The US is starting 2024 in its second-largest COVID surge ever, experts say

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

The United States is in the middle of a wintertime COVID wave, driven by holiday gatherings, people spending more time inside, waning immunity from low uptake of the new COVID vaccine and a new highly infectious COVID variant, JN.1.

...

Test positivity and wastewater data show that viral activity in the U.S. is higher than this time last year, with wastewater data especially rising rapidly the past several weeks. (COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations are still lower than last year, the CDC noted.)

 

A viral social media post based on data from the CDC is calling this surge the second-biggest COVID wave in the history of the U.S. — after the omicron surge from late 2021 to early 2022, which infected more people than even the early days of the pandemic."

 

 

(more)

 

https://news.yahoo.com/viral-social-media-post-claims-045511438.html

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Although the rate of COVID infections and cases in the U.S. may be at one of its highest peaks, the New York Times in the past week offered the perspective that, despite that, U.S. COVID hospitalizations and deaths are not hitting those same peaks.

 

"In the week that ended on Dec. 23, hospitalizations rose by nearly 17% from the previous week. There were about 29,000 new hospital admissions, compared with 39,000 the same week last year and 61,000 in 2021.

...

COVID is still claiming at least 1,200 lives per week. But that number is about one-third the toll this time last year and one-eighth that in 2021.

 

“We are in this pretty big infection surge right now, but what’s really interesting is how hugely hospitalizations have and continue to decouple from infections,” Jetelina said."

 

New York Times via:

COVID has resurged, but scientists see a diminished threat

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/covid-has-resurged-but-scientists-see-a-diminished-threat/

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Complacency Has Replaced Alarm in the Newest COVID Surge

"At present, the United States is getting hammered with such illnesses, with visits to the doctor for respiratory viruses on an upward trend in recent weeks. Data from the CDC's wastewater surveillance system shows that we are in the second-biggest COVID surge of the pandemic, with the JN1 variant representing about 62% of the circulating strains of the COVID-19 virus at the moment. 

...

In the last week of December, nearly 35,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID. That is a 20% increase in hospital admissions in the most recent week, CDC data shows. At the same time, almost 4% of all deaths in the U.S. were related to COVID, with the death rate up 12.5% in the most recent week. 

 

This current JN1 variant surge features the highest hospitalization numbers since nearly a year ago. On Jan. 7, 2023, there were more 44,000 hospitalizations. It’s anyone’s guess when this upward trend in hospitalizations and deaths will level off or decrease, but for now, the trend is only increasing."

 

(more)

 

https://www.webmd.com/covid/news/20240112/complacency-has-replaced-alarm-in-the-newest-covid-surge

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The assessments in the above news reports of the current COVID surge in the U.S. being the second highest are based on estimates of COVID infections / cases, which are no longer formally tracked / reported by the U.S. CDC.

 

However, the CDC has always tracked COVID deaths and hospitalizations since the beginning of the pandemic. Here are the long-term looks at those two other indicators comparing now with the past.

 

The upshot: COVID cases and infections may well be very high by historical standards, but current COVID death and hospitalization rates, while rising in recent months, thus far are remaining well below those from earlier in the pandemic.

 

According to authorities, that is likely due to a combination of different factors, including: population immunity protections from COVID vaccinations and past infections, improved treatment methods for those hospitalized with COVID, and mutations to the virus itself that have made the current variants less lethal than the worst of its predecessors.

 

 

Weekly COVID deaths since the beginning of the pandemic:

 

 

Weekly COVID deaths from Jan. 1, 2023  to mid-Dec. 2023:

 

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00

 

Weekly new COVID hospitalizations since the beginning of the pandemic:

 

 

Weekly new COVID hospitalizations from Jan. 2023 to Jan. 2024:

 

 

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklyhospitaladmissions_select_00

 

[Amethyst]

A post flaming a fellow forum member has been removed for violating the forum's Community Standards.

 

"9. You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages. You will respect other members and post in a civil manner. Personal attacks, insults or hate speech posted on the forum or sent by private message are not allowed."

 

 

[KhunLA]

I thought most everyone got vaccinated, 2 or 10 times, so how's that possible  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I thought most everyone got vaccinated, 2 or 10 times, so how's that possible  

 

Good question, and the answer is, the latest JN.1 variant is a game-changer when it comes to transmission and evasion from older vaccinations.

What to Know About JN.1, the Latest Omicron Variant

"The older vaccines were based on SARS-CoV-2 variants that are very different from variants circulating now. That, combined with the fact that your immunity from vaccination or infection tends to drop off over time, means that you won’t get a lot of protection from COVID-19 if you are relying on the vaccines you received nearly a year ago.

...

You really need the newest COVID-19 vaccine formulation to be protected from severe illness from JN.1 and other recent variants."

 

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/jn1-the-dominant-variant-in-the-covid-surge

 

The newest monovalent XBB-oriented COVID vaccine version that was rolled out in the West in recent months since the fall, but which, AFAIK, has not yet been made available in Thailand.

 

[soi3eddie]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Good question, and the answer is, the latest JN.1 variant is a game-changer when it comes to transmission and evasion from older vaccinations.

What to Know About JN.1, the Latest Omicron Variant

"The older vaccines were based on SARS-CoV-2 variants that are very different from variants circulating now. That, combined with the fact that your immunity from vaccination or infection tends to drop off over time, means that you won’t get a lot of protection from COVID-19 if you are relying on the vaccines you received nearly a year ago.

...

You really need the newest COVID-19 vaccine formulation to be protected from severe illness from JN.1 and other recent variants."

 

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/jn1-the-dominant-variant-in-the-covid-surge

 

The newest monovalent XBB-oriented COVID vaccine version that was rolled out in the West in recent months since the fall, but which, AFAIK, has not yet been made available in Thailand.

 

 

New variant, new jab. Rinse and repeat...

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

 

New variant, new jab. Rinse and repeat...

 

For the time being, yes...

 

Just like every year there's a different version of the flu circulating and each year there's a new version of the flu vaccine to protect against it. (Though COVID even now kills a lot more people than the flu...)

 

Until something better comes along.

 

[KhunLA]

Just what a healthy body needs, more spike proteins ... 

 

 

[mfd101]

So, covid-catching in BKK is becoming a family tradition for my b/f & me.

 

Last April we returned home from a week in BANGERS with our 3rd bout. The first 2 a year or so earlier in Surin were nothing to worry about - just tired & feeling down for a couple of days. Last April it was considerably worse - lasted 2 weeks of fatigue for both of us and my taste buds & sense of smell mostly disappeared and have stayed that way.

 

This week in BKK my b/f developed the latest (JN.1) symptoms - hacking cough & stuffy nose. Lasted 3 days, now 99% recovered - so not real bad. Now I have it with similar symptoms though the cough is very mild and it's mostly stuffy nose - managed with Decolgen & Strepsils.

 

Deaths in Usofa? Mmmmm, a whole nation of fat unhealthy people ...

[sungod]

Am I going to get a runny nose and cough again?

[JensenZ]

55 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

For the time being, yes...

 

Just like every year there's a different version of the flu circulating and each year there's a new version of the flu vaccine to protect against it. (Though COVID even now kills a lot more people than the flu...)

 

Until something better comes along.

 

Something better was always here - a healthy immune system unpolluted by vaccines and other drugs.

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, JensenZ said:

Something better was always here - a healthy immune system unpolluted by vaccines and other drugs.

 

Statistics tell otherwise.

[retarius]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

I thought most everyone got vaccinated, 2 or 10 times, so how's that possible  

You get one guess. My guess is that the vaccine doesn't work very well...

[BKKBike09]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Complacency Has Replaced Alarm in the Newest COVID Surge

"At present, the United States is getting hammered with such illnesses, with visits to the doctor for respiratory viruses on an upward trend in recent weeks. Data from the CDC's wastewater surveillance system shows that we are in the second-biggest COVID surge of the pandemic, with the JN1 variant representing about 62% of the circulating strains of the COVID-19 virus at the moment. 

 

Should read:

 

Commonsense Has Replaced Alarm in the Newest COVID Surge

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

30 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

Should read:

 

Commonsense Has Replaced Alarm in the Newest COVID Surge

 

 

 

About 1,600 Americans are dying of COVID each and every week right now... adding to the COVID total deaths in the U.S. of about 1.1 million.

 

Just how exactly is that "commonsense" for anyone?

 

Many of those deaths could have been avoided, if only people had kept current on their vaccinations and followed sensible precautions like masking and social distancing.

 

 

 

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklyhospitaladmissions_select_00

 

[connda]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Just what a healthy body needs, more spike proteins ... 

 

I am not even a little bit worried about "The Surge" which I'm sure will be surging regularly...

The immune systems of animals in nature is simple an amazingly wonderful thing.  Eat right, exercise, and don't live in a sterile bubble as evolution has provided us with this magnificent biological wonder that needs to be challenged in order to work optimally.

I trust the one real expert - Mother Nature!   "Thank you Mother Nature for this wondrous gift!"
And remember - "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" 
 

[connda]

3 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

 

New variant, new jab. Rinse and repeat...

 

New variant, new jab, $120 bill for the shot.  Rinse and repeat.

[connda]

2 hours ago, mfd101 said:

So, covid-catching in BKK is becoming a family tradition for my b/f & me.

 

Last April we returned home from a week in BANGERS with our 3rd bout. The first 2 a year or so earlier in Surin were nothing to worry about - just tired & feeling down for a couple of days. Last April it was considerably worse - lasted 2 weeks of fatigue for both of us and my taste buds & sense of smell mostly disappeared and have stayed that way.

 

This week in BKK my b/f developed the latest (JN.1) symptoms - hacking cough & stuffy nose. Lasted 3 days, now 99% recovered - so not real bad. Now I have it with similar symptoms though the cough is very mild and it's mostly stuffy nose - managed with Decolgen & Strepsils.

 

Deaths in Usofa? Mmmmm, a whole nation of fat unhealthy people ...

Just wondering.  Are you current on your boosters?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, connda said:

New variant, new jab, $120 bill for the shot.  Rinse and repeat.

 

COVID vaccines remain covered by most Americans' health insurance plans, and are available for free still for those without health insurance, at least through the end of 2024.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/bridge/index.html

 

[retarius]

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Good question, and the answer is, the latest JN.1 variant is a game-changer when it comes to transmission and evasion from older vaccinations.

What to Know About JN.1, the Latest Omicron Variant

"The older vaccines were based on SARS-CoV-2 variants that are very different from variants circulating now. That, combined with the fact that your immunity from vaccination or infection tends to drop off over time, means that you won’t get a lot of protection from COVID-19 if you are relying on the vaccines you received nearly a year ago.

...

You really need the newest COVID-19 vaccine formulation to be protected from severe illness from JN.1 and other recent variants."

 

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/jn1-the-dominant-variant-in-the-covid-surge

 

The newest monovalent XBB-oriented COVID vaccine version that was rolled out in the West in recent months since the fall, but which, AFAIK, has not yet been made available in Thailand.

 

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Where's your evidence. Tell me when it actually has changed the game. I still won't be taking any vaccine.

[mfd101]

8 minutes ago, connda said:

Just wondering.  Are you current on your boosters?

No, we had only the first 2 shots way back early on (at least in Thailand). Decided to await the latest vaccs for the latest variants, but the latter keep changing so the vaccs keep moving to the right ...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

From the U.S. CDC and FDA in a report from last year:

 

"The most recent estimate is that those who are up to date on their vaccination status have a 9.8 fold lower risk of dying from COVID-19 than those who are unvaccinated and 2.4 fold lower risk of dying from Covid-19 than those who were vaccinated but had not received the updated, bivalent vaccine.

 

Roughly 90% of deaths from COVID-19, as carefully classified by the CDC, in recent months have occurred among those who were not up to date on their vaccines."

 

https://www.fda.gov/media/166159/download

 

[Amethyst]

Another post with an unsourced and unsubstantiated claim has been removed.

 

There is some scientific debate on the comparative protection levels conferred by COVID vaccines vs. the protections from prior COVID infections (which carry with them the health risks of having COVID).

 

But I'm not aware of any credible research that suggests merely being healthy alone provides equal or greater protection against contracting COVID. Being generally healthy has been shown to somewhat lessen, but not eliminate, the risks of serious outcomes once someone contracts COVID.

[jaywalker2]

7 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Although the rate of COVID infections and cases in the U.S. may be at one of its highest peaks, the New York Times in the past week offered the perspective that, despite that, U.S. COVID hospitalizations and deaths are not hitting those same peaks.

 

"In the week that ended on Dec. 23, hospitalizations rose by nearly 17% from the previous week. There were about 29,000 new hospital admissions, compared with 39,000 the same week last year and 61,000 in 2021.

...

COVID is still claiming at least 1,200 lives per week. But that number is about one-third the toll this time last year and one-eighth that in 2021.

 

“We are in this pretty big infection surge right now, but what’s really interesting is how hugely hospitalizations have and continue to decouple from infections,” Jetelina said."

 

New York Times via:

COVID has resurged, but scientists see a diminished threat

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/covid-has-resurged-but-scientists-see-a-diminished-threat/

 

 

1,200 people dying a week is not trivial

[jaywalker2]

56 minutes ago, connda said:

I am not even a little bit worried about "The Surge" which I'm sure will be surging regularly...

The immune systems of animals in nature is simple an amazingly wonderful thing.  Eat right, exercise, and don't live in a sterile bubble as evolution has provided us with this magnificent biological wonder that needs to be challenged in order to work optimally.

I trust the one real expert - Mother Nature!   "Thank you Mother Nature for this wondrous gift!"
And remember - "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" 
 

Yeah, simply amazing. That's why one half to two thirds of Europe was wiped out by the Black Plague and 300 million people were killed by smallpox, which wiped out entire native populations in the Americas,

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Interesting comparisons:

 

According to the WHO's data, the U.S. has had the most officially reported COVID deaths of any country in the world since the beginning of the pandemic, now totaling about 1.2 million. Although that's partly due to the U.S.'s rank as the third most populous country in the world behind China and India. And many experts believe China likely exceeded the U.S. total if China had ever fully reported its COVID fatalities.

 

 

But by contrast, the U.S. ranks around #79 out of about 200 countries in the world for the share of its population that has received at least one booster dose of a COVID vaccine, at only about 36%, just above the world average of 32%. According to the WHO data, Thailand ranks about #60 on the list with a booster vaccination rate of 46%, well above the world average.

 

...

 

...

 

Other select countries on the list:

--Singapore, 82%

--Italy, 75%

--Japan, 68%

--South Korea, 66%

--France & Germany, 63%

--Vietnam, 60%

--China, 57%

--Australia & New Zealand, 56%

--Canada, 53%

--Malaysia, 51%

--Mexico, 44%

--Iran, 37%

--Laos, 34%

--Myanmar, 29%

--Indonesia, 25%

--Philippines, 22%

--India, 17%

--South Africa, 7%

 

https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/vaccines?n=c

 

 

For the U.S., IMHO, that's pathetic.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

According to Our World in Data, the U.S. and the U.K. both rank around 20th in the world in PER CAPITA COVID deaths since the start of the pandemic, but are the highest two countries on the list among major nations as of the end of 2023.

 

 

Source Link

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

COVID vaccines remain covered by most Americans' health insurance plans, and are available for free still for those without health insurance, at least through the end of 2024.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/bridge/index.html

 

There is no free lunch.   Plan B up more than SS COLA.   Health ins up, taxes up ... who and how do you think they are paying big pharma for the vaccines.  

 

Your TAX dollars.