Tracing Incredibly Brief: New COVID Variant
As always, past vaccination confers some immunity
Greetings, and happy Sunday. While I’m working on my next full newsletter, I wanted to send out this very brief set of clips on the new COVID variant. This was very much expected, and fortunately publics are more equipped and trained to respond appropriately, though this variant’s outbreaks are tragically taking some lives. It has not been reported in quite a while what the vaccine coverage was in India or other countries in South America.
As documented by newspapers and John M Barry in The Great Influenza, the 1918 Spanish Flu virus resurfaced and sickened people in various locales at the five-year mark and in subsequent decades. There was no vaccination for that pandemic.
Also, please see that local outlets as far away as Peru are correcting misinformation from antivaxxer and HHS Secretary RFK Jr.
Thank you to my paying subscribers for supporting this effort. TracingVRL, originally TracingCOVID, is the software-journalism project tracing the infodemic going ViRaL.
Contents:
India
Italy
Unites States
Australia
CDC vs. RFK Jr.
India
Jun 01 With Covid-19 cases rising again in India, what precautions are states taking? (Hindustan Times | Delhi, India) - “The advisory listed key instructions for healthcare staff: regularly screen and report cases of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI), and cases with co-morbidities through the P-Form on the IDSP-IHIP platform. It also instructed that all SARI cases and 5% of ILI cases be referred for RT-PCR testing at designated facilities, with same-day sample shipping. Testing is mandatory for high-risk groups – children, the elderly, and pregnant women – if symptoms are present.”
Jun 01 Karnataka reports fourth Covid-related death: 63-year-old man with multiple health issues succumbs in Bengaluru (Hindustan Times | Delhi, India) - “This marks the fourth Covid-linked fatality in the state this month. Earlier, two other Covid-positive deaths were reported from Mysuru, both involving 63-year-old men.“
Jun 01 Punjab to ramp up Covid testing across districts (Hindustan Times | Delhi, India) - “A 39-year-old labourer from Ludhiana died of COVID-19 complications on Wednesday at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. The patient, who had pre-existing conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and liver disease, was referred from ESIC Model Hospital in Ludhiana. Preventive measures in place Following the recent cases, health departments in several districts have heightened surveillance. In Patiala, authorities have ordered mandatory COVID testing for ICU patients with respiratory symptoms to curb in-hospital transmission.”
Jun 01 Covid-19 on the rise again in India: Kerala tops list with over 1000 cases (News9Live India) -
Jun 01 [Translated: ] 28 deaths from Korona, 3726 active cases in the country: A person's death in Bengaluru, vaccine was found; Government of Karnataka asked to put masks (Dainik Bhaskar | India) -
Jun 01 [Translated: ] 28 people die due to corona in the country, 3726 active patients: The death of a person vaccinated in Bangalore, appeals to the Karnataka government mask (Dainik Bhaskar | India) -
May 31 COVID-19 resurgence: India notices five-fold increase in cases; experts warn of high transmissibility of new variant NB.1.8.1 (TimesOfIndia) - "COVID-19 cases are seeing an upward spiral in India after spreading in Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and even China. According to the Union Health Ministry, India has recorded about 2,710 active cases, with 1,170 patients discharged. With this, India notices a five-fold increase in cases, surpassing the 1,000 mark in the week ending May 25.So far, the country has reported seven deaths across multiple states, with comorbidities playing a significant role in most of the deaths. The rise in the number of fresh cases has raised concerns that COVID-19 is making a comeback.”
Italy
May 31 [Translated: ] Covid, cases increasing in Italy. WHO: attention to the Nimbus variant. What is, where it comes from and what risks (Il Messaggero | Italy) -
United States
May 31 Doctors Warn New Covid Strain Could Cause Surge Due To Waning Immunity (Kaiser Health News) - “Also, a study shows that receiving the covid vaccine provides long-term protection and does not inhibit immune response to other variants.”
May 31 New Yorkers Warned As CDC Tracks Alarming COVID Variant (New Jersey 101.5 FM) - “These COVID Symptoms May Lead to Hospitalizations in New York Health officials say New Yorkers should be on a close lookout for a number of Omicron symptoms that likely means you need urgent medical care.”
Australia
May 30 The new Covid variant NB.1.8.1 is driving infections in Australia. A virologist explains what you need to know | Lara Herrero for the Conversation (The Guardian) - “As we enter the colder months in Australia, Covid is making headlines again, this time due to the emergence of a new variant: NB.1.8.1.Last week, the World Health Organization designated NB.1.8.1 as a ‘variant under monitoring’, owing to its growing global spread and some notable characteristics which could set it apart from earlier variants.”
CDC vs. RFK Jr.
May 30 Contradicting RFK Jr., CDC keeps recommending covid vaccine for kids (Anchorage Daily News) -
May 30 [Translated: ] United States: CDC contradicts Kennedy Jr. and advises vaccinating children against Covid (Primicias | Ecuador) -