California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. COVID-19 cases and flu cases surged. Headlines continued to increase. The 2024 year started out slow.
Mon Jan 1. Wastewater data showed high levels of flu, COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in the Bay Area. The Santa Clara County Department Of Public Health data showed the third highest levels since 2021 for the City Of San Jose.
Wed Jan 3. Florida State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo wanted healthcare providers to stop administering the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. The reason was the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) didn't show evidence the mRNA vaccines can't cause cancer. Public health experts and federal officials dispute Ladapo's statement.
Thur Jan 4. Shopped at a Costco Business Center.
A study from the University Of California-San Francisco (UCSF) found patients who took the COVID-19 pill Paxlovid didn't significantly lower the risk of long COVID for vaccinated people. The outcomes were similar for patients taking Paxlovid and for patients not taking Paxlovid for long COVID symptoms. A COVID rebound was higher than expected for patients taking Paxlovid. Paxlovid is effective for the unvaccinated. UCSF reiterated Paxlovid is a good treatment to prevent COVID-19 for high risk people.
Fri Jan 5. The JN.1 variant accounted for 61.6% of COVID-19 cases according to the Center For Disease Control (CDC). The JN.1 is a descendant of the BA.2.86 variant. JN.1 represented 3.3% of the total cases in mid Nov 2023. Hospitalizations increased for the eighth consecutive week to levels as of Jan 2023. The CDC said either the JN.1 is more transmissible or better at evading the immune system. Experts said there is no evidence the JN.1 has different symptoms or causes more severe illness. The positivity levels in wastewater samples are higher compared to Jan 2023 in the US. 19.4% of adults received the updated vaccine as of today.
Sat Jan 6. An uncle, aunt, and a cousin tested positive for their first times.
Mon Jan 8. The CDC stated 38 states and New York City are experiencing high or very high levels of respiratory illness activity. These activities include flu, COVID-19, RSV, and the common cold.
Mon Jan 15. The Oakland Unified School District announced students and staff who tested positive for COVID-19 can attend class as long as they don't have any symptoms. These students must wear a mask while indoors. The five day isolation period for testing positive is removed. Wearing a mask is optional policy started on Apr 2022.
Wed Jan 17. The genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 was submitted to the National Institutes Of Health database two weeks before the Chinese government released the genetic sequence. The submittal didn't indicate the origin of the coronavirus.
Virologist Dr. Lili Ren of the Institute Of Pathogen Biology at the Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College submitted the genetic sequence to GenBank on Dec 28, 2019. GenBank is a public genetic sequence repository managed by the National Center For Biotechnology Information which is part of the US National Institutes Of Health. Ren's submission was incomplete. The submission was removed on Jan 17, 2020. Another submission was published on Jan 12, 2020 from GenBank.
China informed the world of SARS-CoV-2 on Jan 7, 2020. The outbreak started in Wuhan.
Wed Jan 17. The California Department Of Health released new guidance on people who tested positive for COVID-19. The isolation period is reduced from five days to one day. These people must be fever free for 24 hours. Wear a face mask when there are other people indoors for 10 days. Stop wearing a mask after two negative tests at least one day apart. Avoid high risk people for 10 days such as the elderly and weakened immune systems.
The CDC reported 21% of US adults and 8% of US children received the updated vaccine. The CDC also reported 24% of CA adults and 7% of CA children received the updated vaccine.
Fri Jan 19. The San Francisco Department Of Public Health closes its six community testing and vaccination sites on Feb 1, 2024. The reasons are budget constraints and fewer people getting vaccinated. The end of the COVID-19 emergency stopped funds to pay for the sites.
Tue Jan 23. Shopped at Costco at the 10am hour. It was dead inside.
Thur Jan 25. Shopped at Smart & Final Extra.
The CDC estimated 86% of COVID-19 cases are the JN.1 variant. Hospitalizations increased 200% for influenza, 51% for COVID-19, and 60% for RSV over the last month.
Fri Jan 26. UCLA researchers looked at 199 babies born between Apr 2020 and Aug 2022 to study the chances of babies experiencing respiratory distress. None of the babies tested positive for COVID-19. The odds of respiratory distress in babies born from unvaccinated mothers increased three times compared to vaccinated mothers.
Respiratory distress in infants is defined as difficulty breathing within 24 hours after birth. Also, pregnant women tested positive increases the chances of a premature birth or stillborn baby.
Fri Jan 27. The IRS told the Senate Finance Committee 95% of the employee retention tax credit were fraudulent. Congress created the program for businesses to keep workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial cost was $55 billion. The cost was $275 billion as of July 2023. Congress is considering ending the program. A higher tax credit for low-income families replaces the employee retention tax credit.
No comments:
Post a Comment