News From Los Alamos County
January 20, 2023
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The COVID-19 Community Newsletter
began bi-weekly distribution this month.
The next newsletter will be February 3, 2023.
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Inside this newsletter, you will find...
The Epidemiology Corner - COVID-19 Update, Do At-Home Test Work, Omicron Boosters, Weekly Survey, COVID-19 data, and more.
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COVID-19 Update:
XBB.1.5 Variant Now Dominates in US as Reported Cases in County Remain Relatively Low Going into January...
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COVID-19 Update: Omicron XBB.1.5 Variant Now Dominates in US
CDC projects that the Omicron variant XBB.1.5 now predominates in the US, accounting for 49% of COVD-19 cases nationwide. The previously dominant BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 (BQ.1x) variants, which are now in modest decline, account for most other cases, approximating a 40% prevalence. XBB.1.5 first emerged in the northeastern US, where it now accounts for roughly 85% of cases. All other Omicron variants 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 US health experts believe that XBB.1.5 will soon account for nearly all cases in the US as geographic spread from the Northeast continues. Disease severity and vaccine protection remain uncertain due to the lack of real-world data, but a recent risk assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible variant observed to date but it contains no genetic mutations known to cause more severe disease. See HERE
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Community Level Risk Remains at LOW Going Into January
For the week ending January 18, the 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 under 10 for the past two weeks following a small post-holiday rise in cases. Reported case incidence rates in all four counties comprising the HSA are at 9-month minimum, well below CDC threshold criteria. NMDOH/CDC reported no new COVID-19 hospital admissions or deaths in the county for the week ending January 18. The overall HSA hospitalization rate did increase week-to-week from 2.9 to 5.8 new admissions per 100,000 due to an increase in hospitalizations within the other three HSA counties.
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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 stable at 1.4% for the two-week time period ending January 18. Statewide, the percentage of ED visits for COVID-like illness stands at about 3%, while ED visits for flu-like illness have declined sharply from a peak of 18% in December to about 5% currently. These declines suggest that the winter wave of respiratory illness in New Mexico may have passed, but there is no guarantee a second wave will not emerge. See HERE
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COVID-19 Virus in County Wastewater at Stable Low Levels - XBB.1.5 Confirmed Present in County
Levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in county wastewater remained at stable low levels over the past several weeks, consistent with stable low levels of reported case transmission. For the week of January 2, the CDC/Biobot contractor reports that the XBB.1.5 variant accounted for 45% of detected virus in county wastewater, with the remainder identified as BA.5. See https://biobot.io/data/
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Reported Cases Decline Sharply in Most Age Groups Going Into January
Reported case incidence rates for the first two weeks of January decreased sharply for all ages, excluding 20-34 years olds, where rates jumped from 3.7 to 10.1 cases per 100,000 based on 5 reported January cases. No COVID-19 cases were reported during the two-week January time period in county residents under age 20. Incidence rates in seniors (65+) declined by roughly half in early January compared to a preceding five-month stable trend, where rates averaged about 25 cases per 100,000. Because of the high prevalence use of at-home testing, the decline in reported case incidence rates may not necessarily reflect actual incidence patterns in the county. The decline in rates among county seniors (65+), who may serve as the best sentinel risk indicator, certainly suggests that transmission rates have declined compared to prior months. This would be consistent with the comparatively lower levels of virus currently detected in county wastewater.
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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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Is it time for a reality check on rapid COVID tests?
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its fourth year, a negative result on a little plastic at-home test feels a bit less comforting than it once did.
Still, you dutifully swab your nostrils before dinner parties, wait 15 minutes for the all-clear and then text the host "negative!" before leaving your KN95 mask at home.
It feels like the right thing to do, right?
The virus has mutated and then mutated again, with the tests offering at least some sense of control as the Greek letters pile up. But some experts caution against putting too much faith in a negative result.
So it's only fitting to do a reality check on what those rapid COVID-19 tests, also called antigen tests, can do — and what they can't.
Is the latest omicron variant tripping up at-home tests?
For the most part, the answer is no.
That's because as the virus evolves, scientists are mainly seeing changes in its spike protein, which is what the virus uses to attack and enter healthy cells. But the rapid antigen tests aren't actually looking for that spike protein.
Federal health agencies are monitoring the situation in case that changes. The Food and Drug Administration is working with the National Institutes of Health to study just how well the at-home tests work as the virus continues to evolve.
So far, the agencies have identified only one test — the Luminostics Inc. Clip COVID Rapid Antigen Test — that has been rendered less reliable in the face of new variants. And even then, the FDA says "the impact does not appear to be significant."
Are antigen tests taking longer to show a positive?
Some people report having negative antigen test results for days, despite having a known COVID-19 exposure and the telltale symptoms. Eventually, they test positive, but it can sometimes take as long as a week.
Many factors could make it seem as though home tests are taking longer to register a positive result, such as the virus multiplying faster somewhere other than the nostrils in some patients, says Dr. Geoffrey Baird, chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
But Baird says perhaps the biggest factor is human error. After all, people doing these tests at home make mistakes and aren't trained like those who are doing COVID-19 tests in a lab.
And while, on average, people will get a positive antigen test result around the time they become infectious, Baird says it's important to remember that there will always be plenty of people on either side of that average: those who test positive much earlier than most and those who test positive much later.
How well do these tests really work?
Antigen tests can be useful in certain situations (more on that in a minute), but Baird stresses that they have their limits. That was true even before the pandemic.
Antigen tests look for specific proteins inside the virus. Users typically swab their nostrils, and the tests take about 15 minutes to render a positive or negative result. But these at-home tests need much more virus to generate a positive result than a PCR test, which is done in a lab and involves letting trace amounts of viral genetic material "amplify" over time — usually a day or so. So even if very little virus is present, there should be enough to trigger a positive result (PCR tests may also keep turning up positive long after someone has cleared the infection).
Both kinds of tests have their advantages and disadvantages. And there are two measures of test performance to know about: specificity and sensitivity.
Specificity is how good the test is at avoiding false positives. And sensitivity is how good the test is at finding the virus.
According to the CDC, antigen and PCR tests are both good at avoiding false positives, but PCR tests are generally more sensitive than home tests. That means antigen tests aren't all that useful for ruling out COVID-19, but they can be valuable for confirming that cold really is COVID-19.
So what are these tests actually good for?
Even though it seems like a good idea to have everyone take a rapid COVID-19 test the day of a gathering to make sure they're negative, experts say that's not how the tests were meant to be used.
"A positive test is almost always true," Colgrove says. "So in a person with an exposure or a person with suggestive symptoms, if they do a test and it's positive, you're done. You have your diagnosis."
The best way to use the tests is to know their limits and follow instructions for retesting when you get a negative result.
If you have COVID-19 symptoms, even if your test is negative, it's a good idea to be cautious and just stay home.
To read the full article, click HERE!
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Survey Finds Americans Still Don’t Know They’re Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Booster Shot
Just 18% of American adults have gotten the updated COVID-19 booster shot, according to CDC data.
Why Aren’t Americans Getting Boosted?
The updated COVID-19 booster shot that targets two omicron subvariants as well as the original coronavirus strain has been available to most Americans for over four months, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says just 18% of adults have gotten it.
So why have so few people rolled up their sleeves?
Despite COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. once again being on the rise, the months-long booster campaign appears to have an education problem, according to a report published Thursday by the CDC.
The most common reason given for not getting the updated COVID-19 booster shot was a lack of knowledge about eligibility for it, according to researchers.
The survey, which was conducted in early November, asked 1,200 vaccinated Americans their reasons for receiving or not receiving an updated booster shot. Of the 714 Americans who had not yet gotten the updated shot, more than 23% – or close to 1 in 4 – reported that they did not know they were eligible for it.
The second most common reason was a lack of knowledge about vaccine availability, while the third most commonly reported reason was a perceived belief that they were already protected against infection.
Most participants who were unaware they were eligible for the shot planned to get the booster after reviewing information about vaccination guidelines, the survey found. But a month later, only 29% of the participants who planned to receive the shot had done so, with recontacted participants reporting they were too busy, forgot or worried about the side effects.
To read the full article, click HERE!
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Has everyone in your household received the Omicron booster?
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No. I don't know where to get it.
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No. I don't plan on getting it.
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CDC COVID Data Tracker - January 20, 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 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 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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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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