There is growing concern in Colorado about the emergence of new variants of COVID that are evading immunity, and health officials are closely watching the situation. According to Axios Denverlocal scientists are monitoring BF.7, which they believe to be highly contagious and according to CBS News“BA.4.6 and BF.7 – raised concerns because they may evade the protection offered by a key antibody drug used to protect immunocompromised Americans who may not be able to obtain immunity with the vaccination known as Evusheld.”
In addition, CBS reports that “BF.7 has an additional genetic change in the gene encoding the Spike protein compared to the parental BA.5 lineage viruses. Data indicate that this specific genetic change may reduce the effectiveness of Evusheld.” , CDC spokesperson Jasmine Reed told CBS News in a statement. Reed said that so far “there is no indication that vaccines or diagnostic tests” are affected by the BF.7 mutations. The CDC says “3.4% of cases nationwide are now BF.7. 12.8% are BA.4.6. The proportion of BF.7 is highest in New England, where the CDC says 5 .7% of new infections are linked to the variant. The CDC also detected the variant in passengers arriving from France.”
Colorado officials are urging people to stay healthy by keeping up with their vaccines and boosters, and it seems to be working. Axios Denver states that “8.9% of eligible residents were boosted with the last dose, representing approximately 344,000 doses – up from 5.3% a week earlier.” However, there is still concern because “about 30% of Colorado residents who have caught the virus are estimated to have had COVID for a long time, according to the latest figures from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. That means about 494,000 Colorado residents are living with long-term symptoms like brain fog, hair loss and mental health issues as medical researchers search for a cure for the long-running COVID nearly three years after the pandemic. the health of others, do not miss these Clear signs that you’ve had COVID.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a new booster to help protect against variants of COVID and CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH said in a declaration, “The updated COVID-19 boosters are formulated to better protect against the more recently circulating COVID-19 variant. They can help restore protection that has diminished since the previous vaccination and are designed to provide broader protection against newer variants. This recommendation followed a comprehensive scientific study, evaluation and robust scientific discussion. If you are eligible, there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster and I strongly encourage you to receive it.”
According to Axios Denver, the Colorado Department of Health and the Colorado School of Public Health “published an updated statewide COVID modeling report earlier this month that shows a variety of scenarios for the remainder of the year, including hospitalizations increasing “severely” through December if a new variant arrived in late September. Whether the state sees an increase as temperatures drop depends on the prevalence of emerging variants and how many coloradans receive the reformulated Omicron booster, experts advise.
“This latest modeling report … highlights the unpredictability of our upcoming fall and winter respiratory virus season,” said state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy. “The best thing coloradans can do right now to protect themselves is get a flu shot and… a dose of Omicron when they’re eligible.”
Axios Denver is reporting: “Hospital demand for COVID-19 has increased over the past week, but health officials say patient volumes remain relatively low – at about 10% of previous highs. If a new variant doesn’t emerge, model simulations indicate a decline in hospital demand over the next 12 weeks.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said last week at an event with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism that as long as we are going “in the right direction”, this can change. “We should anticipate that we may very well get another variant that would emerge that would elude the immune response we receive from infection and/or vaccination.”
David SoulelesMPH, Director of the COVID-19 Response Team at the University of California, Irvine tells us, “Viruses mutate as part of their evolution to stay alive, and these mutations can occur when the COVID-19 virus is transmitted from person to person. So, as long as the virus that causes COVID-19 is able to spread from person to person, we run the risk of new variants emerging that may be more transmissible, less susceptible to current vaccines and more harmful. omicron variant strains better than the original vaccine.”
Dr. William Li, physician, scientist, president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation and author of Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself explains: “The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID has shown itself to be extremely capable of generating new variants, which makes the disease a mobile target. Until now, these mutations have made the coronavirus more easily transmitted, but fortunately the acute illness it causes is much milder than it initially was in 2020. But the more virus that is transmitted, the more the mutated variants can spread widely, leading to even more opportunities to create more subvariants, and by public health officials, even simple precautions that can control the spread of COVID are helping this virus to a great advantage against humans.”
According with the doctor. Li, “There are an increasing number of new subvariants – more than a dozen – almost all stemming from mutations in the original omicron subvariant. So far, disease severity seems more similar to omicron, which was less dangerous for most but there are millions of vulnerable individuals, including the elderly, for whom COVID can still cause serious illness and death. The major concern is the number of mutations that are clustering in some of the subvariants, which could make them more resistant to antivirals like Paxlovid and Evusheld that have been developed, as well as better able to ward off natural immunity from previous COVID infections. For this reason, it is smart to get the latest booster vaccine to have the best protection against hospitalization and death.”
Souleles says, “New variants will continue to emerge as long as the virus that causes COVID-29 is able to spread from person to person, even regardless of the variant, and we’ve seen these strategies work in variants over the course of the pandemic.”
Dr. Benjamin Alli, MD/PhD professor Sakellerides and author of not just covidwhich will be released later this month, tells us: “Some new variants may in fact be recumbent variants reinfecting areas through travel such as international flights. Other factors may include less fear since we learned of the crises and the desire to leave home. However, all of this may cause the need to get more serious about getting another vaccine.”
Souleles recommends: “Knowing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Community Level for your community and follow CDC recommendations based on your community level and for getting vaccinated with an initial series of COVID-19 vaccine, and if it has been more than 2 months since your last initial serial dose or your last booster dose, get the bivalent booster as recommended by the CDC.”
In addition, Souleles gives the following tips to stay safe:
– “Test one day before traveling or attending large events or meetings and again three to five days after traveling or attending a large event or meeting, and if you test positive, follow CDC guidelines for isolation.
-Stay home if you are sick and get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 and if you test positive follow CDC guidance for isolation.
-Consider wearing a well-fitting mask when recommended or required in your community, particularly if you are at increased risk of complications from COVID-19 or if your community is seeing a high level of community transmission.
-Wash your hands. As we head into cold and flu season, frequent hand washing can help prevent colds and flu, as well as COVID-19. And to protect your life and the lives of others, do not visit any of these 35 Places Where You’re Most Likely to Get COVID.
