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Pfizer bivalent COVID vaccine investigated for possible link to strokes XBB.1.5 is a sibling of the XBB variant, which is a recombinant from multiple BA.2 omicron subvariants meaning that multiple variants combined to form a new one, which can happen in hosts that are co-infected with more than one version of the virus, explained Abraar Karan, an infectious disease doctor at Stanford. Not all positive COVID-19 tests are genetically sequenced. Modernas bivalent booster is available to ages 18 and older, while Pfizers bivalent booster is for ages 12 and older. Lambda sparked headlines this summer after the WHO noted its rapid spread in South American countries, including Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil. Those with COVID-19 typically develop symptoms 3-4 days after being infected. The largest cluster of omicron cases has been the six reported so far in Alameda County that included vaccinated workers at Kaiser Oakland Medical Center who also had booster shots and tested positive after attending a wedding in Wisconsin. Not just yet, infectious disease specialists say. (Chava Sanchez/LAist). The Bay Area native is a graduate of UC Berkeley and started at the Los Angeles Times in 2004. In Los Angeles County, coronavirus cases remain high but have been declining since early December after a Thanksgiving-fueled wave. Weekly reported COVID-19 deaths which lag case rate trends also are increasing again after a brief dip between Christmas and New Years Day. These tests are pretty reliable, but they're not perfect. Your previous immunity does not protect you from the latest strain. Learn more from our experts about omicron BA.5 and how you can protect yourself. LOS ANGLES (CBSLA) - A new COVID-19 variant is setting off alarms around the globe and creating new regulations at home. In the Northeast, where the subvariant is the dominant circulating version of the coronavirus, COVID-19-positive hospital admissions have risen in recent weeks and now surpass levels from last summers wave, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This chart shows the sample of sequenced positive tests where the variant was identified. Please note that more recent data should be used with caution. Vaccination rates at the state level show a wide disparity. Not surprisingly, political ideology seems to play a role in the pattern of vaccination nationally. This is why vaccines make sense along with other strategies like masking and social distancing. In the region that includes California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and the Pacific island territories, an estimated 7.6% of coronavirus cases over the last week were thought to be XBB.1.5, up from 2.4% the week leading up to Christmas, CDC data show. He added that XBBs surges in India and Singapore produced manageable hospitalizations. A year later, her Top 25 Restaurants: Where to Eat in the Bay Area, Regulators look to impose ban on new natural gas water heaters, furnaces, High-speed rail to downtown S.F. It will likely not cause more severe illness than our more recent omicron variants given the waves of infection, as well as uptake of vaccinations and boosters in the U.S. as a whole, Chin-Hong said. But there is no evidence, at least so far, that its as infectious as the delta variant that now dominates California. Thats nearly quadruple the 43 deaths recorded during the first week of November. Here are the biggest impacts. Experts all agree that the subvariant will likely become dominant across the U.S., perhaps by the end of the month, Swartzberg estimated. Other times, new variants persist. We cant attribute the increase in hospitalizations to XBB.1.5 yet, but we are working with U.S. CDC colleagues closely and we have asked them for a detailed risk assessment of XBB.1.5 as well just as we would with any country and any subvariants that are circulating, Van Kerkhove said. The California COVID Tracker, a joint effort between Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, CZ Biohub, and the State of California has provided free whole-genome sequencing and analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to all California Departments of Public Health and local health jurisdictions since July 2020, enabling officials to better map the virus. Several specialized laboratories statewide sequence the genomes of a fraction of all positive COVID-19 tests to determine which variants are circulating. In fact, for many people, supplements like omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics, and even echinacea help improve immune function by fighting viruses and reducing inflammation. People infected with flu typically develop symptoms 1-4 days after infection. Rong-Gong Lin II is a Metro reporter based in San Francisco who specializes in covering statewide earthquake safety issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID is a dangerous, especially to vulnerable and unvaccinated populations, and communicable disease which is not going to magically disappear. Japan last week announced its first case, from a woman who arrived from Peru on July 20. She is a University of Washington graduate. Is omicron BA.5 able to spread more easily than other COVID-19 strains? We track COVID-19 variants in California to fight the spread of the disease. What! Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang. Dont wait for an Omega variant to come along. However, if you were in a situation where people were outside, masked and distanced, the risk of infection is much lower. Unfortunately, omicron is so easily spread that even those who are fully vaccinated and boosted may get the illness. The California Department of Public Health late Friday reported a total of 18 cases statewide as of Thursday, even as San Diego County health officials reported their second case of the variant whose rapid spread in South Africa last month led the World Health Organization to declare it a variant of concern. Yes, COVID-19 vaccines continue to provide good protection against the BA.5 variant. The new BN.1 omicron offshoot, which the CDC designated a subvariant of concern last weekend, has already taken off. At-home test brands include BinaxNOW and iHealth. Sept. 6, 2021 7:55 AM PT A coronavirus variant recently determined to be a "variant of interest" has been detected in 167 people over the summer in Los Angeles County, officials said. Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Kellie also serves as co-director of the Asian American Journalists Association Features Forum. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. It's late 2025. Learn how to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine at UC Davis Health. (In MyUCDavisHealth, click on Visits > Schedule Appointment > COVID Vaccination. The emerging lambda variant has been popping up in the news as it spreads rapidly throughout South America. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) works to protect the public's health in the Golden State and helps shape positive health outcomes for individuals, families and We wont likely see a major spike in COVID cases, but a modest increase in cases in the community, Chin-Hong said. As of last Thursday, the CDC is requiring travelers to the US from China, Hong Kong and Macao to take a Covid-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative result before boarding a flight. This variant spreads more easily than the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the delta variant. So far the delta variant has definitively crowded out other variants nationwide. ", "Why Virus Variants Have Such Weird Names", "Covid-19: The E484K mutation and the risks it poses", "Brief report: New Variant Strain of SARS-CoV-2 Identified in Travelers from Brazil", "Comprehensive mapping of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain that affect recognition by polyclonal human plasma antibodies", "New mutations raise specter of 'immune escape', "UK coronavirus variant develops vaccine-evading mutation In a handful of instances, the U.K. coronavirus variant has developed a mutation called E484K, which may impact vaccine effectiveness", "Worrisome coronavirus mutation seen in U.K. variant and in some U.S. samples", "The Lambda variant: is it more infectious, and can it escape vaccines? Yes and yes. The seven-day average of daily deaths linked to COVID-19 in the United States is now more than 1,150, according to data for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monitoring for the presence of the variant in California through the California SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing Initiative, known as COVIDNet. It is still unclear whether the variant will become dominant in the U.S. in the coming few weeks, the agency said. The latest Omicron subvariant perhaps the most infectious yet has gained a foothold in California, a potentially problematic development given the possibility of a post-holiday spike. Its important to remember that you may be asymptomatic and not know you are infected but still able to spread COVID-19. Activated: Up to 75 more Maine National Guard members to support hospitals amid COVID surge. CDC data so far suggests that the new bivalent boosters are more effective than previous vaccines in preventing symptomatic disease and hospitalizations, Karan said. Nearly 50% of all new coronavirus cases in southern California in January alone are traced to the new variant, CAL.20C, one of the pathologists to identify the strain told Sky News. public defenders death, A new California housing law has done little to encourage building, report says, Parts of California in for a quick shot of rain before drier weather arrives, Everyones worst nightmare: What we know about the California massacre that killed 6. UC Davis Health patients can use the MyUCDavisHealth symptom tracker to evaluate whether to seek help. For more information, please see: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID-Variants.aspx. read more, https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID-Variants.aspx, COVID-19 Response Data, Informatics, Surveillance, Clinical and Outbreaks (DISCO) Team. The U.S. federal government has warned that the British variant could become the dominant strain in this country by March. Nationwide only about 15 of every 1,000 cases are sequenced. LOS ANGELES, CA The highly contagious Mu variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Los Angeles County, health officials confirmed Friday. Stay vigilant and get vaccinated if you havent already. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. These actions reduce the spread and continuing evolution of the virus. Most transmissible COVID variant yet is spreading in California. All commercial uses must be approved and may be subject to a license. A smaller proportion of these will convert into hospitalizations compared with previous years in the Bay Area.. You can schedule your bivalent vaccine through, (non-patients without a login will have to create an account) or by calling, . ", "Widespread Coronavirus Infection Found in Iowa Deer, New Study Says", "Detection of new SARS-CoV-2 variants related to mink", "SARS-CoV-2 mink-associated variant strain Denmark", "Danish Covid mink variant 'very likely extinct', but controversial cull continues", "Preliminary report of an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in mink and mink farmers associated with community spread, Denmark, June to November 2020", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Variants_of_SARS-CoV-2&oldid=1133885545, Reinfections happened, with smaller occurrence rate than vaccinated infections, Efficacy reduction for non-severe disease, Efficacy reduction against symptomatic disease, unknown for severe disease. Given how infectious BA.5 is, its important for everyone to take all precautions, including getting vaccinated and wearing a well-fitted face mask (N95 or KN95, if possible). So do Californians need to worry about this new variant? You are safer if you are vaccinated, but you are also safer if your neighbor is vaccinated. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is the interconnection of all the worlds people and nations. Those projected proportions often change as more data become available sometimes drastically so. The CDC has reported a doubling time of nine days for XBB.1.5, referring to the number of days it takes for cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to a virus variant to double. If you test positive, then you should isolate. The states transmission rates have gone back up to the CDCs red high level from the orange substantial level before Thanksgiving, and Bay Area counties that were in the yellow moderate level are back to orange. The variant, which originated in southern Africa, is of growing. He previously was a reporter and assistant city editor for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication in Orange County, and before that wrote for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. 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