#new omicron case

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Anthony Robledo

The side effects of newly discovered COVID-19 strain XEC might not be as severe, but is part of the more contagious variant class, experts say.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines XEC as recombinant or hybrid of the strains KS.1.1 and KP.3.3., both from the Omicron family that became the predominant strain in the U.S. late December 2022.

The variant, which first appeared in Berlin in late June, has increasingly seen hundreds of cases in Germany, France, Denmark and Netherlands, according to a report by Australia-based data integration specialist Mike Honey.

XEC has also been reported in at least 25 U.S. states though there could be more as genetic testing is not done on every positive test, RTI International epidemiologist Joëlla W. Adams said.

"We often use what happens in Europe as a good indication of what might happen here," Adams told USA TODAY Friday. "Whenever we're entering into a season where we have multiple viruses occurring at the same time, like we're entering into flu season, that obviously complicates things."

What is the XEC variant? New COVID strain XEC is a recombinant strain of two variants in the Omicron family: KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.

The hybrid strain was first reported in Berlin late June but has spread across Europe, North America and Asia with the countries Germany, France, the Netherlands and Denmark leading cases.

Is the XEC variant more contagious? While there's no indication the XEC strain will increase the severity of virus, it could potentially become a dominant strain as Omicron variants are more contagious. However, current available COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots are particularly protective against XEC as it is a hybrid of two Omicron strains.

"These strains do have the advantage in the fact that they are more transmissible compared to other families, and so the vaccines that are currently being offered were not based off of the XEC variant, but they are related," Adams said.

Like other respiratory infections, COVID-19 and its recent Omicron variants will increasingly spread during the fall and winter seasons as students return to classes, kids spend more time inside and people visit family for the holidays, according to Adams.

How can we protect ourselves from XEC and other variants? The CDC continues to monitor the emergence of variants in the population, according to spokesperson Rosa Norman.

"At this time, we anticipate that COVID-19 treatments and vaccines will continue to work against all circulating variants," Norman said in a statement to USA TODAY. "CDC will continue to monitor the effectiveness of treatment and vaccines against circulating variants."

The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older, with some exceptions, receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the virus, regardless whether or not you have previously been vaccinated or infected.

Norman urged Americans to monitor the agency's COVID Data Tracker for updates to new variants.

KP.3.1.1:This dominant COVID-19 variant accounts for over 50% of cases, new CDC data shows

What is the dominant strain of COVID in the US? COVID-19 variant KP.3.1.1 is currently the dominant strain accounting for more than half of positive infections in the U.S. according to recent CDC projections.

Between Sept. 1 and Sept. 14, 52.7% of positive infections were of the KP.3.1.1 strain, followed by KP.2.3 at 12.2%, according to the agency's Nowcast data tracker, which displays COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods.

KP.3.1.1 first became the dominant strain in the two-week period, starting on July 21st and ending on August 3rd.

"The KP.3.1.1 variant is very similar to other circulating variants in the United States. All current lineages are descendants of JN.1, which emerged in late 2023," Norman previously told USA TODAY.

COVID XEC symptoms There is no indication that the XEC variant comes with its own unique symptoms.

The CDC continues to outline the basic COVID-19 symptoms, which can appear between two to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:

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

The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion Inability to wake or stay awake Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds

[shaktiknowledgeblog]

h3n2 | h3n2 virus | virus | corona virus | omicron virus | covid 19 | covid cases | covid news | covid news india

After Corona now H3N2 wreaks havoc, one person lost his life in Karnataka, you should also take these precautions It is being told that the old man suffering from the H3N2 virus died on March 1 itself and after his death, people in the surrounding areas of his village have also been investigated. Image Source: Pixabay Representational One person has died due to the H3N2 virus in…

[internetskiff]

I've sometimes seen this sentiment, especially among reviewers, that SOMA's WAU ""monster plot"" contributes nothing to the main game's story, and that the storyline would infact benefit from the WAU's removal. If you ask me, that couldn't be further from the truth. The WAU is at the root of everything. Frankly, it's the main reason the game's moral dilemmas are.. well, dilemmas at all. If the WAU wasn't making monsters, wasn't there to warp the life around Pathos-II as it saw fit, the game wouldn't have even started. Pathos-II would've just remained dormant forever. Simon wouldn't be there, and neither would any of the obstacles he faces on his journey to preserve humanity. The main reason the WAU isn't directly beneficial to Earth is exactly because its understanding of "life" is so skewed. Its not just bringing things back - its bringing them back incorrectly. Every single "monster" we meet builds a case both against and for the WAU's continued existence.

The Construct shows the WAU's failure to understand humanity in the physical sense, shoving a Human brain scan into a misshapen robot body and calling it a day, leaving it to babble to itself as it aimlessly wanders the halls of Upsilon.

The same could be said for Carl Semken and the other Mockingbirds, though to a lesser degree - though capable of speech, they're still very delusional and oftentimes end up going insane. Still, in some ways you see the WAU's understanding of human psychology progress with each new mockingbird - they become increasingly coherent and increasingly sane, Catherine and Robin Bass being great examples. While the Construct has lost so much of itself you can no longer tell who it used to be, the other Mockingbirds have their sense of self intact. With the WAU's unreliable nature cemented, we move on to its attempts at preserving humans physically, with Amy Azarro being the first proper example Simon gets to witness.

She's kept alive in what seems to be a perpetual state of discomfort, and judging by the structure gel slowly overtaking her I believe the WAU may be slowly converting her into one of the Fleshers. Its keeping her alive, yes, but its doing so at any cost necessary - it doesn't matter if she's in constant pain as long as she doesn't flatline. Its treatment of actual organisms is practically an inversion of its treatment of the Mockingbirds - instead of prioritizing the mental wellbeing of the subject, the WAU prioritizes their physical wellbeing with little to no care for the mental state its "patient" is in the entire time.

Fleshers live and breathe, but they seemingly aren't "all there" at all. The lights are on, but no one's home anymore. All they do is wander the ruins of the CURIE and lash out at anyone who enters their territory - the WAU has basically reduced them to animals.

Terry's been driven insane from all the structure gel infesting his insides, and though his goal was "technically" benevolent (putting everyone into a permanent dream state where the WAU could make them live the best possible versions of their lives), he achieved it through incredibly violent means, conducting what was basically an attack on Theta and causing its downfall. So far, its attempts at preserving humans physically have simply resulted in increasingly grotesque and violent monstrosities - but I would argue you see that begin to change when Simon reaches Omicron.

When you reach it, you see the aftermath of a particularly gruesome procedure WAU had carried out - everyone's blackboxes have exploded, turning their heads to mush. We find out that one of the employees, with the help of someone particularly close to the WAU, had figured out how to poison it. They have been receiving "visions" and "messages" from a comatose Johan Ross - the WAU's "AI psychologist", someone it desperately tried to restore from a comatose state by manipulating structure gel with electromagnetic fields. Either the WAU deliberately retaliated when it figured out the poisoning plot, or it had simply overdone it when restoring Johan Ross - sacrificing an entire station's worth of lives to bring someone back. Either way this shows a tremendous amount of intelligence on the WAU's part - and also paints it as either exceptionally cruel or exceptionally empathetic depending on the perspective you view it from. Either it considered Johan so important to it that it was willing to sacrifice most Omicron staff, or it was willing to violently retaliate in order to preserve itself. Either way, Omicron houses what I believe to be a sign of the WAU's steadily improving understanding of humanity - Dr. Johan Ross.

He has been restored with both his physical health and mental faculties (relatively) intact. He isn't violent, and he perfectly understands what condition he is currently in - but despite that he doesn't seem to be physically suffering. He is still driven to eliminate the WAU, but it seems to be less out of personal suffering and more out of fear in regards to the suffering its other creations may go through. I believe he's an example of a semi-perfectly restored human - both him and Simon himself. They're both cases of, as Catherine puts it, "a sound mind in a sound body". But although the signs are there, there is no outright definitive proof that the WAU's creations will only continue to get better.

And that's what makes the game's final moral dilemma so compelling to me. The whole game has been providing us with both evidence and counterevidence towards the WAU's idea of restoring humanity. Now, it's up to you to act as its jury and executioner. By killing it you either stop it from torturing the memory of humanity, or you doom humanity to extinction in all senses of the word. By keeping it alive, you either doom the remnants of humanity to an eternal torturous existence, or you give the WAU a chance at creating something new. There is no way of knowing what choice is correct - because you don't know what the WAU is thinking. You never get to. You don't know its plans, you don't know if it even has the capacity to actually learn from its mistakes, hell, you don't even know if its capable of thought - but here it is. Making things. Terrible things, but there's a chance that it'll only get better with time. Simon himself is evidence of that chance. It has already managed to make what could be classified as a "complete" person. And if you kill it, Simon's going to be the last "complete" person it managed to bring back.

[pandemic-info]

I'm seeing information about the Novavax being formulated for the previous variant and the Moderna and Pfizer being for a more recent one. Is this true and if so, why are so many people trying to get the Novavax?

Hi, glad you asked! Here's a few posts on this:

Graphic (albeit from Novavax, no 3rd-party trials) showing broad neutralization:

Another, thread explaining the above. Particularly:

"Ultimately as the antigenic distance is very close for all major circulating variants, all vaccine options should be very good, and provide good protection against infection and severe disease (even when compared with infection-acquired/natural immunity)."

One more, from NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/08/22/nx-s1-5082372/updated-covid-vaccines-fda-approved

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna ... now target the KP.2 variant ... The Novavax vaccine, which is based on an older technology, targets an earlier strain of the virus called JN.1. As many of us know by now, the virus continues evolving to better evade our immune defense, which means regularly updating the vaccines to keep up with the latest strain. It turns out the KP.2 and JN.1 variants have already been overtaken by newer variants. Because those are also descendants of omicron, the hope is that the new vaccines are close enough matches that they can still boost immunity and protect people in the coming months – ideally reducing the chances of a big winter wave. “The vaccine is not intended to be perfect. It’s not going to absolutely prevent COVID-19," Dr. Peter Marks from the FDA told NPR in an interview. "But if we can prevent people from getting serious cases that end up in emergency rooms, hospitals or worse — dead — that’s what we’re trying to do with these vaccines.”

There's a couple of other points I do not have sources for right now; if anyone would like to reblog and add some or correct this, please do!:

I've read that in the past, for example, flu vaccine efficacy was not necessarily dampened when the vax targeted a "parent". They are in the same lineage, so efficacy should be good.

Analogy (albeit imperfect): using a net vs a spear.

Of course, without more data, we don't know. I would wager that people who choose Novavax nowadays may also be informed on #Layered Protection and prioritize physical barriers (N95 masking) as the first line of defense, with vaccine as secondary bonus, since any of them have a non-negligible % of breakthroughs at this point.

It was different in 2021 when they were first released and showed high efficacy; ~3% breakthrough, if that. Now, I would not in any case rely on Pfizer or Moderna alone, so there's not much of a reason to suffer their ill effects for days.

But bodies are all different. Some people tolerate them well. Some have no other choice. As always, get the one you can, that works for you!

[gwydionmisha]

"The variant was identified in China in February 2023 and was first detected in the United States in April. It is a descendant of the Omicron variant XBB.1.9.2 and has one notable mutation that helps it to evade antibodies developed by the immune system in response to earlier variants and vaccines. That advantage may be why EG.5 has become the dominant strain worldwide, and it could be one reason Covid cases have been rising again.

That mutation “may mean that more people are susceptible because the virus can escape a little bit more of that immunity,” Dr. Pekosz said."

"Data released this week on X (formerly Twitter) by scientists in China showed that BA.2.86 is so different from previous versions of the virus that it easily escapes antibodies produced in response to earlier infections — even more than EG.5 does. The data (which have not yet been published or peer-reviewed) suggest that the updated vaccine will be less effective against it, too."

Wear your mask.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

New strain of Covid-19 detected in Brazil

Brazilian authorities Monday confirmed the detection of four cases of the JN 2.5 subvariant of the SARS-Cov-2 virus in the state of Mato Grosso. The patients were reported to be all female and hospitalized in a serious condition. One of them even died. However, the Mato Grosso State Health Department said there was no reason to panic because at this point “it is not possible to say that the cause of death was COVID-19” since ”the patient already had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).”

The infections were confirmed through testing by the State's Central Laboratory between Jan. 16 and 18. The new strain, a variation of Omicron, had already been found in Canada, France, Poland, Spain, the United States, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The other three patients have already been discharged, are stable, and remain in home isolation under the supervision of the Municipal Surveillance Department of an undisclosed location.

In this scenario, people were advised to wear a facemask when suffering from flu-like symptoms “in addition to washing your hands with soap and/or sanitizing them with 70% alcohol.

Continue reading.

[leapingbadger]

Entangled - Chapter 10 - The Reckoning (Fennter Fic)

It's happening guys! Final full chapter is up!

By the time Hunter and Shand emerged from the tunnels, daylight had taken over Ord Mantell. Merchants were opening their stalls. The sweet and spicy smell of Mantell Mix wafted over the marketplace.

Shand and Hunter had worked quickly to get binders on all of Cid’s co-conspirators before they started to stir. The Guild had been suspicious of Shand’s comm but had arrived in the underground tunnels to see the proof for themselves.  With the promise of delivering the conspirators to the Hutts, the bounty on Shand had been cancelled and she was free to walk through the city with ease.  

In the meantime, it was time to take Moto to the leaders of the guild. Shand expertly maneuvered the frozen Rodian onto a hover cart and started down the ramp of The Outcast.

“You coming?” she asked Hunter as started down the ramp.

“I think I’ve had enough of the guild to last a lifetime,” Hunter said with a grin.

She nodded. “Fine. Wait here. I’ll return with you cut and we can go our separate ways.”

Hunter nodded as she left.

He traced his way through the ship that had become so familiar over the last few days and to the cockpit. He sank into the swiveling seat and punched his private code into the comm.

“You’re alive,” Crosshair’s sarcastic drawl sounded before his face swam into view.

“Huntah?” Omega shouted from behind, her sunny face obscuring her brother’s as she took over the comm. “We’ve missed you,” she said, a wide smile spreading over her lips.

“Hey, Kid.” Hunter said, relieved to see her again.

“Are you coming home?” she asked, playfully batting Crosshair’s hand away as he tried to regain control.

“Soon, we’ve just finished up. Once I get my credits I’m going to try and secure a ship and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Are you going to get another Omicron class?” Omega asked excitedly.

Hunter chuckled, “I’m not sure we have much use for an attack shuttle these days. But I’ll see what I can do,”

Omega nodded, seemingly satisfied and relinquished the Comm to Crosshair. “See you soon!” she called as she stepped aside.

Hunter followed Crosshair’s eyes as he watched her move out of view. He lowered his voice, “what happened? Echo said…”

“It’s fine, Cross. You’ve got nothing to worry about. The bounty has been cancelled. No one will come looking for us.”

Crosshair nodded in satisfaction.

“But we did run into Cid,”

Crosshair’s eyes flashed at the mention of her name. He had never had the misfortune to meet her, but the stories he’d heard from Hunter, Wrecker, Omega and Echo were enough to incur his second-hand wrath.

“I thought she was dead.” He hissed.

Hunter shrugged, “she is now.” he said darkly. He caught his brother’s eyes and the unspoken question within them. “Shand,” he clarified simply.

Crosshair seemed to understand. Hunter was sure Crosshair would have been able to take the shot. Was it weakness on Hunter’s part? Either way it didn’t matter, Cid was dead and that chapter of their lives, his life, was finally closed.

“So, when should we expect you?” Crosshair asked.

“A couple of days. I’m not sure how long it’ll take to find a ship.”

“And Shand?”

“What about her?” Hunter asked, prickling a little.

“She’s not going to become a problem, right?”

Hunter shook his head.

“Well, don’t die in the interim. Wrecker has a new recipe he’s desperate for you to try,” Crosshair said with a faint smile.

Hunter grinned as the connection broke. He was looking forward to returning to Pabu and got a phantom whiff of the sea air. Again, he wiped the coordinates from the comm system and went back to the cargo hold.

He didn’t have to wait long before Shand returned, the grin of a conquering hero on her face.

“The guild thanks you for your services,” she said with a bow, offering him one of the two cases on credits in her hand.

“Thank you.” He said, “It’s certainly been an experience,”

She raised her eyebrow, “a good one?”

“An interesting one, for sure.”

“The pleasure was all mine. It’s not often I get such pretty eye candy on jobs.”

Hunter laughed, “you know that’s the second time you’ve called me pretty. I’m going to start to get a big ego,”

She stepped closer and he caught the scent of flowers and blaster fire, an oddly intoxicating combination. Her lips were on him with no warning, but he gave into it quickly this time. Her hands reached for the side of his face and locked around his neck as she pulled him closer to her.

She pulled away, a roguish smile on her face. “If you’re looking for another adventure, you know where to find me.” She purred.

His lips prickled again; he pressed them into a thin line in the hopes they would stop. She cupped her hand to the tattoo on his face, tapping it playfully twice before crossing to the stairs and climbing to the cockpit.

“See you, Hunter.” She said, leaning over the banister above.

“Fennec,” he replied with a nod.

***

It was easier than Hunter had thought to secure a ship. After a few inquiries he found himself in a sparse docking bay in front of a clunky and cumbersome family shuttle. It wasn’t perfect but could fit all of them, including Batcher and Gonky if needed. With the addition of some of the remnants of the Marauder, he was sure it could be work for them.

He wandered around the city, feeling lighter than he had ever felt in Ord Mantell. He used some of the leftover credits for a good, warm meal but his mind continued to wander to Shand. She wasn’t what he had thought she was at the start. Of course, all that was still there. But here was a thin sliver of the person she had been before that he had managed to see multiple times.

She was the one who had stayed his hand in front of Cid and taken her out instead. She was the one who had saved him from a blaster bolt to the head. She was the one that had kissed him. His lips tickled at the thought of it.

He pushed the food away. Again, his feet directed him mindlessly despite his best efforts to be logical. He wended his way through alleyways and streets to the other side of town. He thought he caught the scent of her as he rounded the corner.

Hunter kicked the metal door with a loud clang. The droid to the side of the door flickered its eye open languidly and closed again upon seeing him. The door slid open as he stepped into the black.

“You’re late” her low voice said, in the darkness.

“Are we really going to do this again?” he asked gruffly.

Fennec narrowed her eyes and grabbed him by the chest plate, pulling his lips to hers. Hunter sank into it, his hands on her waist, pulling her tightly to him. There was no space between them as they stumbled backwards to the far corner of the room.

Pieces of Hunter’s armor hit the floor with a thunk as Fennec methodically pulled them off piece by piece, not once separating her lips from his as she did so.

Hunter picked her up, her strong legs wrapping tightly around his torso as he carried her to the bed, still strewn with the weapons he’d noticed on his previous visit.

“You got any explosives on here?” he growled.

She shook her head with a wry smile.

Hunter held her with one hand, lips still on hers as he reached down, pulling the cover off the bed and sending the weapons clattering to the floor.

“What would you have done if I said yes?” she asked, still not removing her lips from his, pulling off his bandana and twisting her hands in his hair.

“The same,” he said, pulling away just enough to let her see his smile. She was intoxicating.

The corners of her eyes crinkled. “Good answer,” she said as they collapsed onto the bed.

***

“What about this one? Fennec asked, pointing to a large slash across his chest.

“Super battle droid,” he said.

“And this?” she said, poking his right side.

He twisted under her ticklish touch, “broken rib, came straight through.” Hunter said with a wince at the memory.

Fennec leaned over him, her chin resting on his chest, her legs intertwined with his. “And these?”

“More broken ribs, I’m afraid.”

“How many have you broken?” she asked with a laugh, tracing her index finger over the skeletal tattoo that covered the left side of his body.

“All of them at one point or another.” He said, “I think the most was six at once.”

“Explosion?” she asked out of curiosity.

“Fell off a mountain.” He said with a chuckle, although it hadn’t been funny at the time.

“It’s a wonder you’ve survived this long,” she said.

“You have no idea.”

“And what about you? I know these…” he said, running his warm hands over her blaster burns on her stomach, “but what’s this? he asked, pointing to the bite mark below the burns that he had seen when treating her wounds.

She laughed, “a token from a Kowakian money-lizard when I was seven,”

Hunter laughed, running his hand over the mark, up her lithe body and into her long, untangled hair. He pulled her closer and kissed her on the forehead, each cheek and finally her lips.

She had been waiting for it, lips parted expectantly. She sank into him as he pulled her closer before breaking away, resting her ear on his chest and looking away.

“You know, not many people can keep up with me,” she said.

“I believe it,” he chuckled into her hair.

“We could make a lot of credits, do a lot more jobs, if we stuck together,” she said in a rush, still not meeting his eyes.

“You want me to work with you?” he asked gently, brushing the hair from her face so he could see her eyes.

“I think your brothers can do without you for a little longer. It’s not like you have a wife or a kid to look after.” she said with a laugh, finally looking up at him. Her smile caught when she saw his face and his chest contracted.

“You do have a…”

“Not a wife,” he said quickly, sensing the danger as she had started to pull away.

“You have a…kid…Omega? you got Omega back.” she said, nodding, answering her own question and smiling.

He nodded softly but did not elaborate.

“Hunter…that’s…that’s amazing,” Fennec said breathlessly.

He smiled back and pulled her lips to his. She surrendered completely to his touch and nuzzled her cheek in the crook of his neck.

“You wouldn’t have made a very good bounty hunter anyway,’ she said.

“No?”

“Too much of a bleeding heart.” She said, tracing her fingers over his chest where his heart was.

It was Hunter’s turn to laugh but he nodded in agreement. “Well if that’s the case, maybe I should go,” he said jokingly, starting to sit up.

She pulled him back down by the shoulder and rolled on top of him, intertwining her hands in his. “Don’t even think about it, Tracker. I’m not done with you yet.”

Hunter smiled, his lips meeting hers hungrily. He supposed a few more days away from Pabu wouldn’t hurt.

[wumblr]

i haven't made a covid post for a while but there does seem to be another summer wave going on

hospitalizations, wastewater, and positive tests are fairly similar to past years' summer waves (but not as bad as 2022). deaths remain lower than any other point during the pandemic, and excess deaths have returned to pre-pandemic levels (deaths are delayed compared to other variables, so whether it continues this way seems... fairly important)

excess deaths are as always a heinously complicated thing. i might be underestimating dec 2022 (i'm still estimating based on WHO 20-21 data, total deaths being about 2x reported deaths, weighted to a slightly higher multiple in weeks with more deaths and a lower multiple in weeks with fewer deaths) -- but we do seem to be in the first 2 or 3 week period of negative excess deaths since, uh, the very first week of lockdowns (which, if you recall, may have prevented a small but noticeable number of other preventable deaths). this could be underreported and subject to later updates, but the margin is small and the updates don't usually change the numbers too much. you can't really underreport a severe spike, when that happens we start talking about refrigerated morgue storage trucks and mass graves

CDC's estimate of excess deaths. i'm also mixing CDC's reported deaths for the 2023 with johns hopkins data from prior years, because JH ceased reporting and i didn't want to rebuild a spreadsheet that was never terribly precise to begin with (it's intended to help me to chart uncharted waters, or gauge whether what they're saying in the news really matches the available data, which... mostly it does but you know there's a tendency to downplay it)

recent research shows that the original variant killed 3 of 4 types of brain cells (pericyte, endothelial, and microglia), while other variants killed fewer types of brain cells. that said, i don't want to downplay that all variants still have potentially deleterious effects on the brain. it does seem that newer variants are losing potency, but this is not necessarily a linear progression, as omicron killed two types of brain cells while alpha and beta only killed one type. this is, of course, in addition to microclotting, cytokine storms, and fused neurons, each of which have deleterious effects in the brain as well as the rest of the body (although the fused neuron study was observed in a petri dish and not in vivo)

so... it appears to be substantially less lethal at the moment, this does not mean it can't regain potency in the future, but in any case you still don't want to catch it and it is presently circulating

[tomorrowusa]

Just because the COVID-19 emergency ended doesn't mean the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

You’re not imagining it: Covid-19 cases are on the rise again. Fortunately, since a vast majority of Americans have some sort of immunity, either from vaccination or a prior infection, or both, most people who get infected now will have a mild illness. And while there are multiple strains circulating (nearly all of them descendants of the Omicron XBB variant), they are unlikely to cause the “wildfire spreading” that occurred with the Delta variant and the first Omicron variant, said Dr. David Boulware, a professor of medicine specializing in infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota Medical School. That includes EG.5, which was recently named a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization and currently accounts for about 17 percent of cases in the United States. “I’m not sure if it’s a surge, per se, or just uptick,” Dr. Boulware said of the current situation. Either way, he added, it’s a reminder “that, yes, Covid still exists.”

If you are fully vaccinated, including the booster, congratulate yourself. If not, this might be a good time to catch up. The new academic year starts soon and not all your classmates may be as conscientious as you.

A reminder of the symptoms – one of which is associated with a new strain.

Covid symptoms haven’t changed much since the start of the pandemic — sore throat, congestion, fatigue, fever and cough remain the most common, said Dr. Paul Sax, the clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Some people may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms, and there are reports that the XBB.1.16 strain can cause pink eye. These generic symptoms mean it can be “extremely difficult to tell one virus from another,” Dr. Sax said. The easiest way to know if you have Covid or just a summer cold is to take a rapid test.

Not everybody with pink eye has the COVID XBB.1.16 strain, but it's a heads up if you also have any of the more classic symptoms.

Diseases don't go away just because people get bored with them. Hopefully there will soon be a yearly COVID shot just as there is a yearly flu shot.

If you need it, the CDC vaccine site is still available.

Find COVID‑19 Vaccines

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

It's frustrating how this article admits that vaccination does not substantially stop spread, but it give the reader no further information. Mask up. Improve ventilation. Filter the air. Distance when you can. Those are actual, implementable advice that keeps covid from spreading, and it has to be done by the public at large to keep individuals safe. It's much less effective when the nebulous "high risk" are left to fend for themselves while everyone else pretends that it's 2019 forever.

By Kelly Ashmore

The XEC strain is 'just getting started' and is rapidly spreading throughout Europe and the rest of the world, experts have warned

Experts have issued a warning about a new, "stronger" Covid variant that is "just getting started" and spreading rapidly across Europe and the rest of the world. The XEC strain, first identified in Germany in June, has now been linked to 15 countries across three continents. As colder weather approaches, specialists anticipate this strain will become the dominant variant.

In California, Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said: "XEC is just getting started now around the world and here. And that's going to take many weeks, a couple of months, before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave," according to the LA Times. He added, "XEC is definitely taking charge. That does appear to be the next variant. But it's months off from getting into high levels."

Experts have issued a warning about a new, "stronger" Covid variant that is "just getting started" and spreading rapidly across Europe and the rest of the world. The XEC strain, first identified in Germany in June, has now been linked to 15 countries across three continents. As colder weather approaches, specialists anticipate this strain will become the dominant variant.

In California, Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said: "XEC is just getting started now around the world and here. And that's going to take many weeks, a couple of months, before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave," according to the LA Times. He added, "XEC is definitely taking charge. That does appear to be the next variant. But it's months off from getting into high levels."

What is Covid XEC? The Covid XEC is a recombinant variant of Covid-19, resulting from a combination of the BA. 1 and BA.

2 Omicron subvariants. While some Covid strains have proven more severe than others over the past years, it will take additional time for health professionals to determine the severity of symptoms associated with the XEC strain.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not yet provided detailed information on the XEC variant.

However, recent statistics from the UKHSA have shown a 4.3 per cent increase in Covid-19 cases, but a decrease in virus-related deaths. The weekly figures revealed an increase of 1,587 Covid cases as of September 4.

Despite recording 102 deaths in the week ending August 30, this was a decrease of 20.9 per cent (27) from the previous week. Furthermore, hospital admissions due to the virus also fell by six per cent to 1,465, in the week up to August 29.

What are the symptoms of Covid XEC? The strain presents symptoms similar to those of a typical cold and flu. These include shortness of breath, high fever, persistent cough, loss of taste or smell, and feelings of fatigue or exhaustion.

Classic cold symptoms such as headache, sore throat, runny or blocked nose, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, and general malaise are also common. While most people will recover within a few weeks, some may require hospitalisation and others may need longer.

How to stay protected As with earlier Covid variants, the same precautions should be taken against the newest variant, including regular booster doses and vaccinations. Vaccines remain the best defence against serious illness, hospitalisation, and even death, even if they may not completely prevent infection.

If you're vulnerable to the virus or share a home with someone who is, donning a face mask can offer some protection, particularly in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor spaces. Boosting indoor ventilation where possible can further reduce the risk of falling ill.

[partisan-by-default]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines XEC as recombinant or hybrid of the strains KS.1.1 and KP.3.3., both from the Omicron family that became the predominant strain in the U.S. late December 2022.

The variant, which first appeared in Berlin in late June, has increasingly seen hundreds of cases in Germany, France, Denmark and Netherlands, according to a report by Australia-based data integration specialist Mike Honey.

XEC has also been reported in at least 25 U.S. states though there could be more as genetic testing is not done on every positive test, RTI International epidemiologist Joëlla W. Adams said.

"We often use what happens in Europe as a good indication of what might happen here," Adams told USA TODAY Friday. "Whenever we're entering into a season where we have multiple viruses occurring at the same time, like we're entering into flu season, that obviously complicates things."

[ricisidro]

The new COVID-19 strain XEC might not be as severe, but is part of the more contagious variant class, experts say.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines XEC as recombinant or hybrid of the Omicron strains KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.

The XEC variant, which first appeared in Berlin in late June, has increasingly seen hundreds of cases across #Europe notably in Germany, France, Denmark and Netherlands and in Asia. It has also been reported in at least 25 U. S. states.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/09/21/covid-xec-variant/75303152007/

[xtruss]

We're Having A COVID Summer Surge. Should You Get The Updated Vaccines Now?

The FDA Just Approved an Updated Vaccines, and Officials Say Paxlovid is Still Effective in Preventing Severe Cases.

— By Sanjay Mishra | August 22, 2024

A Colorized Ccanning Electron Micrograph of a Cell (Blue) Infected with the Omicron Strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (Yellow). Micrograph By National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/National Institutes Of Health/Science Photo Library

The summer of 2024—the fifth since the COVID-19 pandemic began—is projected to be the biggest summer wave of COVID infections to date.

Since early May, COVID infections have steadily increased in the United States, Europe, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that COVID-19 infections are currently increasing in 25 states based on data from emergency department visits. However, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID remain at their lowest levels.

Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved updated vaccines to protect against current variants of the virus.

This recent surge has been driven mainly by a new group of closely related Covid subvariants, known collectively as "FLiRT."

As the summer winds down, students across the U.S. will return to school. Traditionally, this also coincides with the season of respiratory viruses, such as flu, RSV, and increasingly COVID.

"Not sure what will happen this fall and winter," says Kei Sato, a virologist at the University of Tokyo. While the FLiRT variants are likely to keep evolving after summer, entirely new subvariants cannot be ruled out. "An Omicron-like event” seems to have occurred every year in the fall since 2021, says Sato.

Here's what you need to know about the new variants and the new vaccines.

What Are FLiRT Variants?

The "FLiRT" variant family includes the majority of currently circulating variants, identified with the letters KP, JN, and the variant LB.1.

The unofficial name "FLiRT" is an acronym for a set of mutations on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The virus uses spike protein to bind with ACE2 receptors in our nose and lung cells to cause infection.

All proteins are made up of amino acids that string together like beads. Mutations can change one amino acid to another, thereby altering the behavior of the protein and making the virus more or less infectious, or able to dodge immunity.

The FLiRT subvariant family members are descended from the JN.1 variant that was dominant in the U.S. in early 2024. JN.1 itself was highly unusual because it acquired 41 mutations that differentiated it from Omicron XBB.1.5, which is the variant upon which the current bivalent COVID booster is based.

Should You Get The New Vaccines?

The two updated mRNA vaccines, manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, target a FLiRT variant called KP.2. Anyone over the age of 12 can get the new shots, as long as they haven't received a booster in the last two months.

“Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention,” Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said in a statement.

Another vaccine targeting the variant JN.1 and manufactured by Novovax is also under review and could be approved soon.

Previous research also showed that older vaccines based on XBB.1.5, an earlier subvariant of Omicron, were still effective in preventing severe COVID-19. While this vaccine produces antibodies that still target the FLiRT variants, the efficiency is notably reduced. A recent infection from the JN.1 variant also seems to provide strong protection against all the FLiRT variants.

That said, the CDC recommends that everyone six months and older get a COVID vaccine. Those at high risk for serious COVID-19 should get vaccinated with the most recent versions available.

How Alarming Are FLiRT Variants?

Coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, frequently mutate to avoid recognition by antibodies. The two FLiRT mutations remove the sites on the virus where antibodies bind the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Additional mutations on the FLiRT variants can either help the virus bind more efficiently to ACE2 receptors making it more infectious, help it evade previous immunity, or both, says Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist at the University of South Australia, Allied Health & Human Performance in Adelaide, Australia

Early studies show that all existing FLiRT subvariants are very good at dodging previous immunity acquired through multiple COVID vaccinations—including the most recent COVID bivalent booster—or a breakthrough infection from a previous strain of Omicron.

But the good news is that by escaping the antibodies, the FLiRT variants have also seem to lost some ability to infect their target because the virus needed the original antibody-binding sites to bind the ACE2 receptor and enter cells.

"These variants are not yet particularly concerning, even with the new mutations that affect certain aspects of the virus's biology," says Shan-Lu Liu, a virologist at the Ohio State University.

It is common for viruses to acquire mutations that help them dodge immunity, which can affect their ability to infect cells, says Liu. "The viruses can quickly evolve new mutations to restore their infectivity."

But in the meantime, Sato thinks that waning immunity from previous vaccinations and infections, coupled with the FLiRT variant's ability to dodge remaining immunity, are probably the main reason for the recent surge in infections.

Liu also agrees that the currently rising numbers of COVID infections are mostly due to low booster uptake and increased summer travel.

Are COVID Medicines Still Effective?

Emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths have all spiked during this summer but are still much lower compared to earlier waves of the pandemic.

There is no indication that these new FLiRT variants are more dangerous than other Omicron strains.

A study shows that Paxlovid is still effective against FLiRT variants. Other antiviral drugs such as molnupiravir and remdesivir are also expected to work since their mechanism of action is not affected by mutations in the spike protein.

[toadeyes-miqote]

Thank you for the meal

Finally done with Omicrons. Doing this on and off alongside Dawntrail made me compared it to Living Memory and that one Solution 9 scene.

Which interestingly I was doing earlier Omicron alongside a leveling Culinarian and Studium as a Post-EW thing.

Dawntrail be the Culinarian Expansion? Shokugeki no FFXIV? This game made me Go eat tacos. Hard shell tacos. not too big....

In Living Memory, food for holographic(?) replicants of memories of dead people is tasteless to the living. It merely serve as a "something done in life" and food taste how it should taste to memories the replicants have.

While in the Last Dregs, the taste and sensation of food while being eaten by Hylnyan is replicated by the Omicrons for the dead spirits to try and remember their past.

Although this guy might be doing this more for new experiences instead of memories.

And in Solution 9 all your food is in a handy dandy space pack /MRE / caloriemate. What presentation to please the eye and aroma to tease and been pack in a handy dandy pack for convenience sake without any personal touches. Sharlayan and Koana have another forewarning coming if all they want is fast handy dandy MREs.

A lifetime of carrot derived dishes and tasteless bread Foruchenault. This might have been in what calming Meteion has done to avoid a lifetime of space carrot food and archon loaf

Food is something we don't think about sometimes. In my own case I visited a town I once lived in for the sake of eating shredded chicken noodles in tomato sauce that I used to have as a kid. The stall is no longer around now but there has been close replications elsewhere, sauce dependent. but yeah It was for the sake of nostalgia.

I do have nostalgia food in terms of snacks and meals. But there's nothing I can do when my local shops no longer import Tronky and I can't be bothered to ship in some. Went and settle for Nutella replacement instead.

Comfort food. Hence stuff like Ice Cream and Popcorn showed up in Living Memory. Is an amusement park after all. And players probably eaten ice cream or pop corn at some point in time.

Do Cornservant quest line. all hail the Corn for knowing food that is easy on the stomach and comfort food. And food associated with memories. All this talk of food and memories make Solution 9 and Living Memory sound like a nightmare under calm waters.

[mariacallous]

It’s scariant season—again.

A new offshoot of Omicron, BA.2.86—nicknamed Pirola—has popped up in Israel, the US, South Africa, and the UK after it was first recorded in Denmark in late July. Pirola initially set off alarm bells because it was spotted in four countries at the same time—and because, having majorly curtailed our viral surveillance systems, we don’t know how long it’s been making the rounds. Plus, the sheer number of mutations it has was reason enough to be spooked—BA.2.86 boasts more than 30 new mutations, compared to the most recently dominant variant, XBB.1.5.

“The only other time we’ve seen such a large genetic shift was the initial transition from Delta to Omicron, which led to the most hospitalizations and the most deaths of any surge in the pandemic,” says Dan Barouch, head of the vaccine research division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. As a result, scientists across the world are scrambling to figure out whether BA.2.86 is indeed something to worry about.

Early studies suggest that Pirola isn’t much better at evading immunity than previous variants, despite all of its mutations. The protection offered by vaccines should hold up, and if you’ve been naturally exposed to the XBB variant, you should be better equipped to fight off this new variant.

Why is Pirola not very good at evading immunity, despite having undergone so many mutations? It’s likely that it evolved from BA.2, an older, more familiar form of Sars-CoV-2 that’s no longer circulating today, meaning that Pirola is less resistant to neutralization than more recent variants, such as XBB.1.5. But it’s possible that the variant may continue to evolve and change, Barouch warns, so staying vigilant will be key.

Determing whether it will take off and become the dominant form of the virus in circulation will require a “wait-and-see” approach, Barouch adds. “However, it does not appear to be spreading at the same pace as, say, the original BA.1 or BA.5,” he says, referring to two of the Omicron variants that spread particularly quickly.

Anna Bershteyn, an assistant professor and colead of the Covid modeling team at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, agrees: so far, so reassuring. “As far as we know, it doesn’t seem likely that this is going to be one of these huge waves of hospitalizations and deaths, the kind that have overwhelmed the health system in prior epidemic waves.”

In the UK, a care home in the east of England was invaded by the variant: 33 residents caught Covid, with 28 definitely infected with BA.2.86—suggesting that it’s pretty easily transmitted. But only two hospitalizations have been reported, which hints that Pirola doesn’t cause more severe disease than existing variants.

In certain parts of the world, its appearance has sparked action in the form of hastened booster programs. In the UK, the booster kick-off was rescheduled from October to within the next few weeks. In the US, the latest round of boosters is expected to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration very soon (although who should get one remains a source of debate). The findings of a recent preprint suggest that Moderna’s XBB.1.5 booster seems to work well against the BA.2.86 variant.

But while BA.2.86 may not yet be spreading rampantly, a Covid wave is indeed unfurling, with cases once again rising. In the US, hospitalizations are up, although they’re still nowhere near the sky-high levels they were at this time last year. Cases are also mushrooming in the UK and in Europe.

For now, BA.2.86’s spread is shaping up to be nothing like the Omicron wave that rocketed across the world at the end of 2021—the last time we saw such a big raft of Covid mutations appear. As one scientist put it, Pirola may be a “real nothingburger.”

[panicinthestudio]

COVID rapidly spreads in China as government eases strict quarantine rules, December 27, 2022

China is grappling with the rapid spread of COVID-19 after the government began rolling back its zero-COVID restrictions earlier this month. Now, cases are spiraling across towns and cities, hospitals are overburdened, medical staff are outnumbered and crematoriums are running out of space. Judy Woodruff reports.

PBS NewsHour

There is no nuance left in politics or public health policy when there is either an absolute and strict inflexibility of zero COVID or wholesale dismantling of safeguards before the healthcare or support systems are prepared for the waves that have been forcibly suppressed. The political insistence on using their own less effective, non-mRNA vaccines based on the original strains rather than Delta or Omicron, coupled with a low vaccination rate of the vulnerable and elderly is not helping easing the transition at all.

The way they’ve been counting mortality from COVID diverged from nearly every other country since early 2020. A death had to be directly attributable to SARS-CoV-2 eliminating cases of many preexisting or undiagnosed conditions, chronic illnesses, and other high risk factors that may have been exacerbated by the virus which became listed as the direct cause or if they simply tested negative in the few days before dying. The policy as of this week will further limit the count only to deaths caused by pneumonia or respiratory failure after contracting COVID, in addition to dropping much of the remaining inbound quarantines and regular case counts becoming even more inconsistent with lived reality.

It appears the PRC was prepared to stay in suspended animation within an onionskin of self-isolation layers indefinitely, maintaining the appearance of control and adherence to policy that was left to different local officials to execute. Downgrading the classification removes the local, emergency-style powers to lockdown and quarantine which were used capriciously. Residential buildings, offices and commercial areas such as malls, and even theme parks could be suddenly cordoned without warning, causing panic due to the stringency of testing and knock-on effects if a positive case was found rather than fear of having contacted or contracted the virus. Becoming listed as a close contact or a complete stranger’s positive result could mean further quarantining and repeated testing, as well any change in one’s COVID passport status severely restricting mobility for work or education, travel, or even basic necessities. The protests spread because “dynamic zero” was anything but dynamic, refusing to change or amend course in preparation for a transition to an endemic or post-epidemic state. People were simply fed up and the building momentum was becoming a potential danger to a regime that had just renewed its own political mandates.

These things aren’t happening in isolation, China is also changing tact on its travel restrictions domestically and internationally. The Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau have been trying to reopen ports and travel with the Mainland for years now for travel and economic reasons. Both were forced into accepting one-way policies where it was difficult for their citizens to enter China or even between one another, while rules were softened for travelers and politicians entering from and returning to the Mainland for short trips with the reason that the pandemic was less well-contained than within the Mainland.

As news of the highly visible current outbreak within China is continuing to emerge, the Hong Kong SAR is now proudly announcing agreements have been made with the Mainland to drop their travel restrictions posthaste. It’s being reported that many are travelling specifically for mRNA vaccines which are approved in Macau and Hong Kong.