COVID-19.Prem Misir

COVID is Now Spreading More and More in the US – Mask Up

Dr. Mike Hoerger’s (Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative) forecast shows that around January 10, 2024, the US could have some 2 million COVID infections/day - that is, almost 1 in 3 Americans may contract COVID-19 during the peak 2 months of this winter surge, translating into 105 million infections and >5 million Long COVID cases. And COVID-related deaths rose by 3.4 percent at 12/16/23 compared to the previous week (CDC). Wastewater (sewage) in use for some time now as another weapon to fight COVID offers early detection of the virus.

According to Hoerger, wastewater levels currently show that COVID spread is increasing more than during 90% of the period of the pandemic. This increased spread of COVID along with the JN.1 COVID-19 variant becoming the dominant strain increasing throughout the US, have now prompted hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. to reinstate the use of mandatory masks.

Hospitals in California also want patients, workers and visitors to mask up. Should the COVID spread continue, the general public may soon be thinking about masks!

Photo credit: Getty
A medical worker outside NYU Langone Health hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic on May 26, 2020 in New York City.

COVID-19, Not a Mere Short-Term Disease, But Also a Disease with Long-Term Effects:.................................................................................................................................
A recent 18-month follow-up study (The Lancet, Infectious Diseases: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00684-9) of hospital admissions for persons with COVID-19 and with seasonal flu, observed that COVID-19 patients faced significantly higher rates of death, healthcare utilization, and poor health outcomes in most organ systems.

And the Covid-19 risks range from cardiac arrest, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and cognitive impairment to mental health and fatigue, two clinical characteristics repeatedly linked to long COVID.

The study has sensitized us to the view that COVID-19 is not a mere acute disease, i.e., a disease only for the short-term, but also a disease with long-term effects, as evidenced by the prevalence of long COVID, increased hospitalizations, etc.

At this time with a significant uptick in COVID-related hospitalizations in the US, this study calls for a public health policy embracing a reduction in hospital admissions for COVID-19 through prevention of infection and reinfection, vaccination, and usage of antivirals. Indeed, masking up is still critical today.

Photo credit: Dan Kitwood-Getty Images

Image showing so many persons without masks in a crowded situation!

'It’s still killing and it’s still changing.' Ending COVID-19 states of emergency sparks debate Moves by WHO and U.S. usher pandemic into new phase of disease monitoring, even as coronavirus kills thousands weekly

EBook of the Week - My Book:

COVID-19 and Health System Segregation in the US: Racial Health Disparities and Systemic Racism

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust - Trust Library Services, designated my book, the EBook of the Week on World Health Day (April 7, 2023).

MFT Libraries on Twitter “This Friday is Our is 'COVID-19 and health system segregation in the US: racial health disparities and systemic racism' by Available at https://t.co/Yrt6vyaZ8K ”

COVID-19 over?

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, as new COVID-19 variants are emerging:

Continual spread of breeds new variants, the latest being . XBB.1.5 is projected to constitute 40.5% of COVID-19 cases in the US.

So stop the spread via 's advice:

Get the current vaccine boost, use KN/N95 masks in crowds/transport, ventilate/purify indoor air, do robust global genomic surveillance & rapid data sharing.

om/premmisir/status/1609645217795244032?s=20&t=3C_Q3IWIMOFNej2axad8eg

Prem Misir on Twitter “Continual spread of breeds new variants, the latest being . So stop the spread via 's advice: get the vaccine boost, use KN/N95 masks in crowds/transport, ventilate/purify indoor air, do robust global genomic surveillance & rapid data sharing.”

The unvaccinated in poor countries!
COVID-19 vaccine apartheid against poor countries is a breeding ground for global health insecurity.

Madhu Pai, MD, PhD on Twitter “If BA.5 is the worst variant of SARS-CoV2 we have ever seen, what happens to 80% of people in low-income countries that are unvaccinated? We have failed to protect millions, even as the virus evolves and mutates...”

Despite the havoc wrought on society in 2020 and 2021 in the US, it was not the top killer in those years; then, heart disease & cancer were the major causes of death. COVID-19 was not the top killer because its case fatality rate (CFR) was as low as 0.4% in the early phases of the pandemic; but was certainly higher among communities of color experiencing racial health disparities.

NIH on Twitter “News: COVID-19 was third leading cause of death in the United States in both 2020 and 2021 https://t.co/Zw0LQVtDQm”

COVID-19 Vaccines for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in the US:
-BioNTech (3-dose vaccine - from 6 months-age 4); & (2-dose vaccine - from 6 months- age 5).
And Professor Jonathan Reiner noted that the most effective protection for newborns and infants < 6 months is a vaccinated mother.

Prem Misir on Twitter “COVID-19 Vaccines for kids in the US: -BioNTech (3-dose vaccine - from 6 months-age 4); & (2-dose vaccine - from 6 months- age 5). & Professor Jonathan Reiner noted that the most effective protection for newborns and infants < 6 months is a vaccinated mother.”

More preventative measures against COVID-19 in the US!
COVID-19 Moderna & Pfizer vaccines now approved for young children aged 0.5-4.
US FDA’s Peter Marks had mentioned that 442 children aged

Eric Feigl-Ding on Twitter “Momentous—FDA independent advisors vote 21 to 0 to recommend the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for kids 0.5-4 years old — covering at least 19 million young children in the US. CDC meetings Friday/Saturday. CDC approval likely over weekend. https://t.co/fRQ1n06mT4”

Is the 's removal of the testing requirement for international air travel to the US based on science and data, or is it a mere political decision?

Prem Misir on Twitter “Is the 's removal of the testing requirement for international air travel into the US based on science and data, or is it a mere political decision?”

The COVID-19 testing requirement to be removed for air travel to the US:
Come June 12, 22, CDC will lift the requirement for air travelers to the US to show a negative COVID-19 test. This decision will be reevaluated in 90 days. France and UK had already removed the testing requirement.
But is this move really based on science and data, or is it a mere political decision?

The Hill on Twitter “Travel industry cheers CDC’s removal of testing requirement https://t.co/dSnIDnjGDF”

Monkeypox, a new virus on the horizon?
Eric Feigl-Ding noted that there is a global outbreak of 75 cases of Monkeypox. NYC Health recently reported one suspected case of Monkeypox in NYC. Monkeypox looks like the flu, with lymph nodes inflammation & rash on the face. Take the necessary precautions!

nychealthy on Twitter “Monkeypox is uncommon in the U.S. and usually presents as a flu-like illness accompanied by swelling of the lymph nodes and followed by rash on the face and body. More on monkeypox via CDC: https://t.co/EeclSLalRR”

The disadvantaged students globally have been experiencing huge learning losses before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the World Bank Group recently found that this pandemic has significantly compounded the learning losses among such students.

World Bank Data on Twitter “Almost 1.6 billion students across the world were affected by during the pandemic. These losses may translate to greater long-term impacts, with the burden falling heaviest on the disadvantaged https://t.co/DIfQHK63fO”

More testing necessary at this time, according to Dr. Jha!
Good reason: The CDC COVID tracker is showing an increase in cases and hospitalizations in the US. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, more testing is needed.

Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH on Twitter “With COVID infections rising A great way to slow the spread is by using rapid tests So we are launching another round of free tests from the government Go to https://t.co/WcDk09Gjah It takes about a minute to fill out And you'll get 8 tests delivered to your home via USPS”

Masking still necessary!
Masking is still necessary, as some 40% of the COVID-19 cases have been asymptomatic. The asymptomatic people are the walking wounded, and spreading the virus. So masking is still a critical preventative measure to combat COVID-19 and its variants.

Jonathan Reiner on Twitter “The WH says the VP was asymptomatic but tested positive with both PCR and rapid antigen tests. This means she was asymptomatic but contagious. This is why we mask.”

Prem Misir on Twitter “US messes up in the fight against : (1) CDC has grouped US counties into low, medium, & high COVID-19 community levels by hospital beds in use, hospital admissions, & total # of new cases in an area; the problem:... See (2).”

The US COVID-19 current testing rate is too low to identify the number of new cases...See Twitter.

Prem Misir on Twitter “US messes up in the fight against : (2) The present national low COVID-19 testing rate = less than the true # of new cases. The free at-home COVID-19 tests may not be documented on the national matrix.”

No COVID-19 test at end of isolation, according to a recent decision by the CDC...See Twitter.

Prem Misir on Twitter “US messes up in the fight against : (3) At the end of isolation, CDC recently advised that there is no need for a COVID-19 test to determine positivity/negativity. Inappropriate!”

Delta recently announced that the COVID-19 pandemic is over...See Twitter

Prem Misir on Twitter “US messes up in the fight against : (4) recently announced that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and that COVID-19 is an ordinary seasonal virus. CDC has not as yet corrected to such gross disinformation.”

War in Ukraine and COVID-19:
Amid the war in Ukraine, it is now necessary to assess the impact of COVID-19 among some 1.5 million refugees, huddled together, on their way to neighboring countries as Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania, among others. Continuing spread of COVID-19 could generate new variants!

Prem Misir on Twitter “Amid the war in Ukraine, it is now necessary to assess the impact of COVID-19 among some 1.5 million refugees, huddled together, on their way to neighboring countries as Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania, among others. Continuing spread of COVID-19 could generate new variants!”

Arsenal build-up in the fight against COVID-19. Today, the FDA grants emergency use authorization (EUA) of a second COVID-19 pill (Molnupiravir), which is not a substitute for vaccination.

U.S. FDA on Twitter “FDA issued an EUA for molnupiravir for the treatment of mild-to-moderate in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing. https://t.co/ZTuuN6oJ4b”

Today, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the emergency use of Paxlovid, a Pfizer pill, to treat for patients aged 12 and over, who are susceptible to severe illness. Use of the pill may reduce hospitalization amid the highly transmissible . This pill is not a substitute for vaccination and does not prevent COVID-19.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes First Oral Antiviral for Treatment of COVID-19 Today, the FDA issued an EUA for the first oral antiviral for treatment of COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients.

Great news to have one vaccine for COVID-19 and its variants! But what about the efficacy and safety of this vaccine?

Eric Feigl-Ding on Twitter “NEW—scientists at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research will soon announce that they have developed a vaccine that protects people from COVID-19 and all its variants, even , called The ‘Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine’, or SpFN. 🧵 https://t.co/C140590sPj”

To beat , get fully vaccinated (3 shots), get tested, mask up, wait physical distance, & wash hands!
Amid the COVID19 variants ( & ) in the US, ~ 39% of the people are not fully vaccinated; and only about 18% have received a booster dose (third shot).

CDC on Twitter “As of Dec. 20, 2021, 241.9 million people have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Of those, 204.1 million are fully vaccinated. More than 60.8 million people have received a COVID-19 booster. Make your vaccination appointment today. More: https://t.co/zYLe3H12re.”

News Room Guyana on book on COVID-19 by Prem Misir and published by Springer.

Guyanese professor Prem Misir writes book on COVID-19 pandemic Making yet another contribution to the literary world, Guyanese author and professor Dr. Prem Misir has written a new book titled, “COVID-19 and Health System Segregation in the US.” Publishe…

Guyana Chronicle carries the Springer publication of Misir's book on COVID-19

Springer publishes book on COVID-19 by Professor Misir - Guyana Chronicle INTERNATIONAL publishing company, Springer, has published the book manuscript “COVID-19 and Health system Segregation in the US – Racial Health Disparities