How has the Coronavirus impacted you directly, to this point?
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I wish I could believe that organizations are making these choices from a viewpoint other than profit or greed BUT I don’t think that’s the case.
I believe a smart argument can be made to do this with some things to keep in mind. It would require people to think about the welfare of others at the location and who they interact with when back home. Not something I’m holding my breath for.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb: My kids won't wear Covid masks in school when mandate lifts later this month
However, the Pfizer director and former FDA chief told CNBC on Friday he'll still wear masks in stores as a courtesy. "It's a matter of etiquette."
Djokovic out of U.S. events due to being unvaxxed
Novak Djokovic will miss the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open, saying Wednesday that he cannot travel to the United States because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Former President Barack Obama tests positive for Covid-19 | CNN Politics
Former President Barack Obama announced Sunday that he has tested positive for Covid-19. "I've had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise," he said on his official Twitter account. Obama also said that his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, has tested negative.
Covid cases are rising as omicron's 'stealth' subvariant spreads around the world
Covid cases are rising in Europe with an increasing number attributed to a "stealth" subvariant of the omicron strain.
HEALTH AND SCIENCE
Covid cases are rising as omicron’s ‘stealth’ subvariant spreads around the world
PUBLISHED TUE, MAR 15 20224:48 AM EDTUPDATED TUE, MAR 15 202210:26 AM EDT
Holly Ellyatt@HOLLYELLYATT
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KEY POINTS
- Covid cases are rising in Europe with an increasing number attributed to a “stealth” subvariant of the omicron strain.
- Covid cases have increased dramatically in the U.K. in recent weeks, and Germany continues to mark record high daily infections with more than 250,000 new cases a day.
- France, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands are also seeing Covid infections start to rise again, aided and abetted by the relaxation of coronavirus measures and the spread of subvariant BA.2.
A doctor monitors a Covid-19 patient in the Covid-19 intensive care unit of the community hospital in Germany on April 28, 2021.
RONNY HARTMANN | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON — Covid cases are rising in Europe, with an increasing number being attributed to the prevalence of a “stealth” subvariant of the omicron strain.
Covid cases have increased dramatically in the U.K. in recent weeks, while Germany continues to mark record high daily infections with more than 250,000 new cases a day. Elsewhere, France, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands are also seeing Covid infections start to rise again, aided and abetted by the relaxation of coronavirus measures and the spread of a new subvariant of omicron, known as BA.2.
Public health officials and scientists are closely monitoring BA.2, which has been described as a “stealth” variant because it has genetic mutations that could make it harder to distinguish from the delta variant using PCR tests, compared with the original omicron variant, BA.1.
The new subvariant would be the latest in a long line to emerge since the pandemic began in China in late 2019. The omicron variant — the most transmissible strain so far — overtook the delta variant, which itself supplanted the alpha variant — and even this was not the original strain of the virus.
Now, Danish scientists believe that the BA.2 subvariant is 1½ times more transmissible than the original omicron strain, and is already overtaking it. The BA.2 variant is now responsible for over half of the new cases in Germany and makes up around 11% of cases in the U.S.
That number is expected to rise further, as it has in Europe.
“It’s clear that BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 and this, combined with the relaxation of mitigation measures and waning immunity, is contributing to the current surge in infections,” Lawrence Young, a professor of molecular oncology at Warwick University, told CNBC on Monday.
“The increased infectiousness of BA.2 is already out-competing and replacing BA.1, and we are likely to see similar waves of infection as other variants enter the population.”
As long as the virus continues to spread and replicate, particularly in populations which are undervaccinated or where vaccine-induced immunity is decaying, “it will throw up new variants and these will remain a continual threat even to those countries with high rates of vaccination,” Young noted. “Living safely with Covid doesn’t mean ignoring the virus and hoping it will go away forever.”
What do we know about BA.2?
The BA.2 variant is being closely monitored by the World Health Organization and similar public health bodies on a national level, including the U.K. Health Security Agency which has said the subvariant is “under investigation” but is not yet of concern.
Still, the WHO acknowledged in a statement last month that “the proportion of reported sequences designated BA.2 has been increasing relative to BA.1 in recent weeks.”
Initial data show that BA.2 is a little more likely to cause infections in household contacts, when compared with BA.1. It’s not believed currently that the BA.2 variant causes more severe illness or carries an increased the risk of being hospitalized, however further research is needed to confirm this, according to a U.K. parliamentary report published last week.
Hospitalizations have also risen in a number of European countries as Covid infections have increased in recent weeks, but deaths remain far lower than in previous peaks thanks to widespread vaccine coverage.
The UKHSA has done a preliminary analysis comparing vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease for BA.1 and BA.2 infections and found that the levels of protection are similar, with efficacy of up to 77% soon after a booster shot, although this wanes over time.
‘Growth advantage’
The WHO has also noted that BA.2 differs from BA.1 in its genetic sequence, including some amino acid differences in the spike protein and other proteins which could give it an advantage over the original omicron.
“Studies are ongoing to understand the reasons for this growth advantage, but initial data suggest that BA.2 appears inherently more transmissible than BA.1, which currently remains the most common omicron sublineage reported. This difference in transmissibility appears to be much smaller than, for example, the difference between BA.1 and Delta,” the organization said last month.
The WHO added that initial studies suggest that anyone who has been infected with the original omicron variant has strong protection against reinfection with its subvariant BA.2.
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VIDEO03:48
Omicron immunity should protect against new BA.2 Covid variant, says Dr. Scott Gottlieb
Dr. Andrew Freedman, an academic covering infectious disease at Cardiff Medical School, told CNBC he doesn’t think we need to be too concerned about BA.2, despite the fact that it is slightly more contagious.
“I suspect the rising number of cases is related to several factors including BA.2, the relaxation of restrictions and more social mixing, less mask wearing and some waning of immunity from both previous infections and vaccination, especially in those who received boosters early on,” he said.
“There has been an upturn in hospital admissions testing positive for Covid in the U.K., but many of these are incidental and there has not been a parallel increase in deaths.”
Growing in prevalence
The U.K., and the rest of Europe, have acted as a bellwether for the U.S. at several points in the pandemic, declared two years ago by the WHO. particularly when it comes to the rise and spread of new Covid variants which have emerged and subsequently supplanted previous strains of the virus.
Read more
Covid was declared a pandemic two years ago and now we’re finally moving on — but public health experts say it’s not over
This makes the emergence and growing prevalence of the BA.2 variant a point of concern for the U.S. where cases have nose-dived recently to reassuring lows.
Already some parts of the U.S. are seeing an increasing number of infections linked to BA.2, particularly in New York, according to data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Elsewhere, China is currently facing its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the height of the pandemic in 2020.
It’s unclear whether BA.2 is contributing to the latest wave of cases, although a prominent infectious disease expert in China told news outlet Caixin that much of the current outbreak is being driven by the BA.2 subvariant.
U.K. data certainly illustrates BA.2′s increasingly prevalence. Sequenced data from Feb. 27 to March 6 found that 68.6% of cases were omicron lineage BA.2, with just 31.1% omicron BA.1.
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CDC: Omicron variant BA.2 spreading rapidly across New York and New Jersey
What's known as BA.2 -- a sub-lineage of Omicron -- now makes up nearly a quarter of new COVID infections nationwide.
www.cbsnews.com
My mom didn't get out of the hospital until the end of Feb and passed a week later.
I have nothing but malice in my heart for everyone who wouldn't do the bare minimum. Fuck you niggas, die slow.
NYC’s new health czar says young kids should continue wearing masks
During his first press conference as commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan cautioned on Friday that children under 5 years old should continue wearing masks.
nypost.com
I had covid in March of 2020. I had it again in July of the same year. The second time I got it, it made me diabetic. I'm slowly coming back from that too. I just got my smell back this year. I had an Aunt who died from it this year. She was in her 90s and had taken the vaccine a few months earlier!
Ivermectin Does Not Reduce Risk of Covid Hospitalization, Large Study Finds (Published 2022)
“At some point it will become a waste of resources to continue studying an unpromising approach,” one expert said.
Ivermectin Does Not Reduce Risk of Covid Hospitalization, Large Study Finds
I can't believe Fox News, internet/Youtube scholars AND Joe Rogan were wrong :eek2::eek2: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/30/health/covid-ivermectin-hospitalization.html The anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, which has surged in popularity as an alternative treatment for Covid-19 despite a lack...
www.bgol.us
damn. So sorry to hear this.
Sorry to hear about your Grandma bruh....
Which Vaccines and boosters did she take???
Are you vaxxed??
New York City Keeps Mask Mandate for Kids Under 5 as Cases Rise (Published 2022)
Mayor Eric Adams made the announcement as a judge moved to strike down the requirement. Coronavirus cases are increasing again in New York, fueled by the Omicron subvariant BA.2.
Still being cautious and masking up.
Brought up an interesting point to some coworkers in recent weeks. I'd say within the past month, when grocery shopping about 80% of the fellow shoppers were also masked. But it's sort of hit & miss with the staffing themselves as frontline workers. Maybe 50-50, or 60-40 with the number of employees who are masked. Even though they're around customers / "strangers" all shift as they move about the store. I'm glad to see most shoppers still taking things seriously.
Same for our workplace. Lots of cleaning products available. Just did an inventory count last week & got a coworker to place a reorder on supplies for us. That should be coming on Monday.
Brought up an interesting point to some coworkers in recent weeks. I'd say within the past month, when grocery shopping about 80% of the fellow shoppers were also masked. But it's sort of hit & miss with the staffing themselves as frontline workers. Maybe 50-50, or 60-40 with the number of employees who are masked. Even though they're around customers / "strangers" all shift as they move about the store. I'm glad to see most shoppers still taking things seriously.
Same for our workplace. Lots of cleaning products available. Just did an inventory count last week & got a coworker to place a reorder on supplies for us. That should be coming on Monday.
The Gridiron Club superspreader event shows we can't just go back to normal
Among those who've since tested positive: Gina Raimondo, Merrick Garland, Tom Vilsack, and Valerie Biden Owens.
www.motherjones.com
This powerful Covid-19 mitigation measure is invisible
With mask mandates virtually gone and vaccinaton rates at a standstill, there's one mitigation measure that can still make a big difference: ventilation.
www.cnn.com
This invisible Covid-19 mitigation measure is finally getting the attention it deserves
By Amanda Sealy, CNN
Updated 12:50 PM ET, Sun April 10, 2022
(CNN)Two-plus years into the Covid-19 pandemic, you probably know the basics of protection: vaccines, boosters, proper handwashing and masks. But one of the most powerful tools against the coronavirus is one that experts believe is just starting to get the attention it deserves: ventilation.
Respiratory backwash
"The challenge for organizations that improve air quality is that it's invisible," said Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
It's true: Other Covid tools are more tangible. But visualizing how the virus might behave in poorly ventilated spaces can help people better understand this mitigation measure.
Allen likens it to cigarette smoke. "If I'm smoking in the corner of a classroom and you have low ventilation/filtration, that room is going to fill up with smoke, and everyone is breathing that same air."
See how far spit droplets travel through air when we talk 03:38
Then apply that to the outdoors.
"I could be smoking a cigarette, you could be a couple of feet from me, depending which way the wind was blowing, you may not even know I'm smoking."
If you're indoors, you could be breathing in less fresh air than you think.
"Everybody in a room together is constantly breathing air that just came out of the lungs of other people in that room. And depending on the ventilation rate, it could be as much as 3% or 4% of the air you're breathing just came out of the lungs of other people in that room," Allen said.
He describes this as respiratory backwash.
"Normally, that's not a problem, right? We do this all the time. We're always exchanging our respiratory microbiomes with each other. But if someone's sick and infectious ... those aerosols can carry the virus. That's a problem."
It's airborne
"We've known for decades how to keep people safe in buildings from infection, from airborne infectious diseases like this one," Allen said.
From the beginning of the pandemic, Allen and other experts have waved red flags, saying that the way we were thinking about transmission of Covid-19 -- surfaces, large respiratory droplets -- was missing the point.
"Hand washing and social distancing are appropriate but, in our view, insufficient to provide protection from virus-carrying respiratory microdroplets released into the air by infected people. This problem is especially acute in indoor or enclosed environments, particularly those that are crowded and have inadequate ventilation," hundreds of scientists stated in an open letter in July 2020.
Eventually, the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged what the experts had been saying all along: that Covid-19 could also spread by small aerosolized particles that can travel more than 6 feet.
In Washington's Covid-19 outbreak, new variants flout old 'close contact' rule
The coronavirus itself is very small -- about 0.1 microns -- but that doesn't affect how far it can travel.
"The size of the virus itself doesn't matter because, as we say, the virus is never naked in air. In other words, the virus is always traveling in respiratory particles that develop in our lungs. And those are all different sizes," Allen said.
Singing or coughing can emit particles as large as 100 microns (almost the width of a human hair), he said, but the virus tends to travel in smaller particles -- between 1 and 5 microns.
The size of these particles affects not only how far it can travel but how deeply we can breathe it into our lungs, and how we should approach protecting ourselves from this virus.
"When you're talking about an airborne disease, there's the what's right around you, you know, the sort of the people who you know can cough in your face, the 6 feet thing, and then there's the broader indoor air, because indoor air is recirculated," said Max Sherman, a leader on the Epidemic Task Force for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
Dilute and clean
"Outdoors is safer than indoors" has become an accepted mantra with Covid-19. Allen points out that protecting ourselves indoors is where our focus should always be, even beyond the pandemic.
"We're [an] indoors species. We spend 90% of our time indoors. The air we breathe indoors has a massive impact on our health, whether you think about infectious disease or anything else, but it just has escaped the public consciousness for a long time," he said.
Making sure our indoor air is healthy is not that complicated, Sherman said. "You just want to reduce the number of particles that might be carrying Covid or any other nasty [virus]."
The way you do that is through ventilation and filtration.
Filtration -- just like it sounds -- is filtering or cleaning the air, removing the infected particles. But think of ventilation as diluting the air. You're bringing more fresh air in to reduce the concentration of those particles.
Dilution is exactly why we haven't seen superspreader events outdoors, Allen says.
"We have hardly any transmission outdoors. Why is that? Unlimited dilution, because you have unlimited ventilation. And so, even in crowded protests or outdoor sporting events like the Super Bowl, we just don't see superspreading happening. But if we did, we'd have the signal be loud and clear. We just don't see it. It's all indoors in these underperforming, unhealthy spaces."
Healthy spaces
Even before the advent of HVAC systems, ventilation was integrated into many building designs.
The 1901 Tenement Housing Act of New York required every tenement building -- a building with multifamily households -- to have ventilation, running water and gas light.
Builders added ventilation to many of these buildings with a shaft in the middle that runs from the roof to the ground, allowing more airflow.
"In the late 19th century, people are finally starting to understand how disease spreads. So airshafts and the accompanying ventilation were seen as a solution to the public health crises that were happening in tenement buildings," said Katheryn Lloyd, director of programming at the Tenement Museum. "There were high cases of tuberculosis, diphtheria and other diseases that spread. Now we know that spread sort of through the air."
Today, we're facing the same challenge.
"Getting basic ventilation in your home is important, full stop," Sherman said.
One of the easiest, cheapest ways to do that is to open your windows.
Open doors or windows at opposite ends of your home to create cross-ventilation, the Environmental Protection Agency advises. Opening the highest and lowest windows -- especially if on different floors -- of a home can also increase ventilation. Adding an indoor fan can take it even further.
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"If a single fan is used, it should be facing (and blowing air) in the same direction the air is naturally moving. You can determine the direction the air is naturally moving by observing the movement of drapes or by holding a light fabric or dropping paper clippings and noting which direction they move," the EPA says.
Just cracking a window can help a lot, Allen says: "Even propping a window open a couple inches to really facilitate higher air changes, especially if you do it in multiple places in the house, so you can create some pressure differentials."
It's important to note that if you have an HVAC system, it must be running to actually circulate or filter the air. The EPA says that these systems run less than 25% of the time during heating and cooling seasons.
"Most of the controls these days have a setting where you can run the fan on low all the time. And that's usually the best thing to do because that makes sure you're getting you're pushing air through the filter all the time and mixing the air up in your in your home," Sherman advised.
This could be something to keep in mind if you're going to have visitors or if someone in the household is at higher risk for severe illness.
Choose the most efficient filter your HVAC system can handle, and make sure you routinely change the filters.
Filters have a minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV, rating that indicates how well they capture small particles. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommends using at least a MERV-13 filter, which it says is at least 85% efficient at capturing particles from 1 to 3 microns.
If that's not an option, portable air filters can also work well, but the EPA says to use one that is made for the intended room size and meets at least one of these criteria:
- Designed as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)
- CADR rated
- Manufacturer says the device will remove most particles below 1 micron
When you walk into a space, there's no good rule of thumb to look around and gauge how well-ventilated it might be, and that can be a challenge when people have been tasked with assessing their own risk.
Allen suggests starting with the basics: Make sure you're up to date with vaccinations and aware of where Covid-19 numbers stand in your community.
But then it gets harder. Even the number of people in a space isn't a giveaway of a higher-risk situation.
"The more people in there could be higher-risk because you're more likely to have someone who's infectious, but if the ventilation is good, it really doesn't matter."
Ventilation standards are based on "an amount of fresh air per person, plus the amount of fresh air per square foot," Allen explained. "So if you have a good system, the more people that enter the room, the more ventilation is brought in to the room."
One tool that can help you assess ventilation in a room is a CO2 monitor, something Allen wishes he saw more in public spaces. He likes to carry a portable one, which you can order online for between $100 and $200.
"If you see under 1,000 parts per million, generally, you're hitting the ventilation targets that are the design standard. But remember, these are not health-based standards. So we want to see higher ventilation rates."
Allen prefers to see CO2 at or under 800 parts per million. He also notes that just because a space has low CO2 levels, it might not be unsafe if filtration is high, like on an airplane.
A gamechanger for schools
Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring says the installation of 5,000 air filtration units -- enough for every classroom -- in her school district is "a gamechanger."
The district had begun upgrading HVAC systems in several schools even before the pandemic, but federal funding allowed it to add filtration units during a crucial time when masks have become optional.
"It gives a greater level of confidence for us as a system to know that our air filtration systems are in place," Herring said.
School districts all over the country have been jumping at the opportunity for ventilation upgrades made possible by an influx of federal funding.
An analysis in February by FutureEd, a think tank at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, found that public schools had earmarked $4.4 billion for HVAC projects, which could grow to almost $10 billion if trends continued.
As masks become optional, kids take their health into their own hands
New Hampshire's Manchester School District is pouring almost $35 million into upgrading HVAC systems, and interim Superintendent Jennifer Gillis says federal funding is "absolutely key."
"You think about a district of our size with all the competing demands and the need to be fiscally responsible, a $35 million project, that's a large project to introduce to our budget. Having those funds available to us lets us do 19 projects -- and 19 projects in a very short span of time."
For Gillis, ventilation has been an important mitigation strategy and an unobtrusive way to keep people safe.
"It's something that most in the building don't think about, but it's a very passive way for us to create safety within the schools. Since the beginning, the goal was always 'let's get our kids in, let's get our staff in, but let's do it in a way that's safe for all of them.' "
Good ventilation isn't only about keeping students safe from Covid-19, Sherman says. It can also improve their performance in school.
"They're going to learn better; they're going to be awake more; they're going to be more receptive. They're going to be healthier if they've got good indoor air quality," he said.
Finally front and center
Helping solidify ventilation's role in the Covid-19 battle, the Biden administration announced a Clean Air in Buildings Challenge last month.
The challenge calls on building operators and owners to improve ventilation by following guidelines laid out by the EPA.
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The main actions include creating a clean indoor air action plan, optimizing fresh air ventilation, enhancing air filtration and cleaning, and engaging the building community by communicating with occupants to increase awareness, commitment and participation.
The message may seem overdue, but it's one that Allen enthusiastically welcomed.
"The White House used its pulpit to say unequivocally that clean air and buildings matter. That's massive. Regardless of what you think about what will happen next with implementation or what happens with the funding. That is a crystal-clear message that is already being heard by businesses, nonprofits, universities and state leaders. I see these changes happening already."
In Washington's Covid-19 outbreak, new variants flout old 'close contact' rule
By Brenda Goodman, CNN
Updated 3:33 PM ET, Fri April 8, 2022
(CNN)Washington, DC is coping with a cluster of high-profile Covid-19 cases after a series of public events exposed high-level officials.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sens. Susan Collins and Raphael Warnock, and Rep. Peter DeFazio have all this week announced that they tested positive.
Health experts say the outbreak may be rooted, in part, in outdated and confusing guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that help people assess their risk of getting the virus that causes Covid-19 or passing it on to others.
Should you get your second booster shot now?
On Thursday, after announcing that she had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19, Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the Senate confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson without wearing a mask, though CDC guidelines advise masking around other people for at least 10 days after exposure to the virus.
The same day, at a press event for World Health Day, Xavier Becerra, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, explained that he and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysesus would both be wearing masks at the event -- except while speaking -- "because each of us has been close to someone who tested positive recently."
Health experts said Friday that Americans are relying on CDC guidance that's overdue for an update.
Origins of the 6-foot rule
Since the early days of the pandemic, the CDC has defined someone who's a "close contact" -- and is therefore at risk of contracting and spreading the virus -- as someone who has spent a cumulative total of at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of another person who has lab-confirmed Covid-19 or who's been told they have Covid-19 by a doctor.
BA.2, where are you? Dominant strain hasn't shown signs of starting a surge
With newer, more contagious variants such as BA.2 on the loose, Kimberly Prather, an aerosol scientist at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, said the rule needs rethinking.
"Fifteen minutes and 6 feet was not really useful in the first place," she said. "We know people get infected in less time and longer distanced."
Prather thinks the rule for close contact should have been based on anyone sharing the air in a room for a certain number of minutes.
Distance, specifically the distance of 6 feet, has been in the infection equation since in the late 1800s, when a scientist named Carl Flugge figured out that infections could be transmitted by respiratory droplets through the air. He recommended separating people to prevent infections. Scientists tested it using glass plates and came up with a distance of 6 feet.
In the 1930s, another scientist, William F. Wells, figured out that although some droplets that come from the mouth or nose are large and fall to the ground quickly -- within 3 to 6 feet -- sick people can also emit smaller virus-filled aerosols that float in the air for minutes or even hours. Those can also be infectious.
Evidence of airborne spread
Since March 2020, when 52 members of a choir in Skagit County, Washington, got Covid-19 after attending practice with just one person who was sick, health officials have known that the virus that causes Covid-19 can be transmitted by smaller aerosols, making distance less important than ventilation and time.
Yet the CDC continues to factor 6 feet into its risk equations.
In response to a question from CNN, a CDC spokesperson said Thursday that the agency was not planning to change the close contact definition "at this time."
FDA vaccine advisers say a plan for updating Covid-19 shots is needed
"If you were part of an event where there's multiple infections, you will have been exposed. I don't care if it's 6 feet or 15," said Dr. Carlos Del Rio, an infectious disease specialist at Emory University.
If you're exposed but up to date on your vaccinations, Del Rio said, you should watch for symptoms and wear a mask for 10 days, which is what the CDC says, too.
"If I was in that room with Pelosi and others where they got infected, I would consider myself a close contact because I was there," he said. It's not known exactly where Pelosi was infected, but she was among lawmakers who appeared maskless with President Biden at a signing ceremony on Wednesday. According to CDC guidelines, Pelosi was not considered to be a close contact of the President, the White House said in a statement.
That's closer to the way some other countries have defined exposure.
Until February, when the UK began to roll back its pandemic restrictions, health authorities there defined a close contact more broadly. Their definition included anyone who:
Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech University who studies aerosols, said the CDC needs to take another look at its contact precautions.
"I do think they should update it, because I think it's based on outdated thinking about transmission," she said.
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Marr said the CDC probably made the cutoffs of 6 feet and 15 minutes to try to make the best use of limited public health resources such as contract tracing.
"It's based more on convenience than on science at this point," she said.
Marr said that all superspreading events have four things in common: lots of talking, shouting or singing; long exposure times; poor ventilation; and no masks.
"If you have that type of situation, then I would say everyone in the room is potentially exposed," she said.
www.cnn.com
By Brenda Goodman, CNN
Updated 3:33 PM ET, Fri April 8, 2022
(CNN)Washington, DC is coping with a cluster of high-profile Covid-19 cases after a series of public events exposed high-level officials.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sens. Susan Collins and Raphael Warnock, and Rep. Peter DeFazio have all this week announced that they tested positive.
Health experts say the outbreak may be rooted, in part, in outdated and confusing guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that help people assess their risk of getting the virus that causes Covid-19 or passing it on to others.
Should you get your second booster shot now?
On Thursday, after announcing that she had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19, Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the Senate confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson without wearing a mask, though CDC guidelines advise masking around other people for at least 10 days after exposure to the virus.
The same day, at a press event for World Health Day, Xavier Becerra, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, explained that he and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysesus would both be wearing masks at the event -- except while speaking -- "because each of us has been close to someone who tested positive recently."
Health experts said Friday that Americans are relying on CDC guidance that's overdue for an update.
Origins of the 6-foot rule
Since the early days of the pandemic, the CDC has defined someone who's a "close contact" -- and is therefore at risk of contracting and spreading the virus -- as someone who has spent a cumulative total of at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of another person who has lab-confirmed Covid-19 or who's been told they have Covid-19 by a doctor.
BA.2, where are you? Dominant strain hasn't shown signs of starting a surge
With newer, more contagious variants such as BA.2 on the loose, Kimberly Prather, an aerosol scientist at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, said the rule needs rethinking.
"Fifteen minutes and 6 feet was not really useful in the first place," she said. "We know people get infected in less time and longer distanced."
Prather thinks the rule for close contact should have been based on anyone sharing the air in a room for a certain number of minutes.
Distance, specifically the distance of 6 feet, has been in the infection equation since in the late 1800s, when a scientist named Carl Flugge figured out that infections could be transmitted by respiratory droplets through the air. He recommended separating people to prevent infections. Scientists tested it using glass plates and came up with a distance of 6 feet.
In the 1930s, another scientist, William F. Wells, figured out that although some droplets that come from the mouth or nose are large and fall to the ground quickly -- within 3 to 6 feet -- sick people can also emit smaller virus-filled aerosols that float in the air for minutes or even hours. Those can also be infectious.
Evidence of airborne spread
Since March 2020, when 52 members of a choir in Skagit County, Washington, got Covid-19 after attending practice with just one person who was sick, health officials have known that the virus that causes Covid-19 can be transmitted by smaller aerosols, making distance less important than ventilation and time.
Yet the CDC continues to factor 6 feet into its risk equations.
In response to a question from CNN, a CDC spokesperson said Thursday that the agency was not planning to change the close contact definition "at this time."
FDA vaccine advisers say a plan for updating Covid-19 shots is needed
"If you were part of an event where there's multiple infections, you will have been exposed. I don't care if it's 6 feet or 15," said Dr. Carlos Del Rio, an infectious disease specialist at Emory University.
If you're exposed but up to date on your vaccinations, Del Rio said, you should watch for symptoms and wear a mask for 10 days, which is what the CDC says, too.
"If I was in that room with Pelosi and others where they got infected, I would consider myself a close contact because I was there," he said. It's not known exactly where Pelosi was infected, but she was among lawmakers who appeared maskless with President Biden at a signing ceremony on Wednesday. According to CDC guidelines, Pelosi was not considered to be a close contact of the President, the White House said in a statement.
That's closer to the way some other countries have defined exposure.
Until February, when the UK began to roll back its pandemic restrictions, health authorities there defined a close contact more broadly. Their definition included anyone who:
- Lives with someone who tests positive
- Has face-to-face contact or a conversation within about 3 feet of someone who has tested positive
- Has been within 3 feet for 1 minute or longer, regardless of whether the contact was face-to-face
- Has spent more than 15 minutes within 6 feet of someone who tested positive
- Has traveled in the same vehicle or plane with a positive case
Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech University who studies aerosols, said the CDC needs to take another look at its contact precautions.
"I do think they should update it, because I think it's based on outdated thinking about transmission," she said.
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Marr said the CDC probably made the cutoffs of 6 feet and 15 minutes to try to make the best use of limited public health resources such as contract tracing.
"It's based more on convenience than on science at this point," she said.
Marr said that all superspreading events have four things in common: lots of talking, shouting or singing; long exposure times; poor ventilation; and no masks.
"If you have that type of situation, then I would say everyone in the room is potentially exposed," she said.
In Washington's Covid-19 outbreak, new variants flout old 'close contact' rule
Washington is coping with a rash of high-profile Covid-19 cases after a series of public events have exposed high-level officials.
www.cnn.com
Much harder for me to make short, weekend trips out of country because the required negative antigen test required to a day for returning to US.
International travel revenue and tourism will pick up once the restrictions are removed for vaccinated travelers.
International travel revenue and tourism will pick up once the restrictions are removed for vaccinated travelers.
shit is real fam....my son caught it last week and had to quarantine in college for 5 days initially then another 2 days til his tests came back negative. Looks to be Omicron. He was vaccinated and boosted and only had sore throat, running nose and terrible congestion...kept his butt out of the hospital but he's glad he got vax and boosted too. Shit is real tho...keep those masks on fam...do the smart thing and keep your immune systems up and strong as you can. Shit is real. take care!
@easy_b
sports.yahoo.com
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Multiple unvaccinated Red Sox to skip Toronto trip
The Boston Red Sox expect to be without multiple unvaccinated players for an upcoming series against the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada, including starter Tanner Houck.
Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox set to 'plan accordingly' without multiple unvaccinated players in Toronto
BOSTON -- Manager Alex Cora said the Boston Red Sox expect to be without multiple unvaccinated players for an upcoming series against the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada.
Starting pitcher Tanner Houck told the Boston Globe on Sunday that he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and won't pitch during the four-game series beginning Monday, April 25. He would have been in line to start the second game.
To enter Canada, the Canadian government requires a person must have received a second COVID-19 vaccine dose -- or one dose of Johnson & Johnson -- at least 14 days prior to entry.
"I'm bummed that I won't be able to make that start," said Houck (1-0), who has been sharp in two starts this season, including a win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday at Fenway Park.
Cora was asked after an 8-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday if he expected to be missing other players.
"Yeah," Cora said. He was not asked a follow-up question and then ended the press conference.
Asked earlier about Houck, Cora said: "We knew it beforehand, so we'll plan accordingly."
Players sidelined by COVID-19 vaccine issues are not paid and do not accrue major league service time while on the restricted list.
The Oakland Athletics placed catcher Austin Allen and left-handers A.J. Puk and Kirby Snead on the restricted list for their series in Toronto this weekend.
"I think it's a personal choice for everyone whether they get it or not," Houck told The Globe.
Major League Baseball is not alone in this issue with regards to travel to Canada. The NBA's Philadelphia 76ers will be without guard Matisse Thybulle when their Eastern Conference playoff series vs. the Toronto Raptors heads north for Games 3 and 4.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
COVID-19 Tests From USPS Are Over. Here Are Other Ways to Get Free COVID Testing
You can't place orders for at-home COVID testing kits anymore, but there are still resources available for free testing.
www.cnet.com
As of May 2nd....everyone who was working remotely...is ordered back to the office....the mask mandate is still in place as well as social distancing rules...etc
