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

February                 28,602,101              513,137                             3,563,578                    51,953

March                     30,459,874              552,072                             3,668,277                    59,240

April                         32,225,012              574,280                             3,742,115                    62,078

May                         33,261,284              594,468                             3,789,227                    63,247

June                        33,624,871              603,966                             3,814,890                    63,569

July                          34,434,136              610,859                             3,903,052                    64,231 

August                    39,057,368               638,700                            4,326,204                    65,757 

September             43,471,906              698,149                             4,720,860                   69,130

October                 45,979,056               746,021                            4,915,796                   71,950

November             48,214,360               776,586                            5,060,666                   74,152

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

 

2022 Timeline

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

February                79,025,644               949,957                             8,961,636                  85,043

March                    81,780,503            1,007,320                             9,102,677                  89,052

April                       82,658,881            1,018,326                             9,192,666                  90,145

May                       86,065,680            1,032,094                             9,574,768                  91,591

June                      86,967,132            1,015,938                            10,024,838                 92,113

July                        90,733,888            1,027,886                            10,367,437                 92,784

August                   94,199,489           1,043,864                             11,052,866                94,959

September            96,067,772          1,506,416                              11,233,276                95,796                                               

UPDATED WEEKLY - Last updated on 30 October 2022, 2:35 pm PST, John Hopkins Corona Virus Dashboard and Worldometer

 

Cases Worldwide  

                            John Hopkins                                                               Worldometer

• TOTAL CASES     -   630,217,238                                  TOTAL CASES     -   635,422,955

Recovered      -                                                           Recovered      -   614,474,734

• TOTAL DEATHS   -     6,589,182                                    TOTAL DEATHS   -       6,593,611

 

POPULATION - is 335,570,890 as of 30 October 2022, 2:35 pm PST, based on Census U.S. and World Population Clock.

 

      * updated information

    ** no updated information at this reporting

 

Cases in the U.S.

• TOTAL CASES    -   97,450,859                                    TOTAL CASES       -     99,344,768

Recovered     -                                                           Recovered        -     96,859,166

• TOTAL DEATHS  -     1,070,266                                    TOTAL DEATHS     -       1,095,204

 

*Unemployment drops to 3.5%

*263,000 jobs created in September.

 

Cases in California

• TOTAL CASES    -   11,363,979                                    TOTAL CASES      -       11,346,333

Recovered     -                                                          Recovered        -       11,097,404

• TOTAL DEATHS  -         96,892                                     TOTAL DEATHS    -              96,936

 

*Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario unemployment rate was 4.2% in August

*California unemployment rate was 4.1%

 

10/30/2022                   Cases (WHO)                  Deaths (WHO)                Recovered (WHO)

• Texas                 -    8,001,016                         91,666                             7,852,081
• Florida               -    7,189,354                         82,065                             7,078,836
• New York          -    6,418,127                         73,062                             6,297,940
• Illinois                 -   3,809,680                         39,982                             3,713,781
• Pennsylvania    -   3,300,294                         47,693                             3,226,138
• N. Carolina***  -   3,237,440                         26,953                             3,197.655
• Ohio                  -   3,185,038                         40,178                             3,110,252
• Georgia            -   2,920,663                         40,626                             2,863,286
• Tennessee        -   2,351,887                         28,017                             2,323,643
• Arizona             -   2,287,886                         31,548                            2,241,587
• Alabama*        -   1,534,287                         20,558                            1,450,726
• Louisiana          -   1,461,433                         18,168                            1,438,127
• W. Virginia        -      607,366                          7,514                               599,035

 

  *  Rated last in vaccine distribution at 52%, fully vaccinated

** correction

           ***  no updated information at this reporting

 

United States progress                                       Updated 30 October 2022, 2:35 pm PST,

• Doses Distributed**                                               890,758,935
• Doses Administered**                                          636,871,557
• 1st dose administered**                                      266,031,472           80.1%                       
• Primary series administered**                             226,933,827           68.4%
• Booster administered**                                       111,367,843           49.1%
• 2^nd Booster**                                                          26,796,838           40.6%
• Bivalent Booster                                                      22,820618             7.3%  
• Total population                                                     335,570,890

 

   *Updated information

             ** No updated information at this reporting

 

• https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/
• https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/us-states
• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
• https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/us-states
• https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations
• https://usafacts.org/visualizations/weekly-unemployment-claims/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ND-Jobs&msclkid=b11efd9b16dc12762fd79d422c12da27
• 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/

 

 

OCTOBER  BLOG

 

COVID UPDATE

 

 

VARIANT UPDATE

Another new COVID variant is spreading – here’s what we know about omicron BA.4.6

BA.4.6 seems to be even better at evading our immune response than BA.5.  14 September 2022

BA.4.6, a sub-variant of the omicron COVID variant, has quickly gained traction in the US and now confirmed to be spreading in the UK.  The latest briefing document on COVID variants from the UK Health Security Agency, UKHSA, noted during the week beginning August 14, BA.4.6 accounted for 3.3% of samples in the UK.  It has since grown to make up around 9% of sequenced cases.

 

Similarly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.4.6 now accounts for more than 9% of recent cases across the US, as well as being identified in several other countries. 

 

BA.4.6 is similar to BA.4, but carries a mutation to the spike protein, a protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to enter cells. This mutation, R346T, has been seen in other variants and is associated with immune evasion, meaning it helps the virus to escape antibodies acquired from vaccination and prior infection.

 

The University of Oxford  reported that people receiving three doses of Pfizer’s original COVID vaccine produced fewer antibodies in response to BA.4.6 than to BA.4 or BA.5. This is worrying, suggesting COVID vaccines might be less effective against BA.4.6.

 

Vaccination is key.  The emergence of BA.4.6 and other new variants shows the virus is still very much with us and mutating finding new ways to overcome our immune response.   People who have had COVID previously can contract the virus again. 

 

CDC: BA.4.6, BF.7 Make Inroads in U.S. as BA.5 Declines.   Sept. 23, 2022, at 1:08 p.m.  The World Health Organization warned its ability to track emerging coronavirus variants, is hampered by declining surveillance and testing.

 

The prevalence of omicron sub-variant BA.5 is declining slightly in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.  At its peak in August, BA.5 was responsible for nearly 87% of new coronavirus cases, but currently about 83% of infections.  The decline is small but has been steady for about a month.  

 

Other strains, like BA.4.6 and BF.7, have started increasing in the meantime.  BA.4.6, the most prevalent strain behind BA.5, is responsible for nearly 12% of infections.  BF.7, an offshoot of BA.5, caused over 2% of cases this week.  The Biden administration has been pushing updated COVID-19 shots that target the omicron variant ahead of expected surges in the fall and winter.

 

Florida leads nation in COVID deaths even as cases continue to decline.  Fri, September 2, 2022.  For the third month in a row, Florida logged more COVID-19 deaths than anywhere else in America.  The state’s COVID death toll grew by 1,614 in August, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows.  As coronavirus omicron sub-variants swept the state this summer, Florida fatalities topped the nation from June through August.   It’s also the third summer in a row Florida, as No. 1 for COVID deaths.

 

Gov. DeSantis began allowing businesses and public places to reopen, becoming the national epicenter for the disease August 2020.  The state became the COVID fatality capital of America last year in July and August, months after state officials suspended all remaining pandemic restrictions.

 

The disease has killed 80,027 Floridians since the start of the pandemic, excluding more than 3,000 victims state auditors found combing through records from 2020, in which physicians classified someone's cause of death as COVID, but the state Health Department did not.

 

The new sub-variant is so similar to the ones the new vaccine targets that it could effectively fight new mutations of omicron sub-variants.  COVID infections across Florida and the U.S. documented this year were caused by omicron and its mutations.

 

The new virus-fighters come to a state whose vaccination rate has barely budged since June, despite the spread of omicron sub-variants.  About 81% of Florida residents have gotten at least one shot in their arms, the CDC reported Friday, including about 28% with boosters.

 

People should get the so-called “updated boosters” — Moderna’s is approved for adults 18 and older, Pfizer, 12 and up — at least two months after their most recent dose of the vaccine, the federal government says.

 

If a shot-seeker lacks insurance, pharmacies will not receive reimbursement from the federal government after administering the vaccine.   That’s because federal money to pay for shots dried up in April when Republican senators blocked a $10 billion COVID bill using the filibuster.

 

FIRST MONKEYPOX, NOW POLIO….WHAT THE……….!  The Return Of Polio In The U.S.  August 24, 2022.   Polio, a viral disease effecting the muscles.  The polio virus lives in the intestines.  Infection is by coming into contact with a sick person’s feces.  Most people get no symptoms or flu-like symptoms that last a few days.  But polio can be serious causing brain infection, paralysis and death.  It was one of the most feared and devastating diseases of the 20th century. Polio cases are down sharply thanks to vaccination,

 

The recent return of polio has hit like something of an epidemiological thunderclap.  Polio was one of the most feared diseases in the U.S. in the early 1950s, causing more than 15,000 cases of paralysis a year.

 

In 1979, polio was officially declared eradicated in the U.S., an early step in a multi-generational effort to wipe out the disease around the world.  July 2202, the New York State Department of Health announced a polio case in an unvaccinated man in Rockland County. 

 

Circulating poliovirus has been found in wastewater there, neighboring Orange County and in New York City.  In London and Jerusalem, in the month of February, the virus was also found in wastewater.   The three cases, though seemingly isolated, point to a troubling trend.  1988, the polio was endemic in 125 countries and led to the death or paralysis of 350,000 people each year, mostly children, according to the World Health Organization, WHO.

 

A massive vaccination push by the WHO, Rotary International, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC and more, polio is now endemic in just two countries—Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have seen only 18 cases between them so far this year.

 

Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of global health and infectious disease at Stanford University School of Medicine, “The case we saw in New York was unusual but a red flag that we need to be on the lookout for potential outbreaks.”  The bad news is that polio is stalking us anew. The good news is that just in the past year, a new vaccine has been added to the arsenal of existing polio vaccines—one that, properly deployed, could halt a new global outbreak of polio before it can get started.

 

• Nationwide, 92.6% of children are fully vaccinated against polio by age 2, according to the CDC.
• Vaccination rates vary state to state and even county to county.
• Oklahoma, polio vaccination rates are just 79.5%,
• South Carolina, the figure is 80.3%
• Rockland County zip code, location of polio case in June, the vaccination rate stands at an alarmingly low 37.3%.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic also played a role in the return of the disease, resulting in children falling behind in their routine vaccination schedules.”

 

There are two kinds of polio vaccines.

• The first, the “inactivated” polio vaccine, IPV, administered by injection - uses a killed virus to familiarize the body with the disease and prime it to recognize and attack a live virus if it ever encounters it.
• The other, the ‘oral” polio vaccine, OPV, administered by mouth—uses a weakened virus that does the same job of priming the immune system, without actually causing the disease.  
• The advantage of the OPV?  It’s easier and cheaper to administer and why it’s used in global eradication campaigns.
• The big disadvantage is that on rare occasions, the weakened vaccine can revert to its virulent strain and leads to the disease in the person vaccinated. 

 

VACCINE UPDATE

PAXLOVID - 13 Things To Know About Paxlovid, the Latest COVID-19 Pill.  AUGUST 11, 2022..  Paxlovid is the latest COVID-19 treatment all over the news.  Paxlovid was granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2021, for anyone ages 12 and older, weighing at least 88 pounds and high risk for severe disease. 

 

Paxlovid is an oral antiviral pill taken at home to help keep high-risk patients from getting so sick that they need hospitalization.  The drug developed by Pfizer, had an 89% reduction in hospitalization risks and death in the clinical trial that supported the EUA.  The number, prompted the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prioritize it over other COVID-19 treatments.  It’s cheaper than many other COVID-19 drugs, provided free by the U.S. government while there is a public health emergency and expected to work against the Omicron variant.

 

It’s important to note that Paxlovid, is made up of two generic medications and isn’t the only pill available to treat COVID-19

 

• nirmatrelvir – inhibits a key enzyme that the COVID virus requires in order to make functional virus particles.  The COVID virus that is released from the cells is no longer able to enter uninfected cells in the body, which, in turn, stops the infection.

 

• ritonavir –  drug that was once used to treat HIV/AIDS but is now used to boost levels of antiviral medicines.   As a COVID-19 treatment, ritonavir essentially shuts down nirmatrelvir’s metabolism in the liver, so that it doesn’t move out of the body as quickly, meaning it can work longer, a boost to help fight the infection.

 

The FDA also granted EUA December for a pill from Merck, molnupiravir/Lagevrio - a nucleoside analogue that inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication by viral mutagenesis.  Some studies suggest that molnupiravir has only a 30% reduction in the risk for hospitalization and death from COVID-19. 

 

Remdesivir, approved by the FDA in October 2020, administered intravenously or through IV, interrupts production of the virus.  Remdesivir interferes with one of the key enzymes the virus needs to replicate RNA, preventing the virus from multiplying.  Those treated with remdesivir were less likely to need high levels of respiratory support.

 

When should I take Paxlovid?  Like all antivirals, Paxlovid works best early in the course of an illness, within the first five days of symptom onset, says Jeffrey Topal, MD, Yale Medicine infectious diseases, Yale New Haven Hospital.  “Once ill with the virus for more than a week, the damage done to the body in a severe case can’t be undone by the antiviral. “

 

How often do I take Paxlovid?  Three, Paxlovid pills twice daily, for five days, for a full course adding up to 30 pills.  It helps that the pills are packaged in a “dose card,” or medication blister pack – allowing you to punch out the pills as needed. 

 

What is Paxlovid rebound?  Anthony Fauci, MD, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said he went through a “Paxlovid rebound” that can occur after taking the antiviral to recover from COVID-19.  “After I finished the 5 days of Paxlovid, I reverted to negative on an antigen test, 3 days in a row,” Dr. Fauci said.   “And then on the fourth day, just to be absolutely certain, I tested myself again,” he said, “I reverted back to positive.”  Dr. Fauci began a second course of Paxlovid when symptoms returned, which were “much worse than the first go-around,”  

 

Double Vaccinations Before an Infection Reduce Long COVID.  Sept. 13, 2022.  According to a new study published by the Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, people infected with COVID-19 after getting doubly vaccinated are associated with a 41 percent lower chance of developing long COVID symptoms.

 

People infected before being vaccinated were more likely to have symptoms at least 12 weeks later.  Long-term symptoms affect about 2% of the U.K. population, with two-thirds suffering functional impairment. The study’s authors indicated “it’s clear vaccines lower infections and transmissions and, therefore, long COVID.”

 

8 Potential Bivalent Omicron Booster Vaccine Side Effects to Anticipate.   Sat, September 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM·. 

 

• Newly approved bivalent booster vaccines targeted at Omicron sub-variants may prompt a similar group of side effects noted by researchers in earlier formulations.

 

• Americans shouldn't expect new side effects or symptoms and are less likely to have a severe reaction to this new booster vaccine.

 

• Those recently recovering from a COVID-19 illness also have special directives to consider before receiving a booster shot. 

 

Americans are learning more about the new bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines by teams at Pfizer and Moderna after officials at the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, authorized rollouts.  Clinics and pharmacies across the nation, including CVS and Walgreens, are now offering vaccination appointments. 

 

The updated bivalent vaccine contains genetic code targeting the original strain of the COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 virus in addition to the strains, BA.4 and BA.5 sub-Omicron variants, currently circulating.  Updated #COVID19 vaccines are now available to every American 12 years & older who has received their primary series.

Scientists admitted this batch of bivalent vaccines, have yet to be studied in humans officially.  “You shouldn't be worried about any increase in side effects here,” according to Richard Martinello, M.D., the medical director of infection prevention at Yale New Haven Health System.  FDA regulators saw similar bivalent booster vaccine made by Pfizer / BioNTech for the "stealth" Omicron variant last winter.  Those bivalent boosters were extensively studied before they were rolled out.  Current authorizations are based on these previous studies, as laid out by health regulators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.

 

Potential Omicron bivalent booster vaccine side effects.  Data collected by the FDA for earlier bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines suggests that these shots successfully provided immunogenicity, a boost to your immunity, and elicited consistent side effects as compared to other COVID-19 vaccines.

 

Sherrill Brown, M.D., medical director of infection prevention for AltaMed Health Services, indicates current side effect notices published by the FDA sourced data from both Pfizer and Moderna. 

 

The most commonly reported side effects within a week of injection were:

 

• Pain, redness and/or swelling at the injection site
• Extended fatigue
• Headaches
• Widespread muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Chills
• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting

 

According to current FDA publications, there's also a chance that swelling may occur in lymph nodes within the same arm as the injection site.  The side effect warnings are the same that came with original vaccine formulations.  The severity of side effects by the bivalent vaccines, were reported as less severe.

 

Similar figures were true for Moderna recipients, as 59% of patients indicated they'd experienced fatigue after their shot, but only 4% reported it at a severe level.  “It's expected that severe side effects caused by COVID-19 vaccines will decrease as patients receive more boosters.   Rare side effects such as myocarditis and pericarditis, have shown to be less common with subsequent booster doses compared to the primary series second dose shot, Dr. Brown explains.

 

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://news.yahoo.com/florida-leads-nation-covid-deaths-223554096.html
• https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/13-things-to-know-paxlovid-covid-19
• https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220630/fauci-paxlovid-rebound-worse-symptoms
• https://covidebm.umn.edu/nirmatrelvir
• https://www.rxlist.com/lagevrio-drug.htm
• https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/final-report-confirms-remdesivir-benefits-covid-19
• https://www.npr.org/2022/08/24/1119306117/the-return-of-polio-in-the-u-s
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/the-terrifying-return-of-polio/ss-AA117aQr
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/polio-threat-continues-grow-vaccine-181218103.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
• https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20220913/double-vaccinations-before-an_infection-reduce-long-covid
• https://news.yahoo.com/8-potential-bivalent-omicron-booster-120000785.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
• https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/another-new-covid-variant-spreading-heres-what-we-know-about-omicron-ba46#:~:text=BA.4.6%2C%20a%20subvariant%20of%20the%20omicron%20COVID%20variant,accounted%20for%203.3%25%20of%20samples%20in%20the%20UK.
• https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-09-23/cdc-ba-4-6-bf-7-make-inroads-in-u-s-as-omicron-subvariant-ba-5-declines#:~:text=BF.7%2C%20which%20is%20an%20offshoot%20of%20BA.5%2C%20caused,BA.5%20as%20well%20as%20the%20original%20coronavirus%20strain.