New Omicron Covid-19 Subvariants on the Rise in U.S., CDC Says

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: The Wall Street Journal.

HEALTH

New Omicron Covid-19 Subvariants on the Rise in U.S., CDC Says

BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants together drove an estimated 11.4% of recent U.S. cases

By Jon Kamp and Brianna Abbott
https://twitter.com/jon_kamp
[e-mail]
https://twitter.com/Brabbott42
[e-mail]
Updated Oct. 14, 2022 11:33 am ET

New offshoots of the Omicron Covid-19 variant that virus experts say appear to spread easily are on the rise in the U.S. , the latest federal data show. ... Two of the Omicron subvariants, both related to the BA.5 version that drove the most recent U.S. surge, are called BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. They were estimated to represent a combined 11.4% of U.S. Covid-19 cases by mid-October, according to estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday.

BA.5 remains the dominant version of the virus circulating in the U.S. at about 68% of recent cases, according to CDC estimates. But the subvariant landscape has become busier as the virus that causes Covid-19 continues to mutate as it spreads. Another version virus experts are watching because of its potential to spread easily, called BA.2.72.2, represented an estimated 1.4% of cases in the latest CDC report.

The BQ subvariants’ quick rise “suggests that they either have increased transmissibility or increased immune escape compared with BA.5.,” said Dan Barouch, who directs the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. (1)

It isn’t clear that the BQ subvariants will take over in the U.S. or elsewhere, said T. Ryan Gregory, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph in Canada. It is possible that multiple variants end up displacing BA.5 without becoming individually dominant, he said.

{snip}

Write to Jon Kamp at [e-mail] and Brianna Abbott at [e-mail]

(1) https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-variants-keep-getting-more-contagious-heres-why-11660210202

Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-omicron-covid-19-subvariants-on-the-rise-in-u-s-cdc-says-11665761579

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New offshoots of the Omicron Covid-19 variant that virus experts say appear to spread easily are on the rise in the U.S., with the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants estimated to represent a combined 11.4% of Covid-19 cases by mid-October

wsj.com
New Omicron Covid-19 Subvariants on the Rise in U.S., CDC Says
Two new offshoots that experts say appear to spread easily were estimated to represent 11.4% of U.S. cases by mid-October, according

Link to tweet

[RussBLib]

1. Does the Bivalent COVID booster out there now....

....give any protection against the new subbvariants? Doesn't say.

[oldsoftie]

2. From what I read yesterday, yes, but takes some time.

The new Vax is for the BA.4 &5 and now we've got BA.6 or however they label them.
Starting to look like a "yearly covid shot".
I'm still not totally sold on constant boosting though. Ive had the initial & 1 boost.

[Rebl2]

8. Better get

that new one. Covid racing through my Moms nursing home right now. At least 35 patients have it. Haven’t looked at today’s numbers. They don’t post until late in the afternoon.
When Covid-19 started, I remember doctors saying nursing homes and hospitals were an example of what is going on in the community. Now that many people don’t wear masks or test numbers likely going up. We don’t know because cities don’t seem to keep track anymore. My town never did. They relied on the county’s numbers.

[RussBLib]

14. And we're having a flu outbreak

Some say about half of Port Isabel (TX) has the flu. The wife and I got our flu shot yesterday.

...while COVID is also exploding in the RGV.

[MayReasonRule]

15. State of the Pandemic

I voted for Biden. I'm grateful for the positive things he has been able to set into motion.

It's obvious to reasoned observers that any cogent analysis of data demonstrates the pandemic being far from over.

POTUS saying it's over is a slap in the face of reason. I count this as a large failure on his part.

I'd still vote for him if he runs, at least he's not a Nat-C Fascist.

[GP6971]

16. Welcome to DU

I guess.

[MayReasonRule]

17. Hmm

Well thanks for the welcome, I guess?

LoL...

[marble falls]

20. That was a weak tea endorcement of Joe Biden, wasn't it?

[MayReasonRule]

21. Joe Biden is what he is...

I don't see a more viable choice really. I'm just one observer though.

At this point, anyone still associated with the GOP I personally categorize as being at the very least, a supporter of Nat-C Fascism.

Whomever the viable candidate ends up being that opposes the Nat-C Fascist's candidate, is the candidate that gets my vote.

Reason demonstrates that our freedoms depend upon reason. Without reason, we end up with Machiavellian perversions such as the current incarnation of Y'all Qaeda's Nat-C packed GOP and SCOTUS.

Which is why, reason never desists. Reason always resists.

BTW, that's a "Googleism" y'all! Weak tea endorsement...

[mcar]

18. He said the pandemic is over

not Covid.

[MayReasonRule]

22. He said the pandemic is over... when it's not.

The facts in evidence clearly demonstrate that the pandemic is far from over.

And, we're facing a triple-whammy pretty much as of right now, in this very moment.

Stark warnings are already being given that the likelihood of mass concurrent infections from RSV, Flu variant and COVID variant are quite high.

Things are always as they are, and rarely as one might have it to be.

Reason allows choices.

Delusion destroys.

I choose reason.

May reason rule.

[mcar]

23. Oh, hi!

[MayReasonRule]

24. Hey y'all!!

How's BQ 1.1 in your area?

I'm in Caddo Parish.

Facts in evidence are outright rejected within the majority of Parish residents hymned in by shame and revelling in delusion.

A million lives already taken, country's near to breaking.

Ain't no way one man alone, hid the bodies, bought the thrones. Buying in to sell us out?

Odd to say, I ain't got no doubt.

May reason rule.

[sybylla]

3. If only someone could have seen this coming.

/sarcasm.

Yeah, from a continent away. But "cOvId Is OvEr."

[Gaugamela]

4. This from Nature regarding the subvariants and the new boosters:

Boosters, including bivalent vaccines, are likely to offer some protection against infection with emerging variants. But this might not last long, say scientists. One part of the bivalent vaccines is based on an Omicron subvariant — BA.1 in UK-approved vaccines and BA.5 in the United States. But there are signs that the vaccines tend to stimulate the production of neutralizing antibodies that best recognize not Omicron, but the ancestral virus on which the first vaccines were based. A second dose of the boosters might be needed to generate high levels of Omicron-specific neutralizing antibodies, says Cao.

Fortunately, all evidence suggests that COVID-19 vaccines old and new remain highly effective at preventing severe disease, which Nuzzo argues should be the main goal of autumn and winter booster programmes. This means concentrating booster campaigns on those at the highest risk of severe disease, including older people and people with underlying health conditions, who will benefit the most from the added protection. “We need a laser focus on protection against severe illness,” she says.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03157-x

[SoBlueInFL]

5. I'm honestly more afraid of long Covid's neurological effects than actually dying from it. nm

[JanMichael]

25. That is my biggest fear. I do not want to enter my "golden years" with some CV affliction.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. I've been monitoring the variants from CDC's Variant Proportions tracker (updated weekly)

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions



You can see the BQ.x and BF.x starting to make a move. BA.5 is still predominate however.

I did get my bivalet booster (and a flu shot at the same time) a little over a week ago and I'm still N95-masking in stores and the post office. In fact I was at the supermarket early this afternoon and heard various people sneezing and coughing (maskless) and was like "Ewwww..." I know it's allergy season and cold season is also starting up now so....

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Hey, what's happening? I got my Moderna booster a couple weeks back.

Oh, here's the card. It's the bivalent kind.

Ah, you knew that.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. The only boosters now "authorized" are the bivalents!

I think the initial 2-dose series might still be unnchanged though (monovalent).

The pharmacist gave me another card to record it and stapled it to my original vax card since the original ran out of lines (although there was one possible open line available on the reverse side).

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. Same thing happened to me. I just got my new card yesterday afternoon. NT

[progree]

11. Europe reported new cases up 81% since September 13, though there's a one-day downhook

I usually ignore the last 1-2 days in these things because often there's a little downturn at the end that is the result of some not yet having reported. But there's indications of a plateau.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-cases.html
No Paywall No Quota

See the "Cases By Region" section and click the "Last 90 days". Europe is the light blue line.

The U.S. is still looking good relatively speaking at 12 reported new cases per 100k per day and declining.

These are all 7 day moving averages.

Yes, reported cases are a fraction of actual cases.

[progree]

12. In Minnesota we have more serious health challenges ... mental health ...

Several students treated for illness after attempting "One Chip Challenge" at Edina middle school, WCCO, 10/14/22

EDINA, Minn. -- Several students at an Edina middle school became sick after attempting the viral "One Chip Challenge" on Thursday.

The challenge involves eating a tortilla chip made with the extremely hot Carolina reaper peppers and scorpion peppers and waiting as long as possible before eating or drinking anything. Videos of people doing this challenge are then shared to TikTok and YouTube.

Edina Public Schools in a statement said that students at South View Middle School were treated at the health office and others experienced eye pain after being exposed to chip dust. Several students complained of having a hard time breathing, and an ambulance was called.

School health staff found no one had a severe allergic reaction or was injured as a result of the challenge.

A little more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/several-students-treated-for-illness-after-attempting-one-chip-challenge-at-edina-middle-school/ar-AA12Yz6J?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=aa269aac87a84e24935f01c8fcbf9a3b

[oldsoftie]

13. When I saw a big pro wrestler gagging from it on video, I don't need to try it myself.

I already KNOW the answer.
He also said its the stupidest thing he's ever done.

[maxsolomon]

19. Wait. They're saying a Covid subvariant is easily transmissable?

That's quite a change from EVERY OTHER SUBVARIANT.