Why boosted Americans seem to be getting more COVID-19 infections – CBS News
As COVID-19 cases began to accelerate again this spring, federal data suggests the rate of breakthrough COVID infections in April was worse in boosted Americans compared to unboosted Americans — though rates of deaths and hospitalizations remained the lowest among the boosted.
How to Think About Personal Risk When COVID Case Data Can’t Be Trusted – The Atlantic
The numbers do still have some use, even if they’re less illuminating than before. Coronavirus cases are up more than 25 percent in the United States over the past two weeks—and those are just the ones we know about. Experts warn that the true size of the current outbreak could be 10, or even 14, times worse than the official counts suggest.
Provisional COVID-19 Deaths by HHS Region, Race, and Age – CDC
Deaths involving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported to NCHS by time-period, HHS region, race and Hispanic origin, and age group.
My Family Got Covid. So Why Did We Test Negative? – NYT
As a science journalist, I’ve read dozens of research papers about Covid-19, and I’ve interviewed so many virologists, infectious disease physicians and immunologists over the past two years that I’ve lost count. But nothing prepared me for what happened after my 7-year-old daughter tested positive for Covid-19 nearly two weeks ago.
COVID vaccines can’t keep up with new Omicron subvariants – Yahoo News
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the air. New subvariants of the Omicron strain of the COVID-19 virus “appear to be even more immune-resistant than the original,” Axios reported Wednesday.
Can long Covid lead to death? A new analysis suggests it could – Politico
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is analyzing more than 100 deaths that could be attributed to long Covid by looking at death certificates from across the country over the last two years, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Testing Positive and Using the ‘Backdoor’ to Get Into the U.S. – NYT
Entering the United States by air requires a negative coronavirus test. Some people who can’t provide one are using a workaround: flying to Canada or Mexico, then entering via a land border.
During the Omicron Wave, Death Rates Soared for Older People – NYT
Last year, people 65 and older died from Covid at lower rates than in previous waves. But with Omicron and waning immunity, death rates rose again.
Reported COVID-19 infection levels nearly 6 times higher than last Memorial Day – ABC News
Millions of Americans traveled for Memorial Day weekend at levels not seen since before the onset of the pandemic. It marked a return to normalcy for many and a chance to gather with family and friends. But in reality, the situation was far from normal — with confirmed COVID-19 cases nearly six times higher than last Memorial Day, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Viruses that were on hiatus during Covid are back — and behaving in unexpected ways – STAT
For nearly two years, as the Covid pandemic disrupted life around the globe, other infectious diseases were in retreat. Now, as the world rapidly dismantles the measures put in place to slow spread of Covid, the viral and bacterial nuisances that were on hiatus are returning — and behaving in unexpected ways.
North Korea Did an Amazing Job of Keeping Covid Out. Or It Lied. – Bloomberg
Few health experts believe North Korea managed to keep out Covid-19 since early 2020. So when Kim Jong Un officially confirmed the nation’s first case on Thursday, the question was more: “Why now?”
Making sense of North Korea’s covid mystery — and its menace – Washington Post
It’s always been difficult to get an accurate picture of what’s going on inside North Korea, one of the most closed-off countries in the world. But its handling of the covid crisis has been particularly enigmatic, with potentially long-lasting ramifications for the welfare of its people — and neighboring countries — amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Emerging Infectious Disease Headlines
outbreak in Iraq, the first case was reported in the Al-Anbar governorate Monday. The patient is a 25-year-old resident of the Al-Rahhaliya area in Ramadi.
[Related] Iraq: 1st Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever case reported in Erbil
Monkeypox
Portugal now reports 100 confirmed monkeypox cases – Outbreak News Today
The Directorate-General for Health (DGS) confirms 4 more cases of human infection with the Monkeypox virus in Portugal, with a total of 100 cases so far. Most infections have been reported to date in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, but there are also cases in the North and Algarve regions.
How Serious Is Monkeypox? – NYT
Health officials are tracking more than 100 cases of confirmed or suspected monkeypox that have appeared in countries where the disease does not typically occur, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Why the Atypical Symptoms in the Latest Monkeypox Cases? – MedPageToday
In mid-May, a young man appeared at a hospital in Montreal with a single lesion on his genitals. About a week earlier he had sexual contact with someone who tested positive for monkeypox. Over the next several days, his lesion grew in size and more lesions appeared, but they weren’t painful. He had no fever and the lesion remained contained.This was one of the first monkeypox cases in Canada. The details, including all of the atypical symptoms, were shared by one of the patient’s physicians, Sébastien Poulin, MD, of Saint-Jerome Hospital in Montreal, via Twitter.
COVID Vaccine Headlines
Third mRNA Shot Offers Best Covid-19 Immunity, Study Says – Bloomberg
A third dose of messenger RNA Covid-19 vaccine provides a key boost to immunity against the coronavirus, regardless of the original type of immunization, researchers said.
Pfizer seeks authorization of coronavirus shot for children under 5 – Washington Post
Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, on Wednesday finished submitting an application for regulatory authorization of a coronavirus vaccine for children younger than 5. The development marked another important step toward providing vaccination for the last segment of the U.S. population that does not have access to shots.
Communicating doctors’ consensus persistently increases COVID-19 vaccinations – Nature
The reluctance of people to get vaccinated represents a fundamental challenge to containing the spread of deadly infectious diseases1,2, including COVID-19. Identifying misperceptions that can fuel vaccine hesitancy and creating effective communication strategies to overcome them are a global public health priority3,4,5. Medical doctors are a trusted source of advice about vaccinations6, but media reports may create an inaccurate impression that vaccine controversy is prevalent among doctors, even when a broad consensus exists7,8. Here we show that public misperceptions about the views of doctors on the COVID-19 vaccines are widespread, and correcting them increases vaccine uptake.
Being up to date on COVID-19 vaccines means having had three or four doses of the same shot at this point. Current boosters are the same formulations as the first authorized shots, based on the original strain of the coronavirus that emerged in late 2019. They do still protect against severe COVID-19, hospitalizations and deaths. But as immunity wanes over time and new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge, the world needs a long-term boosting strategy.
Clinical Considerations
Long COVID in Older Adults: An Elusive Geriatric Syndrome – MedPageToday
A recent report from the CDC said that nearly 60% of Americans, including 75% of children and adolescents, have been infected by SARS-CoV-2 as of February. As the virus continues to linger and mutate, that number will continue to rise, leading to higher rates of long COVID: a wide range of symptoms that can last more than 4 weeks or longer after the initial infection.
Covid-19 Can Leave You Infectious After Five or Even 10 Days – WSJ
Seeing that bright red line appear on an at-home Covid-19 test can feel inevitable during a surge like the one under way now. What can be surprising is how many days later that line keeps popping up.
Faulty Pulse Oximeter Design Likely Hurt Care For Darker-Skinned Covid Patients – KHN
A study shows that the devices did not measure the oxygen levels of Black, Latino, or Asian patients as accurately as white patients. And in Nevada, a lab company is under fire for covid test results that were almost entirely wrong.
Official Reporting for June 3, 2022
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update June 1, 2022(latest release)
New Cases: 633,171 ⬆︎
Confirmed Cases: 528,275,339
Deaths: 6,293,414
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 530,982,578
Deaths: 6,296,480
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 84,315,762 (+100,683 New Cases) ⬆︎
Total deaths: 1,002,993 (+244 New Deaths) ⬇︎
Science and Tech
Tracking coronavirus in animals takes on new urgency – Washington Post
Researchers Sarah Hamer and Lisa Auckland donned their masks and gowns as they pulled up to the suburban home in College Station, Tex. The family of three inside had had covid a few weeks earlier, and now it was time to check on the pets.
Dogs can detect Covid with high accuracy, even asymptomatic cases – NBC News
Questions about whether dogs can sniff out Covid — and how well — have intrigued researchers since early in the pandemic. A study published Wednesday in the journal Plos One offers further evidence that dogs can indeed be trained to detect Covid. The dogs tested in the research accurately identified 97 percent of positive cases after sniffing human sweat samples. That made them more sensitive than some rapid antigen tests.
Pfizer’s Paxlovid reduces COVID risk in seniors regardless of vaccine status -study – Reuters
Pfizer Inc’s (PFE.N) antiviral treatment Paxlovid reduces COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients 65 years and older, according to a new study in Israel conducted during the rise of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Babies Less Likely to Catch COVID When Born to Vaccinated Moms – MedPageToday
Infants born to mothers who were vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy had a lower risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, even when the Omicron variant was dominant, Norwegian researchers found.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Organizing for the Right to Work From Home – Bloomberg
When and whether to go back to in-person work for five days a week has roiled workplaces large and small, but the fight at Google is significant because it’s taking place among the lower-paid contract staff that in 2018 made up more than half of Google’s workforce.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last week issued an advisory regarding the burnout and resignation crisis in the healthcare community, underlining the severity of the problem. The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated pre-existing morale problems for medical professionals frustrated with changing job demands that they say affects their ability to care for patients. Early retirements and career changes could lead to significant shortages in nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers, hindering future medical care in the U.S.
Corporate America’s real estate footprint has changed significantly since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. While some companies are adapting to new remote- or hybrid-friendly futures, others are insisting that employees return to the office full-time. Regardless, the typical office layout has undergone a complete turnaround from prioritizing desk allocation to focusing on spaces that enable collaboration and high-quality experiences.
Published Research
New Perspectives on Long COVID Syndrome: The Development of Unusually Delayed and Recurring Pericarditis After a Primary SARS-CoV-2 Infection – Cureus
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
Most pregnant women believe or are unsure about COVID-19 vaccine misinformation: poll – The Hill
Seven in ten women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant believe or are unsure about false claims related to COVID-19 vaccines, a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll found.
Coping with COVID
