Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: masks in schools, symptoms, cases, subvariants & more
In the United States, more than 100 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as of Friday, Dec. 23, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Additionally, more than 1 million people in the U.S. have died. Worldwide, there have been more than 655 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 6.6 million people have died.
Nearly 229 million people in the U.S. have received two vaccine doses as of Dec. 23 — 68.9% of the population — and over 44 million of those individuals have gotten an updated booster shot, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
About 44% of people in the country live in a location where COVID-19 community levels are considered medium and high, the agency says as of Dec. 23. Around 55% of Americans reside where COVID-19 levels are considered low, according to the CDC.
Several omicron subvariants dominated U.S. cases for the week ending Dec. 17, agency data estimates show. The BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 subvariants are the most dominant and were responsible for nearly 70% cases combined.
Here’s what happened between Dec. 18 and 23.
Mask mandates return to some schools as COVID, respiratory viruses spread. What to know
Students at some schools in the U.S. are required to wear masks again in response to the rising spread of multiple respiratory viruses.
This winter season, COVID-19 isn’t the only illness health officials are concerned about. Alongside COVID-19, there’s been a surge of RSV and flu cases.
The School District of Philadelphia, for example, is temporarily bringing back masking as a “proactive” measure for all students when they return from winter break, the superintendent announced in a letter to families on Dec. 20.
“Like the rest of the nation, we are still grappling with COVID-19 while dealing with other respiratory illnesses like the Flu and RSV,” Superintendent Tony B. Watlington wrote. “Increased social gathering during the holidays may increase the risk of exposure to these illnesses.”
Continue reading about other schools bringing back mask mandates here:
Mask mandates return to some schools as COVID, respiratory viruses spread. What to know
Is it COVID, the flu, RSV or just a cold? Here’s what your symptoms could mean
There’s a trio of viruses spreading in the U.S. — COVID-19, the flu and RSV — and some in the medical world are calling it a “tripledemic.”
Public health officials have seen “elevated” levels of all three viruses circulating in the U.S. ahead of the approaching winter holidays, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky warned at a Dec. 5 media briefing.
If you’re feeling sick, it can be tough to differentiate among COVID-19, the flu and RSV because they share similar symptoms and can also look like the common cold.
When it comes to COVID-19, the CDC reports cases and deaths have risen in the past few weeks as of Dec. 16. Meanwhile, Walensky said at the briefing that flu and RSV cases are higher than what’s been historically typical this season.
Keep reading here:
Is it COVID, the flu, RSV or just a cold? Here’s what your symptoms could mean
Man threatens CDC director and tells FBI he’ll kill Dr. Anthony Fauci, too, feds say
A man called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s headquarters in Atlanta and left messages threatening the agency’s director before directing threats toward Dr. Anthony Fauci, federal prosecutors said.
Robert Wiser Bates, 39, said he’d kill CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky in voicemails left for the agency in late July 2021, court documents show.
When FBI agents interviewed Bates, he told them he’d also kill Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
For more about the case, keep reading:
Man threatens CDC director and tells FBI he’ll kill Dr. Anthony Fauci, too, feds say
Newer subvariants are ‘most resistant’ to COVID vaccines, antibody drugs, study says
A look at the latest U.S. government coronavirus data shows several subvariants — all descendants of omicron — in competition with each other when it comes to new cases.
Now four newer subvariants spreading are the “most resistant” to protection offered by both the original COVID-19 vaccines and the updated boosters targeting omicron, according to a new study published Dec. 13 in the journal Cell.
These subvariants, BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB and XBB.1, are are also resistant to COVID-19 antibody treatments, the work involving researchers from Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the University of Michigan found. The group presents “serious threats” with potential to “fuel” another COVID-19 surge, the scientists warned.
“It is alarming that these newly emerged subvariants could further compromise the efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines and result in a surge of breakthrough infections, as well as re-infections,” study authors wrote.
The article continues below:
Newer subvariants are ‘most resistant’ to COVID vaccines, antibody drugs, study says
