemic. Combined with the drawdown of most federal COVID-19 relief money, it would also shift the development of vaccines and treatments away from the direct management of the federal government.
Then-President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar first declared a public health emergency on Jan. 31, 2020, and Trump later declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency that March. The emergencies have been repeatedly extended by Biden since he took office in January 2021, and are set to expire in the coming months. The White House said Biden plans to extend them both briefly to end on May 11.
“An abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system — for states, for hospitals and doctors’ offices, and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans,” the Office of Management and Budget wrote in a Statement of Administration Policy.
People with private insurance could have some out-of-pocket costs for vaccines, especially if they go to an out-of-network provider, Levitt said. Free at-home COVID tests will also come to an end. And hospitals will not get extra payments for treating COVID patients.
Legislators did extend for another two years telehealth flexibilities that were introduced as COVID-19 hit, leading health care systems around the country to regularly deliver care by smartphone or computer.
The Biden administration had previously considered ending the emergency last year, but held off amid concerns about a potential “winter surge” in cases and to provide adequate time for providers, insurers and patients to prepare for its end.
“To be clear, continuation of these emergency declarations until May 11 does not impose any restriction at all on individual conduct with regard to COVID-19,” the administration said. “They do not impose mask mandates or vaccine mandates. They do not restrict school or business operations. They do not require the use of any medicines or tests in response to cases of COVID-19.”
Case counts have trended downward after a slight bump over the winter holidays, and are significantly below levels seen over the last two winters — though the number of tests performed for the virus and reported to public health officials has sharply decreased.
To view the article, click HERE!
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COVID-19 pandemic 'is probably at a transition point,' WHO says
The WHO says the world is in a better place to fight off the virus.
The World Health Organization said Monday that COVID-19 remains a public health emergency but the pandemic is at a "transition point."
The agency said its International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met on Friday to analyze data on the state of the pandemic.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus "acknowledges the Committee's views that the COVID-19 pandemic is probably at a transition point and appreciates the advice of the Committee to navigate this transition carefully and mitigate the potential negative consequences," the statement read.
According to a transcript of Tedros' speech at the meeting provided by the WHO, he said there is still a high risk of COVID-19 global transmission, which means the virus is still classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
However, he said the world is in the best position it has been in -- due to diagnostics, vaccines and treatments -- to beat back COVID.
"As we enter the fourth year of the pandemic, we are certainly in a much better position now than we were a year ago, when the omicron wave was at its peak, and more than 70,000 deaths were being reported to WHO each week," Tedros said during the meeting, according to a transcript provided by the WHO.
"When you last met in October, the number of weekly reported deaths was near the lowest since the pandemic began -- less than 10 thousand a week. However, since the beginning of December, the number of weekly reported deaths globally has been rising," Tedros continued. "But the global response remains hobbled because in too many countries, these powerful, life-saving tools are still not getting to the populations that need them most – especially older people and health workers.
Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, said the WHO's comments show that the agency recognizes the public health emergency is winding down but that the virus's threat remains.
"What we have to remember is the pandemic won't end on a given day," said Brownstein, an ABC News contributor. "The metrics around cases, hospitalizations and deaths are painting a more optimistic picture and we're seeing more countries getting out of this acute phase."
He added that the danger of COVID is still very real, with deaths twice as high from COVID as they are from the flu.
"If you look at data around deaths, we're still seeing twice as many people dying from COVID than flu every season and flu is only a quarter of a year, and we're seeing that number," Brownstein said.
During the WHO meeting, Tedros urged groups at higher risk of severe disease and death -- including those who are immunocompromised and elderly -- to be fully vaccinated and boosted.
He also encouraged more countries to ramp up testing and use antivirals early on among those who test positive for COVID-19.
To view the article, click HERE!
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Do you believe the pandemic is over?
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CDC launches website to help consumers find free COVID-19 testing sites
Today CDC launched the COVID-19 Testing Locator website, which will allow consumers to search for free COVID-19 testing sites near them. The locator is part of the CDC Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program, which provides access to COVID-19 testing, focusing on communities at a greater risk of being impacted by the pandemic, people who do not have health insurance, and surge testing in state and local jurisdictions.
COVID-19 testing is available at no-cost at ICATT sites to people with or without health insurance who are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. The tests are billed to third-party payers, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers. People without health insurance do not have to pay for COVID-19 testing at ICATT locations. Consumers can access the Testing Locator at testinglocator.cdc.gov.
To view the article, click HERE!
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CDC COVID Data Tracker - February 3, 2023
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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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 Vaccine & Booster Information |
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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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Los Alamos Testing Information |
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Free COVID-19 at-home antigen tests available again
All U.S. households can order a total of four at-home COVID-19 tests that will be mailed directly to them for free. Tests can be ordered HERE.
Additionally, New Mexico residents can still receive mail order free at-home tests through the Rockefeller Foundation’s Project Act program while supplies last at: https://accesscovidtests.org/.
DOH would like to remind residents with private insurance, as well as Medicare and Medicaid that they can request reimbursement for up to eight tests per month.
Residents can self-report a positive COVID test at Make My Test Count. The reporting of tests on this site is confidential and no personal information is required to use the site.
For more information on how to stay safe and healthy from COVID-19, visit cv.nmhealth.org.
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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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Click below to email us your feedback and questions! |
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