U.S.                                                                  California

                                   CASES               DEATHS                                     CASES              DEATHS       

December 2020    19,111,443              341,149                              2,120,610               24,241

2021   Timeline

January                  26,185,362              441,319                              3,310,949               40,702

December             54,859,966              825,816                              5,515,250               76,520

2022 Timeline

January                 74,333,528              884,265                              8,292,735               79,801

December          100,751,994           1,092,674                            11,829,499               98,637

2023 Timeline

January               104,196,861           1,132,935                           11,964,001                99,944

February              105,345,992           1,146,142                           12,084,297              100,816

March                  106,102,029           1,153,730                           12,155,825              101,798

April                     106,630,327           1,159,839                            12,221,606              102,390  

May                     107,085,763           1,164,967                            12,263,722              102,769

June                    107,280,827           1,167,763                            12,292,399              103,169

July                      107,437,289           1,169,154                            12,301,545              103,216

August                 108,105,276          1,173,745                             12,374,490              104,562

September         108,752,796           1,177,283                            12,447,994              104,930

October              109,005,441           1,179,695                            12,480,306             105,277

UPDATED WEEKLY – Worldometer, Last updated on 27 November 2023

POPULATION - is 340,740,804 of 27 November 2023, 10:26 am PST, based on Census U.S. and World Population Clock.

      * updated information

    ** no updated information at this reporting

                              Worldometer

Cases Worldwide  

• TOTAL CASES       -    698,329,037

Recovered        -    669,727,464

• TOTAL DEATHS     -        6,943,839

Cases in the U.S.

• TOTAL CASES       -    109,509,672

Recovered        -    107,411,820

• TOTAL DEATHS     -        1,183,396

Cases in California

• TOTAL CASES       -     12,521,222

Recovered        -    12,376,741

• TOTAL DEATHS     -         105,905

                     *   Correction

                    **   No updated information

11/27/2023 (WHO)                  Cases             Deaths        Recovered    

• Texas                     -    8,910,648           95,376          8,781,639        
• Florida                   -    7,854,677           92,249          7,743,534        
• New York              -    7,266,006           78,417          7,168,272
• Ohio                      -    3,575,599           42,916          3,501,746       
• Georgia                -    3,189,258           43,376          3,131,369       
• Tennessee*           -    2,626,843           29,966          2,591,449
• Arizona                  -    2,549,282           33,774         2,496,307           
• Louisiana               -    1,684,058           19,270         1,662,287
• Nevada                 -       920,058          12,206            900,770
• W. Virginia*            -       670,075            8,247            651,431 

​          *    no updated information at this reporting. Listed are 

Effective September 29, 2023, weekly updates to maps, charts, and data provided by CDC for COVID Data Tracker will occur on Fridays by 12 p.m. ET. This change aligns with the timing of CDC’s weekly updates for respiratory viruses (https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/index.html).

Changes in Vaccination Data Reporting

On June 16, the COVID-19 vaccination reporting system will track only two types of vaccinations–primary series and CDC’s new up-to-date measure. The reporting system will update data monthly and stop publishing average doses administered and doses on hand.

• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
• https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/ - fullyVaccinatedhttps://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations
• https://www.edd.ca.gov/newsroom/unemployment-may-2021.htm
• https://www.bls.gov/
• https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm
• https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/us-population/

NOVEMBER – DECEMBER  BLOG

UPDATES

HEALTH UPDATES

Flu, RSV cases surging in North Texas.  CBS-Dallas.  Sun, November 12, 2023 at 5:37 AM PST.  Doctors are urging patients to get the flu vaccine now, especially if you plan to travel for the holidays.  It takes about two weeks for effectiveness.  Local children's hospitals are already seeing a huge surge in patients and nearing their capacity.

RSV symptoms: How to know if your child has RSV, COVID-19, the flu or a cold.  Mon, November 13, 2023 at 11:24 AM PST. 

• What are RSV symptoms? – A virus that typically has mild, cold-like symptoms.  In young children, it is the most common cause of bronchitis and pneumonia in children under one in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

RSV symptoms include: cough, fever, runny nose, decreased appetite, sneezing and wheezing and appear gradually, typically four to five days after exposure.

What RSV symptoms stand out?  Wheezing, which could sound like a whistle or rattle. Bronchitis and pneumonia are common secondary infections of RSV.

• What are flu symptoms? - Symptoms typically come on suddenly, not gradually and range from mild to severe.  Symptoms include:  fever and chills, body or muscle aches, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, fatigue and headaches.

Children under 5 are at higher risk of complications from the flu.  The Cleveland Clinic reports complications include: dehydration, pneumonia, sinus infection, ear infection and inflammation of heart, brain or muscle tissue.

What flu symptoms stand out?  High fever, nausea and vomiting.  It is difficult to tell the difference between COVID-19 and the flu based solely on symptoms.

• What are COVID-19 symptoms?  The CDC reports symptoms are:  cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, fever or chills, headache, body or muscle aches, diarrhea, sore throat, loss of taste or smell.  Symptoms are generally milder in children and infants, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

What COVID-19 symptoms stand out?  Loss of taste or smell is unique to COVID-19. 

VARIANT  UPDATES

Highly contagious new Covid variant HV.1 spreading across US:  All you need to know. Hindustan Times.   The new, highly contagious.  HV.1, Covid-19 variant is sweeping through the United States, dominating other strains, including EG.5 or Eris.  EG.5, the most common variant, followed by FL.1.5.1 or Fornax and XBB.1.16 or Arcturus - are offshoots of Omicron.

HV.1, credited for a quarter of all COVID-19 cases since the end of October or 25.2%.  Late July, HV.1 accounted for 0.5% of COVID-19 cases, by September 30, rising to 12.5% and in November the most dominant strain in the US, per CDC data.

Symptoms for HV.1 are: 

• sore throat,
• congestion or stuffiness,
• runny nose,
• cough,
• headache,
• fatigue,
• muscle aches or chills.

Scientists are not overly worried as the variant has been spreading quickly, but there are highly mutated strains that can cause more harm, BA.2.86 or Pirola, having extra 36 mutations that are distinctive from XBB.1.5 and JN.1, which has one more mutation than Pirola.

What to Know About the EG.5 Variant.  August 10, 2023.  EG.5 is a recent COVID variant  closely related to the XBB variants, that have been circulating in the U.S. for six months.  EG.5 contains one particular mutation known to evade some immunity after an infection or vaccination. 

What to know about new COVID variants EG.5, FL.1.5.1 and BA.2.86 now spreading.  FL.1.5.1, Fornax, is the next-largest strain, at 13.3% of U.S. infections.  FL.1.5.1 has doubled when it was an estimated 7.1% of circulating variants.

Both EG.5 and FL.1.5.1 are XBB variant descendants, sharing a mutation,  F456L, which appears to be helping them spread more than other virus siblings.

VACCINE UPDATES

The Updated COVID Vaccines Are Here: 10 Things to Know.  OCTOBER 4, 2023.   The new shots designed to protect against XBB.1.5 should also protect against more recent virus strains, including EG.5 and BA.2.86. 

There will be better protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19  now that newly updated mRNA COVID vaccines are available.  The new shots are expected to keep people from getting seriously ill with the virus through the winter.  These updated vaccines are for everyone ages 6 months and older.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the updated vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in mid-September.   Early October, they also authorized an updated Novavax vaccine for use in individuals 12 and older. 

The vaccines target XBB.1.5, subvariant of Omicron.  The CDC indicated the updated vaccines  also work against variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which many descended from, or are related to, the XBB strain.  This includes EG.5, the dominant strain in the U.S., and BA.2.86, a new subvariant sparking concern with more than 30 mutations to its spike protein.

Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist Onyema Ogbuagu, MBBCh, reminds people “the disease can still lead to hospitalization and death.”  COVID-19 has been causing mild illness.   “Infections can have long-term consequences and healthy people can develop Long COVID, which new, continuing, or recurring and sometimes debilitating symptoms are present four or more weeks after an initial coronavirus infection,” Dr. Ogbuagu said.

• Why would another COVID vaccination help?  The updated vaccines are not expected to prevent all cases of COVID, their aim is to reduce severe illness, hospitalization and death from infection.  According to the CDC, COVID is still a major cause of serious respiratory illness, 200,000 reported deaths, which includes 600 deaths in adolescents and children ages 19 and younger since January 2022.

The older population, especially aged 50 and older, are more likely than younger people to get very sick from COVID.  Immunocompromised people and those with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, are also at the highest risk of severe disease and death, yet some young, healthy people have also gotten very ill and died from COVID.  The CDC recommends the vaccine for pregnant women to protect both mother and baby.

• How is the updated COVID vaccine different from the previous one?  The bivalent booster, introduced fall of 2022, is no longer available, it targeted the BA.4, BA.5 Omicron subvariants and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.  The new vaccine is monovalent, designed to prevent severe disease from the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant.  By September, it accounted for only about 3% of cases in the U.S. 

Most of the strains circulating now are descended from or closely related to it, providing a good example of how the virus has evolved, and still evolving so rapidly that it may be impossible to match each new vaccine update to the variants circulating at the time it is released, explains Scott Roberts, MD, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist.  “But we know from experience that the vaccines hold up very well, even against multiple variants, unless there is a significant shift like we saw with Delta to Omicron in the winter of 2021.  If you have some immunity to a variant and are exposed to a new offshoot of it, you’ll have some protection.”

• Why isn’t the new COVID vaccine considered a booster?  The FDA is calling the ‘new shots’ as “updated vaccines” in anticipation of needing to provide updated formulas annually, similar to the flu shot. 

A booster shot gives a “boost” to the recipient's existing immunity from a previous vaccination.  Updated vaccines are expected to provide protection against currently circulating variants, helping the body build a new response to those variants.  The FDA anticipates COVID-19 vaccines may need to be updated annually, as is done for the seasonal influenza vaccine.  FDA noted its approval and authorization of the new vaccine.

• Will this COVID shot protect against Omicron strains EG.5 and BA.2.86?  EG.5 made up 29.4% of cases at the end of September, more than any other SARS-CoV-2 virus strain, followed by another XBB descendent, FL 1.51, 13.7% of cases.  The XBB characteristics of the shot are genetically similar to EG.5, not identical, but they're pretty close.

There is still more to learn about BA.2.86, appearing in the U.S. in August, is not reported to be widespread at this point.  The multiple mutations to its spike protein could be a sign it is more transmissible or could cause more severe disease, nobody knows for sure.  

• Are there any special COVID vaccine recommendations for children?  The FDA approved the updated mRNA vaccines for adolescents and teenagers ages 12 and older and authorized them for emergency use in children ages 6 months through 11 years.

Children are less likely to get seriously ill with COVID, but some still do, says Magna Dias, MD, a Yale Medicine pediatric hospitalist.  “Parents should talk to their pediatrician, especially if their child is immunocompromised. In that case, I think it’s a no-brainer to protect them.”

• Is there an updated COVID vaccine from Novavax?  The FDA authorized an updated version of Novavax, developed to target the XBB.1.5 strain.  Individuals 12 and older previously vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine and have not been vaccinated with an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, are eligible to receive one dose; unvaccinated individuals can receive two doses.

• The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines use messenger RNA, mRNA technology, which instructs the body’s cells to make proteins that trigger an immune response against COVID-19.  Novavax protein-based vaccine uses an older, more traditional technology and a different mechanism, directly injecting the laboratory formulated spike protein and another ingredient into the body, resulting in the production of virus-fighting antibodies and T-cells.  Novavax vaccine is the only non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine available in the U.S.

• Should I get the updated COVID vaccine and other seasonal shots at the same time?  The CDC considers it safe to get the COVID shot and annual flu vaccine simultaneously. There is research in progress to explore the effects of administering both vaccines in a single shot.

• The RSV, respiratory syncytial virus vaccines for older adults and pregnant women, are new this fall.  There isn’t data to say whether giving those vaccines simultaneously is the best strategy.

• Where can I get the updated COVID vaccine?  It will be available at participating pharmacies and provider offices.  According to the CDC, the vaccines are covered by insurance, including private insurance, Medicare plan and Medicaid plans.  Uninsured children and uninsured adults also have access through the Vaccine for Children Program and Bridge Access Program, respectively.

To find a location near you that carries the vaccine and to schedule an appointment, go to Vaccines.gov. You can also call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

Novavax’s updated Covid vaccine can still catch up to Pfizer, Moderna shots this fall.  PUBLISHED SAT, OCT 7 20238:00 AM EDT.  Americans can finally get their hands on Novavax’s newest Covid vaccine.

Public health officials view the Novavax vaccine as a valuable alternative for those who don’t want to take messenger RNA, mRNA, shots from Pfizer and Moderna.  Novavax, a decades-old protein-based technology, used in routine vaccinations against hepatitis B and shingles.

• Logistical issues slowed down Pfizer, Moderna.  Insurance and supply-related issues left many Americans unable to find or access the new mRNA vaccines for free.   Many tried to get an mRNA vaccine, but weren’t able to because of logistical challenge - access and distribution,” Jefferies analyst Roger Song told CNBC.   

• The federal government shifted Covid vaccine distribution and coverage to the private market for the first time this fall, which has proved to be tricky.   Health-care providers and pharmacies have signaled that they are ironing out logistical issues and will be equipped to handle them in the future. 

Delays had resulted in some patients getting charged up to $190 for a shot at pharmacies.  Some pharmacies, like Walgreens, appear to be resolving supply disruptions, which left many stores without any new Covid shots.   

Last year, about 17% of the U.S. population, 56 million people, received last year’s boosters, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How to Protect Yourself?  Getting vaccinated is your best bet!

IT’S NOT OVER!

Stay safe.  Mask.  Social distance.  Frequent hand washing.  Avoid crowds

ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL

• https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/updated-covid-vaccine-10-things-to-know
• https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/07/novavax-covid-vaccine-can-still-catch-up-to-pfizer-moderna-shots.html
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/flu-rsv-cases-surging-north-133700945.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
• https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/rsv-symptoms-know-child-rsv-192405711.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
• https://www.msn.com/en-in/health/health-news/highly-contagious-new-covid-variant-hv-1-spreading-across-us-all-you-need-to-know/ar-AA1jQ0mz
• https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/what-to-know-about-the-eg5-variant
• https://wtop.com/coronavirus/2023/08/what-to-know-about-new-covid-variants-eg-5-fl-1-5-1-and-ba-2-86-now-spreading/