Good Morning/Afternoon SARS2PAians!!

I hope you are enjoying this GORGEOUS Spring weather 💐💐💐

1/2 Update for May 3, 2024!

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  State of the Subreddit/Fediverse posts:

There's not much new to report for COVID right now except some closely watched new mutations, so basically TL;DR is that COVID levels are very very low, enjoy it but please keep source control safety always on the backburner.

So. I don't mean to only have this as a once-a-week thing but it's kind of turning into that. I also don't mean to have people waste their time checking in here if I don't post, but I'm always hesitant to call it a once-a-week-thing as COVID is so volatile and mutations can always manifest something very weird in a short amount of time.

I have no idea when info will be available so I'm keeping it a "twice-a-week thing", Monday and Friday but sometimes I just don't have enough info/anything new/time for a Monday, so Friday is always much better for a full post for me.

I hope you continue to find this informative useful and I suuuuuper apologize if you check in and I don't post. 🙏

But even better, go check out the links for yourself and follow people smarter than me for COVID stuff!

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VOCs

Nationally, JN.1 and JN.1.7 still at the top of the leaderboard. FLiRT variants JN.1.4 and KP.2 keeps chipping away at their lead.: https://ibb.co/JqWkBSD

KP.2 seems to be the fastest mover of the whole FLiRT mutation block and the one the virology world is keeping their eyes on.

In PA, we don't have KP.2 showing up on Rajnarayanan's Tableau site so far, whcih is good but we still have quite a few FLiRTs here.: https://ibb.co/vP5yH4G

In NY/NJ, we can see here KP.2 has climbed above all the other FLiRTs, is in 4th place at >8% and is right behind JN.1 now.: https://ibb.co/ZzLcRxJ

The WHO is now looking to JN.1 being the next mutation that will be the base of the newest COVID vaccine.: https://www.who.int/news/item/26-04-2024-statement-on-the-antigen-composition-of-covid-19-vaccines

🔴PLEASE GET VACCINATED if available. Don't be a tuff guy. Go get it.

Upcoming fast variants are KP.3 and JN.1.32👀, which are not FLiRTs but very fast. I have them highlighted in teal on the charts as they are both already up to almost 5% of national sequencing.

In PA, we have JN.1.32 in low but measurable amounts at a little over 3% of random sequencing and these two variants wil have to be watched.

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CDC

CDC has stopped requiring reporting COVID hospital admissions, hospital capacity or hospital occupancy data at the beginning of May. 🙄 This plus nowhere near enough testing and sequencing makes this....hard to keep up with the virus.

"Effective May 1, 2024, hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 hospital admissions, hospital capacity, or hospital occupancy data to HHS through CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). CDC encourages ongoing, voluntary reporting of hospitalization data. Data voluntarily reported to NHSN after May 1, 2024, will be available starting May 10, 2024, at COVID Data Tracker Hospitalizations."

"The source of hospital information on the COVID Data Tracker home page will change from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) to COVID-NET. Instead of displaying national counts of new hospital admissions, it will show COVID-19 hospitalization rates per 100,000 people. More information on COVID-Net is available on COVID-NET Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 Hospitalizations."

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home 🙄

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Other Pathogens

WastewaterSCAN now has SARS2 as LOW! YEAH!  

Also FluB and RSV! Woohoo!   

Still HIGH though are FluA, Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), parainfluenza, and gastro bugs Noro and Rotavirus.: https://ibb.co/By0g9Xt

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H5N1 follows in second post......

#covid #Covid19 #SARS2PA #CDC #CovidIsNotOver #Wastewater #Pennsylvania #PA #JN1 #FluB #Influenza #Norovirus #HMPV #FLiRT #F456L #R346T #spike_r346t #spike_f456l

#H5N1 #CleanFeedNOW

#WearAMask #CleanTheAir #WashHands #StayHomeIfSick !

Good Afternoon SARS2PAians!

I hope your spring is healthy and productive! 💐💐💐

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VOCs

Nationally, the most concerning variants are, as I posted last week, the FLiRT variants that have specific mutations enabling fast transfer. JN.1.4 and KP.2 are already almost at 10% of variant share but remember the amount of testing and sequencing right now is dismal and it makes everything harder to evaluate.: https://ibb.co/KDt0Bh4

FLiRT variants are highlighted in pink on my screenshot. Expect these to push further and further near the top in the next few weeks (and the CDC NOWCAST confirms this prediction.)

In PA, we still have a few FLiRTs here and you can already see them starting to move toward the top of the variant chart.: https://ibb.co/kc9CQyZ

In NY/NJ, FLiRTs KP.2, JN.1.4, JN.1.16.1, and JN.1.18 already account for ~20% of random sequencing.: https://ibb.co/TrcS9rW

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Wastewater

The GOOD news is COVID is stil fairly low; we've gone below the higher level of two years ago, and are at the lower level of last year at this time!: https://ibb.co/Q83BR3k

We still must watch to see if the FLiRT crew push this metric upwards.

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CDC

The new hospital admits map has changed. High increases all through Central PA excepting Centre Co. and also over tehre in Mercer Co. Philly and Pitt looking very good!: https://ibb.co/Xp8tCJV

The Inpatient Beds Map looks pretty good, some increases in McKean, Potter, and Cameron counties and also around Somerset and Cambria Cos.: https://ibb.co/fD7JYTf

ICU beds over all showing stability, with lots of counties in Central PA and the old coal region on the decrease! Some increases from Lycoming over to McKean though.: https://ibb.co/jMTdyCT

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NOWCAST

The CDC Nowcast is now including multiple fast-moving FLiRT variants in its tracking: KP.2, KP.1.1, KQ.1, JN.1.18.: https://ibb.co/wBY45FV

According to current estimates, these variants combined account for over a third of illnesses already.

These are moving FAST.

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NonSARS2 Pathogens

More good news: according to WastewaterSCAN, there are now lots of pathogens considered LOW nationally!

Just be warned that they are still showing HIGH in the Northeast, like FluB, which is LOW nationally but regionally still HIGH. Hopefully these numbers will lower even more as the Spring enables more outdoor/well ventilated activity.: https://ibb.co/vYGmTd1

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H5N1

H5N1 particles have been found in dairy milk, and are assumed to be inactivated due to the pasteurization process.

We MUST demand healthy cows, testing and tracking of sick herds, and transparency from the meat and dairy insustries.

This is not necessarily to keep H5N1 out of dairy products.

The more IMMINENT concern than being found in dairy milk is letting this thing percolate until it gains new mutations, whether to infect swine or enable human-to-human transfer.: https://ibb.co/FVbNnky

Some things you can do that are obviously proactive and not panicking about this:

🔴Demand clean feed for cattle and swine.

🔴Demand transparent testing, tracing of cattle illness.

🔴Demand high levels of sampling and sequencing of sick herds.

🔴AVOID raw dairy products. Seriously, people, DO NOT contribute to this thing by consuming raw dairy products, even if your State allows its sale (and Pennsylvania DOES as far as I know!)

🔴Try ultra-pasteurized milk, it's the most common milk sold in European countries.

Here's a nifty guide that compares pasteurized/ultra-pasteurized/UHT (ultra high temperature) methods of treating dairy products:

https://www.britannica.com/technology/pasteurization

🔴Avoid undercooked or rare meats. Meats must be heated to 162 degrees for at least 15 seconds to destroy pathogens like tuberculosis.

🔴Switch to providers that are not battery farms and practice humane farming. This is NOT just to be kind to animals (although that's a huge bonus), it is PRACTICAL and keeping herds not densely packed will lessen disease transmission. So far, H5N1 has a 50% kill rate even in non-bird species and we MUST keep outbreaks of it controlled.

I hope you have a FANTASTIC, well-ventilated, healthy and fun Spring!! 💐💐💐

#covid #Covid19 #SARS2PA #CDC #CovidIsNotOver #Wastewater #Pennsylvania #PA #JN1 #FluB #Influenza #Norovirus #HMPV #FLiRT #F456L #R346T #spike_r346t #spike_f456l

#H5N1 #CleanFeedNOW

#WearAMask #CleanTheAir #WashHands #StayHomeIfSick !