California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Aug was a fast month for many people. It seemed fast. I'm in the contrary. The day numbers counting up seemed fast. The feeling of the days passing by seemed slow. More people are contracting monkeypox globally. Bay Area COVID-19 infections rates are declining.
Mon Aug 1. Dropped off mail at the post office. Shopped at Nob Hill, Ross, and Nike factory outlet store. The older aged people wore masks.
The omicron subvariants increase the chances of reinfection. Getting infected provided protection during the early pandemic. COVID-19 mutated. There is no immunity from past COVID-19 infections.
Getting COVID-19 a second time increases long term health problems. In particular, long COVID. The long term health problems include an increase chance of hospitalization, weaken organs, increase chance of diabetes, more fatigue, and mental health disorders.
One out of every seven positive cases was a reinfection in CA in Jul. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo was reinfected. The first time Liccardo tested positive was in May 2022. The CA Health Dept. stated 50,000 cases were reinfections.
President Joe Biden was also reinfected. He was considered a Paxlovid rebound.
CA declared a State Of Emergency over the monkeypox outbreak.
Wed Aug 3. Biden's rebound made the COVID-19 headlines. People can pass COVID-19 during a rebound. People with COVID-19 rebound symptoms can get worse. The Director Of National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci is another example. Fauci took another course of Paxlovid. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) issued an alert in May 2022 about a COVID-19 rebound regardless of vaccination status.
Shopped at Costco and Lucky. I saw churros for the first time at the Costco food court.
Thur Aug 4. The US declared monkeypox a public health emergency.
Sun Aug 7. The China beach resort Sanya was locked down. 229 positive cases on Fri Aug 5. 129 positive cases on Sat Aug 6. China government continued to enforce the Zero COVID policy. Tourists departed Sanya must test negative on five PCR tests over seven days.
Biden tested negative twice on Sat Aug 6 and Sun Aug 7. He no longer quarantined in the White House.
Thur Aug 11. North Korea leader Kim Jong-un said the outbreak in North Korea ended. The government downgraded their pandemic vigilance. There is no new cases in the last 2.5 years.
The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) recommended three home tests instead of two for those exposed to COVID-19 without symptoms. Two tests taken in two days recommended for those exposed to COVID-19 with symptoms.
The CDC recommended people without symptoms take tests five days after an exposure. People get tested before attending an event with symptoms or without symptoms.
The CDC announced COVID-19 updates to their guidelines. The six feet social distance is no longer necessary. The CDC reasoned 95% of Americans 16 and older are somewhat immune being vaccinated or infected. Schools can end routine daily testing. Students exposed to another student with COVID-19 can continue attending school. Masks are optional. Quarantining is unnecessary if exposed to another person with COVID-19; however, people should wear a mask for ten days and get tested after the fifth day. People tested positive for COVID-19 isolate for five days. Isolation ends when the person is fever-free for 24 hours and without symptoms. Consult a doctor if illness is severe or feeling weak. There is no need to test people showing no symptoms and no contact with people having COVID-19.
Sun Aug 14. Helped my dad's friend fixed a mailbox stand. Ate lunch at The Habit.
Mon Aug 15. The United Kingdom was the first country to approve an updated version COVID-19 vaccine to protect against both the original strain and the omicron strain made by Moderna. The updated version is referred to as bivalent. The United Kingdom government independent expert scientific advisory body Medicines And Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the bivalent.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tested positive for the second time. The first time Austin tested positive was Jan 2022.
Tue Aug 16. First Lady Jill Biden tested positive.
Two more omicron variants BA.4.6 and BA.2.75 known as centaurus gained global attention. These two are highly contagious, resistant to vaccines, and evade a person's immune system.
COVID-19 case numbers decreased in CA for the first time since mid-May. The number of average deaths were unchanged at 20 per week since Feb 2022. The average deaths were 50 per week during the 2022 winter surge.
The 6th District Court Of Appeals ruled the Calvary Chapel Church in San Jose, CA doesn't pay $200,000 in fines accumulated in 2020 and 2021. The church accumulated the fines holding religious services when violating the ordinances prohibiting indoor large gatherings. The court ruled the ordinance violated the freedom of religion. The lower courts upheld the ordinance and the fines due to health and safety reasons.
Wed Aug 17. The Marshall Island with a population of 60,000 experienced its first outbreak. 4,000 people tested positive last week. COVID-19 case numbers were minimal beforehand since the global pandemic started. There were no cases recorded in 2021. 72% of the population is vaccinated. 61% of the population is boosted.
Thur Aug 18. The Biden administration ends the federal government paying for COVID-19 vaccination shots and treatments. Healthcare industries take more responsibilities to pay for the vaccination shots and treatments. The Department Of Health And Human Services meets with drugmakers, pharmacies, and state health departments on Aug 30.
Former President Donald Trump administration and the Biden administration planned the federal government to stop paying for COVID-19 shots and treatments. Case numbers were declining. Funding was running low.
Fri Aug 19. Shopped at Costco. Crowds were light at Costco. I filled up my car with gas at Chevron.
Sat Aug 20. Shopped at the Under Armour factory outlet store in the Great Mall, HomeGoods, and Ross. Ate lunch at L&L Hawaiian Barbeque.
The FDA authorized the Novavax vaccine for people age 12-17 under emergency use. The Novavax vaccine is protein based. 80% clinical efficacy. The CDC stated 60% efficacy.
Sun Aug 21. My brother and his youngest child tested positive.
Mon Aug 22. Fauci announced he's leaving as director of the Director Of National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases, chief of the Laboratory Of Immunoregulation, and Chief Medical Advisor to Biden on Dec 2022. Fauci served under seven presidents totaling 38 years as an advisor.
The FDA stated at-home COVID-19 tests have a shelf life and an expiration date. The tests are expected to perform accurately before the expiration date. The CDC stated results are highly reliable. However, a negative result may be false. The FDA advised three at-home tests to ensure no asymptomatic infections. The CDC said take a test when experiencing symptoms. People recovering from COVID-19 must wear a mask for ten days because of the possibility some people test positive again.
Tue Aug 23. Pfizer reported its COVID-19 vaccine is 73% effective for children younger than 5 years old. The vaccinations started in Jun 2022. The American Academy Of Pediatrics said 6% of children from six months to four years are vaccinated with one shot from Jun to mid Aug.
My mom and I picked up medications for my dad. Shopped at Homegoods, Ross, Sprouts, and Costco. I ate lunch at Starbird restaurant.
Wed Aug 24. Japan eases border controls starting in Sep 2022. COVID-19 tests for fully vaccinated and boosted travelers are eliminated. The number of daily entries increased. Isolation days are reduced to ten days with symptoms or to seven days without symptoms.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported deaths decreased worldwide 15% since last week. New infections decreased 9% since last week. However, the WHO warned the COVID-19 case numbers are under-estimated because many countries dropped testing and surveillance requirements. The omicron BA.5 is the dominate variant with 70% of cases. The omicron variant is 99% of total cases.
Contra Costa County rescinded an order requiring first responders and emergency personnel to be vaccinated or to test regularly. The order was issued on Aug 13, 2021.
An Israeli study found Paxlovid benefits seniors only to reduce the risk of hospitalizations and death. There was no measurable benefit for people 65 and younger.
First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for the second time as a rebound case.
Fri Aug 26. Moderna filed a lawsuit against Pfizer and BioNTech for patent infringement to the mRNA technology used to create the COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer copied the Moderna vaccine Spikevax to invent their vaccine Comirnaty. Moderna doesn't want to remove the Pfizer vaccine from the market. Moderna seeks no monetary damage from Pfizer sales.
Free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government are suspended on Sep 2, 2022 to preserve supply for a potential rise in infections in the fall season. Congress didn't approve funding to replenish the supply.
Wed Aug 31. The FDA authorized the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster targeting the omicron strain. The latest vaccine boosters are referred as bivalent which contains 50% of the original vaccine and 50% of the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron vaccine. The combination is intended to increase cross-protection against multiple variants. The update boosters are available for people who are fully vaccinated with the original vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine booster is authorized for people 12 years and older. The Moderna vaccine booster is authorized for people 18 years and older. The bivalent is not used as an initial vaccination. The US government purchased 170 million doses.
The authorization was ahead of clinical studies in people. Pfizer and Moderna conduct human studies which includes how well the bivalent protects against mutations in the meantime.
Life expectancy decline in the US in 2021. The life span in 2021 was 76.1 years. The life span in 2020 was 77 years. The life span in 2019 was 80 years. The CDC said the pandemic is the cause for the decline.
Ran errands at REI and Target.
No comments:
Post a Comment