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

December          110,109,948          1,190,171                            12,543,800             106,183

 

2024 Timeline

January              110,653,481           1,193,026                            12,571,376             106,559

February             111,426,318           1,199,436                            12,677,885            107,643

 

UPDATED WEEKLY – Worldometer, Last updated on  25 February, 2024,

 

U.S. POPULATION - is 341,191,066 of 25 February, 2024, 9:13 p.m. PST based on Census U.S. and World Population Clock.

      * updated information

    ** no updated information at this reporting

 

                              Worldometer

Cases Worldwide  

• TOTAL CASES       -    703,662,735

Recovered        -    674,400,974

• TOTAL DEATHS     -        6,985,940

 

Cases in the U.S.

• TOTAL CASES       -   111,426,318                                  

Recovered        -   109,123,430

• TOTAL DEATHS     -       1,199,436
  • Jobs increased by 353,000 in January 2024.
  • Unemployment held at 3.7 %

 

Cases in California

• TOTAL CASES       -     12,677,885

Recovered        -     12,504,224

• TOTAL DEATHS     -          107,643

        *   Correction

                     **   No updated information

 

2/25/2024 (WHO)                  Cases             Deaths       Recovered    

• Texas                    -    9,118,481          96,011        8,953,704        
• Florida                  -    8,012,011          94,037        7,859,896        
• New York             -    7,555,112          83,374        7,454,335
• Ohio                     -    3,718,767          43,705        3,649,021
• Georgia               -    3,269,934          43,868        3,190,537       
• Tennessee            -   2,704,483          30,487         2,667,529
• Arizona                 -   2,597,194          33,774         2,552,595           
• Nevada                -      932,156         12,402             914,050
• W. Virginia*          -      698,337           8,247              672,855

 

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/

 

 

 

VARIANT UPDATE

 

The New COVID Variant JN.1 Is Responsible For 62 Percent Of U.S. Cases Right Now.  January 9, 2024.  After the 2023 holiday season, a new COVID-19 strain, JN.1, emerged.  This variant quickly grew to become the most common COVID-19 variant.  JN.1, a derivative of the Omicron variant, BA.2.86, exhibiting a large number of spike protein mutations.  JN.1 is responsible for 62 percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States.

 

Are the JN.1 symptoms any different from previous variants?  The symptoms of COVID-19 have been consistent, regardless of which variant causes it.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, says the most common symptoms with JN.1, or any variant of COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Does the fall 2023 updated vaccine work against JN.1?   The latest COVID-19 vaccine works against JN.1.  Some data suggests ‘we got a 10- to 13-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against JN.1 with the updated formulation.’  The COVID-19 vaccine is “imperfect” against keeping you from ‘getting’ infected.  The goal, basically to minimize the development of severe disease and hospitalization. 

 

What should I do if I test positive for JN.1?  It’s unlikely you’ll know which variant you have.  If positive, odds are you have JN.1.  The CDC's recommendations are the same:  

• stay home and
• isolate for five days after a positive test result, and
• wear a high-quality mask for 10 days around others.

If high risk for serious complications from COVID-19, you have diabetes or a chronic lung condition like asthma, it is recommended to contact your doctor.  You may qualify for an antiviral medication like Paxlovid or molnupiravir, which can lower the risk of serious complications from the virus.  ‘What you shouldn’t do if you get JN.1, is ‘Panic,’ says Amesh A. Adalja, MD, an adjunct assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.“  COVID-19 tests still work for the new variant.

 

 

HEALTH  UPDATES

 

Rates of syphilis in the US are higher than anytime since the 1950s, CDC says.  USA TODAY.  Tue, January 30, 2024 at 8:33 PM EST.  Syphilis cases in 2022 increased to the highest level, 16.9%, since 1950, according to a new report, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Especially alarming:  Congenital syphilis, when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy, increased 30.6%.  The report revealed some good news.  Chlamydia and gonorrhea account for more cases than syphilis, yet syphilis is considered more dangerous

 

CDC:  Young adults, especially men, more likely to have STDs.  Adolescents and young adults, 15 to 24, accounted for 49.8% of reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.  Gay and bisexual men were more likely to have reported STDs.  28% of syphilis cases in 2022 were infectious forms, a quarter reported by women and one-fourth by heterosexual men.

 

Rates of infectious forms of syphilis increased among men and women, among all age groups and in all regions of the U.S. Infectious rates rose in most racial/Hispanic ethnicity groups, with the largest increases among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native persons.

 

STD’s can be treated with antibiotics.  Syphilis, untreated, can affect the brain, nervous system, lead to dementia, blindness, tinnitus and in cases, death.  The attention paid to COVID-19 during the pandemic may have led to an increase in syphilis cases and underreporting of infections, according to the CDC. 

 

What are the symptoms of syphilis?  Here are symptoms of the most infectious stages of syphilis: 

• Primary stage:  one or more sores where the infection entered your body - mouth, sex organs, anus.
• Secondary stage:  may have skin rashes and/or sores in your mouth, vagina, or anus.  A rash can be on the hands or feet.  You may experience fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches, and fatigue.

 

Scientists’ May Have Found the Cause of Long COVID.  Tue, January 23, 2024 at 4:30 AM PST.   Long COVID has mystified the medical community for years, making it a tough condition to diagnose, let alone treat. A new study published in the journal Science showed a portion of the immune system called the complement system was ramped up well after the patients recovered from COVID-19.

 

Immune system?  The complement immune system is part of the immune system, “..our baseline and first line of immunity,” says Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.  “Complement is an arm of the immune system that ‘complements’ the action of the other arms,” explains infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.“  Activities that it performs range from literally attacking the cell membranes of a pathogen to summoning the cells of other immune systems to the site of infection.”

 

In the case of long COVID, the complement immune system activation may be linked to microclots, tiny blood clots, which can block blood vessels and lead to damage or cause premature cardiac events, dementia, respiratory failure and renal failure.”

 

 

COVID-19: Long-term effects.   Mayo Clinic Staff.  Most people who COVID-19 recover within a few weeks.  But some, that had mild versions, might have symptoms that last a long time afterward.  The ongoing health problems are sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome, post-COVID conditions, long COVID-19, long-haul COVID-19, and post-acute sequelae of SARS COV-2 infection (PASC).

 

What is and how common is post-COVID-19?  Post-COVID-19 syndrome involves a variety of new, returning or ongoing symptoms experienced more than four weeks after COVID-19 and some symptoms lasts months, years or causes disability.

 

Research suggests that between one month and one year after having COVID-19, 1 in 5 people, age 18 to 64, has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19.  Among those 65 and older, 1 in 4 has a medical condition due to COVID-19.

 

What are the symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome?  The most commonly reported include:

• Fatigue
• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort
• Fever
• Lung (respiratory) symptoms, including difficulty breathing or shortness of breath and cough

Other possible symptoms include:

• Neurological symptoms or mental health conditions,
• difficulty thinking or concentrating,
• headache,
• sleep problems,
• dizziness when standing,
• pins-and-needles feeling,
• loss of smell or taste,
• depression or anxiety
• Joint or muscle pain
• Heart symptoms or conditions, including chest pain, fast or pounding heartbeat
• Digestive symptoms, including diarrhea and stomach pain
• Blood clots or blood vessel (vascular) issues,
• blood clots that travel to the lungs from deep veins in the legs
• blocking blood flow to the lungs or pulmonary embolism

 

• Other symptoms, such as a rash and changes in the menstrual cycle

 

It can be hard to tell if you are having symptoms due to COVID-19 or another cause, such as a pre-existing medical condition.  Some symptoms are similar to those caused by chronic fatigue syndrome and other chronic illnesses that develop after infections.  Chronic fatigue syndrome involves extreme fatigue that worsens with physical or mental activity but doesn't improve with rest.

 

Why does COVID-19 cause ongoing health problems?  Organ damage could play a role.  People who had severe illness with COVID-19 might experience organ damage affecting the heart, kidneys, skin and brain.  Inflammation and problems with the immune system can also happen. The effects could lead to the development of new conditions, such as diabetes, heart or nervous system conditions.  It isn't clear how long these effects might last.

 

Some with severe symptoms of COVID-19 often need treatment in an intensive care unit which may result in extreme weakness and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, triggered by a terrifying mental health event.   

 

Post-COVID-19 syndrome appears to be more common in adults than in children and teens.   However, anyone who gets COVID-19 can have long-term effects, including those with no symptoms or mild illness. 

 

What should you do if you have post-COVID-19 syndrome symptoms?  If having symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome, talk to your health care provider, but prepare for your appointment:

• When symptoms started?
• What makes symptoms worse?
• How often symptoms are experienced?
• How symptoms affect your activities?

Your health care provider may perform tests such as:  complete blood count, liver function test, or chest X-rays, based on symptoms.

 

 

Pericarditis and Long COVID Effects on Heart, Colleen Doherty, MD.  Medically reviewed by Geetika Gupta, MD.  Wed, January 24, 2024, at 6:06 AM PST.  Infection with the virus increases risk for heart-related complications, including pericarditis, inflammation of the heart's outer lining, and myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle.

 

Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine has been rarely associated with these potential adverse heart-related effects.  Although both are inflammatory heart conditions which can coexist, called myopericarditis.

 

Facts About Pericarditis and COVID-19.  Pericarditis is the inflammation of the pericardium, the thin sac surrounding the heart.  Its purpose is to stabilize the heart's position in the chest and minimize friction between the heart and nearby organs structures, such as the lungs.  Pericarditis causes sharp or stabbing chest pain that worsens with breathing and typically improves when sitting up or leaning forward.  There are multiple potential causes of pericarditis: 

• viral infections like COVID-19,
• autoimmune diseases lupus, cancer, and kidney failure.

 

COVID-19-induced pericarditis is believed to be caused by three processes:

• Direct invasion by the virus of the heart muscle
• Reduced blood flow to parts of the heart
• Development of a cytokine storm, an exaggerated immune system response. 

 

Findings from clinical studies and vaccine safety monitoring outside the United States, suggest an elevated risk of pericarditis after receiving the Novavax vaccine, a protein-based vaccine. Research has also found a causal link between pericarditis and the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.   Current research has found that the risk of pericarditis is significantly higher after a COVID-19 infection than after an mRNA COVID-19 vaccination for males and females in all age groups.

 

Highest-Risk Groups - In data from 33 studies, COVID-19-related pericarditis was found to affect individuals at any age and be twice as common in males compared to females.  Also, nearly 50% of people with COVID-19-related pericarditis had reported a history of high blood pressure, followed by diabetes and high cholesterol, suggesting certain underlying health conditions could increase a person's risk for this heart complication.

 

Regarding COVID-19 vaccines, an increased risk for pericarditis was observed among adolescents and young adult males, within seven days after receiving the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Long COVID Effects on Heart and Body - Symptoms of long COVID-19 may start during or after illness and can last for weeks, months, or even years.  Possible heart-related manifestations include:

• Myocarditis and/or pericarditis
• Heart failure - the heart can't pump enough blood for the body's needs
• Heart attack
• Arrhythmia - abnormal heart rhythm

 

Other examples of potential long COVID-19 health manifestations include:

• Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
• Long-term anxiety and depression
• Stroke and transient ischemic attack
• Breathlessness and limited exercise tolerance
• Decline in kidney function
• Muscle and joint stiffness
• Digestive problems causing diarrhea or stomach pain

 

Emergency Pericarditis and Myocarditis Symptoms - The most commonly reported symptoms of pericarditis are:

• Chest pain
• Fever
• Shortness of breath

 

According to the American Heart Association, individuals should seek immediate medical attention for the following symptoms:

• Chest pain, including student, sharp, or stabbing sensations
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Abnormal heartbeat (e.g., fast, fluttering, or pounding)
• Fainting or loss of consciousness

 

Symptoms in Young Children - According to the CDC, young children with pericarditis or myocarditis may have irritability, vomiting, poor feeding, rapid breathing, or lethargy.

 

 

Long Covid explanation in new study possibly paves way for tests and treatments.  Jan. 18, 2024, 11:02 AM PST / Updated Jan. 18, 2024, 12:11 PM PST.   Scientists have identified a persistent change in blood proteins in people with long Covid, indicating an important part of their immune system remains on high alert months after an acute infection.  A little more than 14% of adults in the United States report having experienced long Covid, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. 

 

Repeated blood samples turned up differences in their blood.  A group of proteins indicated a part of the body’s immune system, the complement system, remained activated long after it should have returned to normal.

 

“When you have a viral or bacterial infection, the complement system becomes activated and binds to viruses and bacteria, then eliminates them.  The system then returns to its resting state, where its regular job, to clear the body of dead cells.  If the complement system remains in microbe-fighting state after the viruses and bacteria are eliminated, it starts damaging healthy cells,” indicated Dr. Onur Boyman, professor of immunology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and one of the study’s investigators.

 

 

VACCINE UPDATE

 

How COVID-19 Vaccines and Infections Are Tweaking Our Immunity.  Wed, January 24, 2024 at 8:52 AM PST.  According to a paper published Jan. 19 in Science Immunology, the immune system is getting smarter each time you encounter COVID-19.  After getting vaccinated and infected, the immune system generates broader defenses against the virus, including against new variants.

 

Researchers in South found those who had been vaccinated with the original Pfizer-BioNTech series, then got infected with an Omicron variant, showed good levels of memory immune cells, T-cells, that defended against variants causing infection, but also related ones in the Omicron family that came later and he expects the most recent vaccine targeting XBB, would likely provide protection against the latest variants XBB and JN.1.

 

For example:  those vaccinated with three doses of the original COVID-19 shot,

then got infected with the BA.2 variant, generated T cells that could target BA.2,

BA.4, BA-5 and XBB viruses, which emerged later.  The study only includes data through the XBB wave.   

 

 

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.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-long-term-effects/art-20490351
• https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/covid-variant-jn-1-responsible-185900514.html
• https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/scientists-may-found-cause-long-123000410.html
• https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/covid-19-vaccines-infections-tweaking-212304960.html
• https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/pericarditis-long-covid-effects-heart-140616784.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/rates-syphilis-us-higher-anytime-013319871.html