Category: Health News Today

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What can the world learn from countries where Omicron is surging?

In South Africa, meanwhile, researchers say early data suggests Omicron causes milder symptoms — but it’s still unclear how much of a role immunity from vaccination or previous infection plays.

Denmark is mulling new restrictions in an attempt to control a spike of new cases.

It’s too late to keep Omicron out

Despite many nations imposing a slew of travel restrictions, the variant has spread quickly around the globe.
Records fall and borders close as world races to get control of Omicron

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing Tuesday that 77 countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and “the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet.”

“Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” Tedros said. “We’re concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild. Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril.”

He added that even if Omicron does cause milder disease, “the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.”

The UK government removed 11 countries, all in southern Africa, from its “red list” on Tuesday in light of the spread of the Omicron variant within its own borders, meaning hotel quarantine is no longer required for visitors from those destinations.

The variant has already been detected in at least 40 US states, in addition to Washington DC and Puerto Rico, according to public statements from hospital systems and state officials in their respective states.

“I imagine Omicron will be everywhere soon,” Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at England’s University of Southampton, told CNN. “And there’ll be a lot of Omicron around that most countries haven’t detected yet, in part because testing systems and genomic capacities may be limited.”

It may not take long for Omicron to become the dominant strain

The first two cases of the Omicron variant were detected in the UK on November 27. By Tuesday, it had overtaken Delta as the dominant Covid-19 strain in London, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

Omicron is coming but boosters should fight it, US federal health officials say
“Now, more than ever, getting your first, second dose or booster as soon as possible is vital. Please don’t leave it to chance,” London’s regional director for public health Kevin Fenton tweeted.

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Tuesday that Omicron cases were doubling around every two days in the country, adding that “the growth in Omicron cases here in the UK is now mirroring the rapid increase that we are seeing in South Africa.”

On Friday, the UK had reported 93,045 new coronavirus cases, according to government data — the highest daily number since the pandemic began. South Africa also recorded its highest ever number of daily cases Wednesday.

Denmark’s Statens Serum Institute (SSI) said Omicron was expected to become the dominant coronavirus variant this week. Almost 10,000 cases of infection were confirmed in the country in the last 24 hours, the SSI said Thursday.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredricksen said that cases were “very, very high” and that she had “no doubt that new measures will be needed to break the chains of infection.”

People line up for booster shots outside a vaccination center at London's St. Thomas Hospital on December 15, 2021.

Meanwhile, the head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told lawmakers in Brussels that the Omicron coronavirus variant was set to become the dominant variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January.

In its latest risk assessment, published Wednesday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned that there was a “very high” risk that the variant would spread further in the region, adding that it “is considered very likely to cause additional hospitalizations and fatalities,” beyond those already forecast from the Delta variant.

In the United States, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Tuesday that Omicron would become the dominant coronavirus variant in the country “for sure” given its doubling time.

But, Fauci said, it’s not yet clear what that will mean for levels of severe disease.

On its website, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates that Omicron makes up 2.9{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of circulating virus, versus Delta’s 96.8{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}, as of the week ending December 11.

Too early to know if Omicron infection is milder

Data from South Africa is being scrutinized for clues as to how Omicron’s spread could play out elsewhere.

Studies add to evidence Omicron sneaks past vaccines but may cause milder disease

South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has struck a cautiously optimistic tone. “Although the data are still being gathered, the evidence suggests that the current wave may be milder,” the agency said.

A study released Tuesday by Discovery Health — a large health insurance company in South Africa covering 3.7 million people — found that vaccines provide less protection against the new strain, but gave indications that Omicron causes milder symptoms than previous variants.

Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were 33{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} protective against infection overall but 70{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} effective in preventing severe complications, including hospitalization, the researchers said.

Meanwhile, the risk of ending up in the hospital from Covid-19 was 29{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} lower for Omicron infections in adults, compared with the original strain, the study estimated.

A resident registers her details at a Covid-19 mobile testing site in the Milnerton district of Cape Town, South Africa, on December 2.

But others are less confident. England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned that UK daily Covid-19 case records “will be broken a lot over the next few weeks as the rates continue to go up,” and that this will translate into “big numbers” needing hospital treatment in the coming weeks.

“I want to be clear: I’m afraid this is going to be a problem,” Whitty said Wednesday. “(The) exact proportions of it, of course, South African scientists and UK scientists and scientists globally are trying to determine at the moment.”

More real-time data is urgently needed before scientists can start to evaluate the severity of Omicron infection in other populations, Head said.

In the UK, scientists will be looking at the impact of the variant on a population where 89{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of the population aged 12 and over has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and 44{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of those aged 12 and over have had two doses and a booster, according to government figures. But the picture is very different elsewhere.

“In a lot of countries around the world there will be people who are unvaccinated or with one dose; across sub-Saharan Africa most people have not yet had two doses,” Head said. “So we need to look a little bit about whether there’s any protection, some protection … in those populations too.”

In South Africa, it’s possible that people already have some immunity to the virus — either through vaccination, previous infection or both — and that’s protecting them, according to Richard Friedland, CEO of the private hospital network Netcare. Multiple studies have shown that people who are naturally infected and then vaccinated have very strong immunity. South Africa’s population is also generally younger.

Vaccinations alone won’t slow Omicron

Health experts recommend that as Omicron spreads, countries continue to deploy the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) that are already known to reduce transmission of airborne viruses, such as social distancing and improved ventilation indoors.

Why Europe's fight against the pandemic is about to get much more dangerous

“Countries can and must prevent the spread of Omicron with measures that work today,” said Tedros, the WHO chief. “It’s not vaccines instead of masks. It’s not vaccines instead of distancing. It’s not vaccines instead of ventilation or hand hygiene. Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well.”

Faced with what Prime Minister Boris Johnson described as an incoming “tidal wave” of Omicron infections, the UK government decided to “turbocharge” its campaign to administer booster jabs.

Johnson’s office cited data suggesting that “vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infection is substantially reduced against Omicron with just two doses, but a third dose boosts protection back up to over 70{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.”

However, the UK Parliament also approved the introduction of Covid passes, that show proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test, for entry to nightclubs and large venues, despite a major rebellion within Johnson’s own party. Lawmakers also passed measures including mandatory mask-wearing in most indoor spaces.
South Africa’s Minister of Health Joe Phaahla called Thursday for “responsible behavior and stronger compliance” with Covid-19 restrictions to prevent a possible surge of cases linked to the holiday season, a ministry news release said.

Head said it was important to continue mitigation measures while ensuring that populations around the world, including poorer nations, get access to three doses of Covid-19 vaccines as fast as possible — which could still take another 12 to 24 months, he cautioned.

Demand for vaccines and testing may rise

The rise of the Omicron variant may encourage more people to get a booster — and cause a spike in demand for Covid-19 tests.

Delta plus Omicron spells trouble
As the UK threw open its booster program this week to all eligible adults, the NHS (National Health Service) website crashed due to demand for booster appointments, lateral flow test kits were no longer available online and long lines formed at vaccination walk-in centers. The UK Health Security Agency said Wednesday it was doubling the number of home testing kits it was sending out.

Denmark’s SSI also reported Tuesday that the country’s Covid-19 testing system was under pressure as infection rates rise.

Demand for vaccines in South Africa has not jumped since Omicron emerged. But South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, has urged his fellow citizens to get the shot. “Do everything you can and need to, to stay safe, beginning with vaccination,” he tweeted. Ramaphosa has been forced to delay his booster shot, his office said.

Despite surging cases, we may not see more lockdowns

There has been little talk of new lockdowns so far, despite concern over the rapid spread of Omicron.

Speaking during a visit to a vaccination center in Ramsgate, southern England, the UK Prime Minister said that rather than “locking stuff down,” the government is asking people to “be cautious” and “think about their activities in the run-up to Christmas.”

Johnson, who has faced a scandal over alleged Downing Street office parties in breach of restrictions last winter, added: “This is very different from last year because what we have is the additional protection of the vaccines and the ability to test.”
How South African scientists discovered Omicron and set off a global chain reaction

“I think scientifically at the minute there is a very strong argument for more interventions in place, but politically that’s less acceptable,” said Head.

However, countries “should be realistic that they may need lockdowns at some point,” he said — whether with this variant or a future one — as a lockdown “is a useful tool of last resort.”

Countries are still drawing on a range of other measures to try to curb the spread of the Omicron and Delta variants. For example, France announced Friday that big outdoor events and gatherings will be banned on New Year’s Eve as the country faces its fifth wave of Covid-19 infections. In Ireland, restaurants and bars will be placed under a 8 p.m. curfew from Sunday. Meanwhile, Norway has placed a ban on serving alcohol in restaurants and bars, in addition to imposing more restrictions in schools and speeding up its vaccination campaign.

But there also appears to be some degree of acceptance that people will have to learn to “live with” the new variant, especially where Covid-19 vaccination rates are high.

In Australia’s New South Wales state — where 93.3{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of people aged 16 and over have been fully vaccinated — restrictions are being eased this week despite Omicron cases being detected.

“The virus is here, Omicron is in Australia and we are going to live with the virus and not let it drag us back,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told 4BC radio.

CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Virginia Langmaid, Maggie Fox, Niamh Kennedy, Vasco Cotovio, James Frater, Allegra Goodwin and Caitlin McGee contributed to this report.

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Long COVID: Is autoimmunity to blame?

Someone with their eyes closed wearing a mask with neon signs behindShare on Pinterest
A new study looks at autoimmunity and its theoretical role in long COVID. VICTOR TORRES/Stocksy
  • One step in our body’s immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus may potentially inhibit our ability to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Antibodies that the body produces after the initial immune response may also bind the same target cells as the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
  • This might perhaps explain why individuals experience long COVID symptoms months after infection.
  • Vaccine-produced neutralizing antibodies may also elicit these second-line antibodies, resulting in the rare, serious side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

A group of researchers recently hypothesized that complex immune responses to the SARS-CoV-2 virus might explain the long-term effects of COVID-19.

They also suggest these immunologic mechanisms may contribute to the rare, serious side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a recent New England Journal of Medicine article, co-authors Dr. William J. Murphy and Dr. Dan L. Longo explain how autoimmunity may be the mechanism causing these two distinct complications of the worldwide SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

When our bodies are exposed to a virus — or any infection — it recognizes proteins and other molecules on the invading virus as “not us.” Scientists refer to this as an antigen.

We then ramp up our immune systems to attack that antigen. Therefore, we try to neutralize infectious invaders, such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Once we use our antibodies to attack the invading viral protein, parts of these neutralizing antibody-antigen complexes can also be viewed as “not us” by our bodies. We can also form secondary antibodies, called anti-idiotype antibodies.

What is the purpose of anti-idiotype antibodies? After the initial benefits of first-line immunity, our body has natural processes to try to flatten our response to challenges. These processes are known as downregulation.

Anti-idiotype antibody production is one of our body’s methods of achieving downregulation. However, the presence of anti-idiotype antibodies can have unexpected negative effects.

Firstly, they can neutralize our infection-fighting first-responder antibodies, so they interfere with our body’s ability to fight the infection if it persists.

Secondly, they can mimic the original invading organism and bind to our cells in the same way. This instigates the same symptoms as the infection or causes an immune-cell attack on our healthy cells.

Drs. Murphy and Longo report that this mimicking behavior by anti-idiotype antibodies has been demonstrated already in models, such as viral diarrhea in bovine animals.

For Medical News Today, Dr. Murphy elaborated:

“This concept of anti-idiotype antibodies mediating effects and limiting efficacy could have a profound impact in understanding how to increase effectiveness and duration of protective antibody responses,” he explained. It might also help us “determine if patients are at risk, based on their anti-idiotype responses or allow for therapeutic interventions to be developed.”

The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on the surface of the virus binds to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptors (ACE2) on our cells.

ACE2 receptors are present on many cells throughout the body, including within the lung, heart, kidneys, nerves, and brain. So, any protein, including a virus protein, binding these receptors can profoundly affect our health.

Once bound to the cell, the spike protein allows the virus to enter it. But, the spike proteins’ negative effects do not stop at simply finding a gateway.

By binding the ACE2 receptors, the spike protein can suppress healthy cell function and stimulate the release of inflammatory proteins called cytokines.

Regardless of whether we produce first-line antibodies from the vaccine or a SARS-CoV-2 infection, anti-idiotype antibodies have the potential to produce the same symptoms and side effects as infection with the SARS-CoV-2 infection. They achieve this by binding to the ACE2 receptor.

Dr. Murphy clarified for MNT:

“The vast majority of research on both SARS-CoV-2 infection responses and vaccines solely centers on the protective antibody and T cell responses. There needs to be much more investment in basic research on the immunoregulatory pathways that both can limit responses and duration, but also on their ability to mediate off-target effects.”

“Given the strong dependency on the population for vaccines and the need for boosting, along with the emergence of viral variants, it is imperative that more research be directed to understanding the mechanisms involved using preclinical models, which simply has not been adequately done.”

Dr. Murphy elaborated further: “Despite being put forth by Nobel Laureate Niels Jerne in 1974 as a means for antibody regulation, research in this area of anti-idiotype antibodies has tapered considerably and is not usually in the conversation of antibody responses. This article brings the concept back to the forefront as a possible explanation for the myriad of effects observed with both SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine responses.”

Researchers Dr. Claudia Nold-Petry and Prof. Marcel Nold from Monash University in Australia also spoke with MNT. They discussed the potential role of anti-idiotype antibodies in complications associated with both COVID-19 vaccines and the disease:

“Confirmation of the presented hypotheses by basic research (as per the suggestions in the article) would represent a welcome advance in the understanding of the adverse events of vaccines and COVID-19 itself — including of SARS-CoV-2 variants, some of which may induce more and more problematic anti-idiotype antibodies than others!”

Regarding the medical implications of this research, Dr. Nold-Petry and Prof. Nold told MNT:

“Vaccines and antibody-based therapies could be screened for induction of anti-idiotype antibodies in preclinical tests, and modifications could be made to minimize such indications, as required.”

“Patients could be screened for anti-idiotype antibodies following vaccination or administration of antibody-based therapies, and an alternative vaccine could be selected if they were detected.”

Dr. Murphy added that these findings could provide many benefits, particularly “in understanding how to increase effectiveness and duration of protective antibody responses as well as potentially allowing for means to determine if patients are at risk based on their anti-idiotype response or allow for therapeutic interventions to be developed.”

“This article presents a hypothesis on a mechanism that could be at play,” he noted. “The research now needs to be done to ascertain if indeed this is occurring. A recent publication demonstrating the existence of anti-ACE2 anti-idiotypic antibodies in SARS-CoV-2 patients would appear to support this can indeed be a major factor.”

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Omicron ‘most significant threat’ since pandemic began, U.K. health authority warns

LONDON — Omicron is “the most significant threat” to public health in the U.K., authorities warned Wednesday, as the World Health Organization cautioned that the highly contagious Covid-19 variant was spreading at an unprecedented rate.

The number of Covid-19 infections over the coming days will be “quite staggering” compared to previous variants, said Jenny Harries, the head of the U.K. Health Security Agency.

Hours after her warning, government data showed that 78,610 new cases had been recorded in the U.K. as of 9 a.m. local (5 a.m. ET) on Wednesday morning — the highest daily number of laboratory confirmed cases since the pandemic began.

Despite the advisories from domestic and international experts, there has been growing resistance to the British government’s new Covid-19 measures — notably from members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party.

New regulations intended to help slow the spread of omicron, including masks in public places and the use of Covid-19 passes for some venues, passed in Parliament on Tuesday evening. However, scores of Conservative lawmakers refused to back the new measures.

People wait for a booster vaccine in London on Tuesday. Hannah McKay / Reuters

Some called the new measures too severe and questioned the introduction of a certificate of vaccination or proof of a negative Covid test to enter some venues.

“We are not a ‘papers, please’ society. This is not Nazi Germany,” Conservative lawmaker Marcus Fysh told BBC radio on Monday.

The comment led to pushback both in Parliament and on social media, where the term Nazi Germany trended, and Fysh later apologized for the comparison in a piece he wrote for London’s Jewish Chronicle newspaper.

Omicron’s quick spread

Just over two weeks after the first cases were detected in the U.K., omicron is now the dominant variant in London, the city’s public health chief Kevin Fenton said in a tweet Tuesday.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 170,000 people have died in the U.K. with Covid-19, one of the highest death tolls in Europe. However, it was the first country to roll out a clinically approved Covid vaccine, and more than 68 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. That’s ahead of the U.S., where just over 60 percent have been fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data.

Omicron’s quick spread in Britain, with cases doubling in less than two days in most regions, came as the head of the WHO warned that measures, including masks, social distancing and ventilation, were needed alongside vaccines.

“Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote Tuesday on Twitter. “I need to be very clear: Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis.”

In the U.S., rising cases and the fear that omicron could spark a new wave of infections led California to reimpose its indoor mask mandate for at least a month.

Europe, meanwhile, is facing a “double challenge,” with high numbers of Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths driven by the delta variant, as well as the spread of omicron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in the European Parliament. By mid-January, omicron is expected to be the dominant variant in Europe, she said.

More than 5,300 cases of omicron have been recorded in the U.K., with 10 people hospitalized. One person died after contracting the variant.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Health at the Stowe vaccination center in London on Monday.Jeremy Selwyn / AFP – Getty Images

Johnson, who warned Sunday that “there is a tidal wave of omicron coming,” ramped up the country’s booster program, saying that he wants to offer all residents 18 and older a third dose to by the end of the month.

His push for boosters led to long lines at walk-in vaccination centers, with people reporting on social media that vaccines had run out before their turn came. The health service, which provides U.K. residents with free rapid Covid-19 test kits, has faced shortages on its website since Johnson’s televised address Sunday.

The U.K. administered more than 513,000 booster vaccines on Monday, its third highest rate since October.

The push for the third doses also came as the first real-world study of the variant in South Africa showed that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offered reduced protection against omicron. However, the variant also appeared to cause less severe illness in South Africa, where it was first discovered last month.

The analysis, released Tuesday by South Africa’s largest health care administrator, found that on average 29 percent fewer people were being admitted to a hospital than previously with the delta variant. However, the study also found that two Pfizer jabs gave 70 percent protection against hospitalization from the new variant, compared with 90 percent seen in the delta wave.

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Coronavirus Today – Dec 14: One year with the vaccine



By Anne Blythe

On the anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccine arriving in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper and his top public health official, Mandy Cohen, took a look back on the coronavirus pandemic with a nod to the future that will place a new secretary of health and human services in the lead role.

After more than 22 months of speaking to North Carolinians and reporters from the podium at the state Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, Cohen gave her final presentation of charts, graphs and data used to guide the response to the pandemic.

Cohen, who has been secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services since 2017, announced several weeks ago that she will resign at the end of this month to try something different. The physician and mother of two daughters has not divulged what that might be.

She has knocked back speculation that she plans to run for the U.S. Senate next year in North Carolina and offered another clue when asked whether she might be working for the Biden administration.

“I want to continue to make sure that I am doing something that can impact the lives and public health of communities, but I don’t believe it will be in a public service role in the future,” Cohen said.

Cooper has tapped Kody Kinsley, the DHHS chief deputy secretary of health, to grab the baton from Cohen and lead North Carolina through the next phases of the pandemic response and recovery.

The handoff to Kinsley, subject to approval by the state Senate, will come as North Carolina tussles with yet another COVID strain — the Omicron variant.

Though first detected in South Africa, Mecklenburg County public health officials reported that the extremely contagious variant was detected in Charlotte earlier this month after a fully-vaccinated UNC-Charlotte student returned from travel out of state. The student had mild symptoms, UNC-C officials told reporters. Though that was the first case detected in North Carolina, public health officials speculate that it is not the only one case here caused by Omicron.

The Delta variant remains dominant in North Carolina, but scientists studying Omicron as it moves swiftly around the world are troubled by its extreme ability to pass easily from person to person.

Cohen was asked what she thought of data coming from South Africa, the first country to report the Omicron variant, that showed infected people were reporting less severe illness than that seen with the Delta variant. Should North Carolina expect a similar pattern?

“What I think about Omicron is that we are still learning,” Cohen responded. “What early data shows us is that it is certainly much more contagious than the Delta variant, but we are seeing that it is less severe.”

Leading epidemiologists expect Omicron to eventually out-compete Delta for dominance in multiple countries. 

“I think we are still trying to understand from the science and the data what is that lower level of severity being driven by,” Cohen said. “Is it because it has largely been infecting folks who are younger who tend to get less severe disease to begin with? Or is it because there are many, many folks who have gotten a vaccine or have had past exposure to COVID already? I think the scientific community is still trying to tease out the why.”

Cohen said with more data and more time to study the patterns of Omicron, it could turn out that the variant causes illness as severe as that seen with the Delta strain.

That uncertainty lingers as Christmas, Kwanza and New Year’s Day approach. COVID cases are on the rise again in North Carolina, according to the DHHS dashboard. On Tuesday, there were 1,932 lab-confirmed cases, one day last week saw 4,153 cases. 

The number of people hospitalized with illness related to COVID has been steadily rising over the past two weeks. On Tuesday, 1,575 people were hospitalized and 439 of them were in intensive care units, according to the dashboard.

Holiday spikes?

Cohen speculated that Thanksgiving gatherings and the colder weather pushing more people indoors, where the virus spreads more readily, contributed to that increase.

In 2020 and early 2021, North Carolina saw a surge in cases after the holidays at the end of the year, straining health care systems and leading to thousands more deaths.

On Dec. 14, 2020, Katie Passaretti, medical director of infection prevention at Atrium Health in Charlotte, became the first person in North Carolina to get a COVID vaccine. 

Since then, more than 6.5 million people have had at least one dose of vaccine, according to the DHHS vaccinations dashboard. Some 1.981 million booster shots have been administered, the dashboard shows.

Cooper and Cohen have consistently touted the vaccines as the best weapon against COVID and a tool that can help North Carolina move beyond the pandemic.

“As new variants emerge and COVID continues to circulate, getting vaccinated and then boosted is the best way to protect yourself and get us out of this pandemic,” Cooper said. “Vaccines and boosters are widely available, and you can make an appointment today to give yourself this protection and more peace of mind.”

In a different place

This year, unlike last year, when vaccines were not widely available, Cooper and Cohen say people can enjoy the holidays with loved ones if they are vaccinated, boosted, getting testing before and after events, and wearing masks when indoors in public settings.

“We are in a different place as we go into this holiday season than we did last year,” Cohen said. “We’re a year into having a powerful tool. The vaccines have really helped us beat back this pandemic.”

Because of the vaccines, Cohen said, North Carolina does not have a statewide mask mandate and other restrictions that were in place this time last year.

“Folks can gather safely if they are getting vaccinated, getting boosted, using tests, using masks,” Cohen said. “There are safe ways to make sure that folks can enjoy the holidays, but I am still worried about our hospital capacity. 

“We are seeing a more contagious version of COVID in the Omicron variant on the horizon. We know we’re going into the winter, which is what the COVID virus likes. It likes the winter, and we know that it’s also flu season. So there are a lot of strains on our hospitals as we go into these winter months.

Flu and COVID circulating

On Tuesday morning, North Carolina reported its first flu death of the season.

Though many symptoms of flu are similar to COVID-19, the adult in the western part of the state who died in the second week of December tested positive for influenza and not COVID.

State officials did not release the person’s name, hometown, county, age or gender, citing privacy concerns for the family.

The somber news prompted Zack Moore, the state epidemiologist, to encourage everyone to not only get vaccinated against COVID, but also get a flu shot.

Flu season in North Carolina begins in October and extends through May.

“This is a sad reminder that flu can be a serious illness and can lead to complications and even death in some cases,” Moore said in a statement. “With flu cases increasing and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for people to get a flu vaccine this year, as well as a COVID-19 vaccination or booster if they have not already done so.”

North Carolina had an atypically low number of influenza cases in 2020, when many people wore masks because of the coronavirus pandemic and restricted who they gathered with, as well as the number of people.

During the five flu seasons before the pandemic, though, influenza deaths ranged from 186 to 391, according to a DHHS press release.

As the number of COVID cases rise again, health officials are seeing a similar pattern with influenza as the cold weather pushes people indoors more where viruses can spread more quickly in confined spaces.

“Unfortunately, COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the midst of the flu season, creating even more demand of our state’s hospital beds,” Kinsley said in a statement.

Seasonal flu shots are recommended annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for anyone 6 months old and older. COVID shots are recommended for children as young as 5 and everyone older than that. The shots can be administered at the same time, according to DHHS officials.

‘Use the tools’

Though children as young as 5 have been eligible for a kid-size dose of vaccine since last month, only 17 percent of the children ages 5 to 11 have had one dose of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, according to one of the charts Cohen shared at her final briefing. Forty-six percent of children ages 12 to 17 have had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and only 56 percent of the population ages 18 to 24 have had a dose.

As COVID cases begin to climb again, children and young adults, the least vaccinated age groups, are bearing the brunt of the infections, Cohen said.

Cohen got her daughters vaccinated in November, the first weekend that children younger than 12 were eligible for shots. She encourages other parents to do the same.

Though many people have tired of the pandemic, the presence of COVID remains a factor in how people gather.

“As we went through the data today, everyone should be on guard,” Cohen said. “The virus is still here. But we have tools in order to beat back this pandemic, vaccines being our tools. What I hope folks take away from our message today is get vaccinated and get boosted as soon as possible. There are other tools. Make sure you are getting tested as you go to your family gatherings for the holidays. Test yourself before and after travel and wear masks, absolutely, when you are indoors and in public settings. 

“I think everyone knows what to do at this point. We just have to use the tools that we know work.”

Coronavirus by the numbers

According to NCDHHS data, as of Tuesday afternoon:

  • 19,033 people total in North Carolina have died of coronavirus.
  • 1,577,154 have been diagnosed with the disease. Of those, 1,575 are in the hospital. The hospitalization figure is a snapshot of people hospitalized with COVID-19 infections on a given day and does not represent all of the North Carolinians who may have been in the hospital throughout the course of the epidemic.
  • As of Tuesday, 439 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care units across the state. 
  • North Carolina tracked COVID-19 re-infections in the case counts from March 1, 2021 through Sept. 20, 2021. All told, North Carolina tracked 10,812 reinfections, 200 of those were in people who were previously vaccinated. Ninety-four people who were reinfected with COVID-19 have died. 
  • 1,515,240 people who had COVID-19 are presumed to have recovered. This weekly estimate does not denote how many of the diagnosed cases in the state are still infectious. Nor does it reflect the number of so-called “long-COVID” survivors who continue to feel the effects of the disease beyond the defined “recovery” period.
  • To date, 20,893,384 tests have been completed in North Carolina. As of July 2020, all labs in the state are required to report both their positive and negative test results to the lab, so that figure includes all of the COVID-19 tests performed in the state. Most recently, 9.2 percent of those testing were testing positive. 
  • People ages 25-49 make up the largest group of cases (39 percent). While 12 percent of the positive diagnoses were in people ages 65 and older, seniors make up 74 percent of coronavirus deaths in the state. 
  • 263 outbreaks are ongoing in group facilities across the state, including nursing homes and correctional and residential care facilities.
  • As of Nov. 30, 6,510,428 North Carolinians have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Ninety-one percent of people over the age of 65 have been completely vaccinated, while 58 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated. 1,981,998 boosters have been administered.
  • Children between the ages of 5 and 11 became eligible for vaccination during November. A total of 150,476 first doses have been given to those children, a total of 17 percent of that population.

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Is the COVID-19 pandemic linked to a rise in blood pressure levels?

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New research examines trends in blood pressure during the pandemic. Aleks_G/Getty Images
  • Governments enacted emergency measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • These measures significantly altered people’s behavior.
  • In a new study, researchers wanted to see if there was a link between these changes in behavior and effects on people’s blood pressure.
  • The researchers found blood pressure increased during the pandemic compared with previous, non-pandemic years.

In a new study, researchers have found that blood pressure increased in adults in the United States during the pandemic compared with previous, non-pandemic years.

The research, published in the journal Circulation, makes clear that the health effects of the pandemic include not just the COVID-19 disease but also other, indirect health issues.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), blood pressure describes the pressure blood exerts against a person’s arterial walls.

Doctors measure blood pressure at two points: when a person’s heart is pumping, known as systolic blood pressure, and when a person’s heart is resting between beats, known as diastolic blood pressure.

If a person has high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, they are at a greater risk of stroke or heart disease. Hypertension can also damage a person’s liver, eyes, and brain.

The CDC state that 47{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of U.S. adults have hypertension, and in 2019 hypertension was the primary or contributing cause of more than 500,000 deaths.

A person can help maintain healthy blood pressure levels by eating a diet low in salt and high in fruit and vegetables, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking, and limiting alcohol intake.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted people’s behavior and access to regular medical care.

Researchers are interested to see if this disruption had an effect on people’s blood pressure levels.

To look at blood pressure levels during the pandemic relative to previous years, a group of scientists studied data from an employee wellness program in the U.S covering 2018–2020.

This involved 464,585 participants, 53.5{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of whom were women, with an average age of 45.7 years in 2018. The paper offered no information regarding the racial or ethnic makeup of the participants.

The scientists compared blood pressure levels before the pandemic in 2018, 2019, and until March of 2020, when most U.S. states gave stay-at-home orders. They then compared these levels with those recorded from April–December 2020 during the pandemic.

The researchers found that before the pandemic, there was no significant change in blood pressure between years.

However, each month during the pandemic, blood pressure increased by an average of 1.1 to 2.5 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) for systolic blood pressure and 0.14 to 0.53 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure. This was the case for both women and men of different ages.

Women, on average, had greater increases for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Older participants had greater systolic blood pressure increases, whereas younger participants had greater diastolic blood pressure increases.

Speaking to Medical News Today, Dr. Luke Laffin, co-director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and the study’s lead author, said that “[d]ietary indiscretion, lack of exercise, central obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, and not taking prescribed blood pressure medications can all drive high blood pressure.”

“Other research demonstrates that lifestyle habits like excessive alcohol intake worsened during the pandemic, so it is not surprising that a blood pressure elevation followed.”

“We also know that patients hesitated to see their doctor, particularly in the early part of the pandemic, and that may have contributed to increased blood pressures,” said Dr. Laffin.

Prof. Matthew Bailey, who leads hypertension and renal research at the Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was not involved in the study, told MNT that the findings were significant and had global implications.

“This paper has examined almost half a million people and clearly shows that the societal changes [and] restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic have increased blood pressure. The effect is particularly large in women, and there is also an unanticipated increase in young people.”

“A rise in blood pressure of this size increases the risk of debilitating heart attack or stroke. For individuals and their families, cardiovascular disease can be devastating. [F]or governments, these conditions are costly to treat and manage. Health budgets are already overstretched.”

“This study is based in the U.S. but is relevant globally. It provides an early warning signal that poor cardiovascular health might be a big problem a few years down the line,” said Prof. Bailey.

Dr. Tarek Antonios, a senior lecturer in physiological medicine at St George’s, University of London in the United Kingdom, and not involved in the study, told MNT the findings were not unexpected.

“I was not surprised when I saw this article. I am concerned about hypertension and the epidemic. If you put the two together — the COVID-19 epidemic and hypertension — there are certain different avenues [that connect] them.”

“The first one is the increased anxiety levels among the population. Lots of people lost their jobs, they became redundant, lost their businesses, and they lost income — all of this created a lot of stress and anxiety, and that can increase blood pressure. So this is one possible explanation.”

“The second is during the lockdown, there were no open gyms, no one was going out for running or sports, and many people — including some of my patients — put on a significant amount of weight. And once you put on weight, your blood pressure goes up as well.”

“The third point is that people are sitting at home most of the time, they order takeaways, and takeaways are full of salt, and therefore people have increased their salt intake. So there is a lot of stuff that may not be directly related to COVID-19, but [was] indirectly affected by this epidemic.”

“Some patients also found it very difficult to get in touch with their GPs and get a refill of their prescriptions. Some stopped taking their medications, and that also increased their blood pressure levels. [T]his is something we need to give information about to patients — that it is very important that they don’t stop the tablets.”

“Many of my patients have bought blood pressure machines so that they can monitor their own blood pressure and make sure that their blood pressure is well-controlled. This is my advice to most patients: get their own blood pressure machines and start measuring their blood pressure at home.”

Prof. Bailey said that he thought low-level stress and low quality sleep might be key factors in the increase in blood pressure.

“High blood pressure is caused by […] lifestyle [and] environmental factors that were difficult to avoid during pandemic restrictions. Many of us ate too much comfort food — high in salt, fat, and sugar — had limited capacity to exercise, and may have indulged in other […] habits such as drinking too much alcohol or smoking. Of these, the study was only able to discount weight gain itself.”

“I think a major factor is chronic low-level stress and poor sleep patterns. I think this will emerge as a big factor once more studies are done,” said Prof. Bailey.

Speaking to MNT, Dr. Helen Flaherty, head of health promotion and education at Heart Research UK and not involved in the study, also agreed that a range of factors may be at play when accounting for the increase in blood pressure.

“As a result of the pandemic, many people have seen a change to their usual lifestyle habits which, in many cases, can impact negatively on their blood pressure and cardiovascular health.”

“People working from home may be less physically active as they miss out on their usual walk to work or a trip to the gym. Physical activity may also be restricted where people are isolated at home due to the pandemic. In addition, changes to dietary habits, such as buying more takeaway foods, which may be higher in salt, can also contribute to raised blood pressure.”

“Many people have found the pandemic to be stressful and long-term stress is also associated with an increase in blood pressure, as well as behaviors that can increase blood pressure, such as smoking and alcohol consumption,” explained Dr. Flaherty.

As well as possible indirect factors that might account for the rise in blood pressure, Dr. Antonios highlighted that there could be more direct causes.

“The disease itself may cause high blood pressure because of the interaction with certain molecules like the angiotensin-converting enzyme receptors. Moreover, many of my patients called to tell me that once they got the vaccines — especially the first dose — their blood pressure went very high, and they ended up in A&E and casualty with systolic blood pressure exceeding 200 in some of them.”

“What is also interesting is that for many of [my patients], the blood pressure did not settle down and remained high — not as high as 200, but higher than it was before. I am doing some research now to look at the effects of vaccination on blood pressure. And I have at least nine patients who had the same reaction: [their] blood pressure went up, and they ended up in casualty at St George’s [hospital].”

“Since then, there have been two publications — one from Lausanne in Switzerland and the second from Italy — that describe exactly this. Especially with the BioNTech vaccine, the blood pressure goes very high. What we don’t know is why this happens and why it does not settle down,” said Dr. Antonios.

Dr. Antonios also said there could be a connection between long COVID and hypertension. However, this required more research.

“What we don’t know so far is if hypertension is part of the long COVID syndrome. Most papers and reviews have not included hypertension [as part of long COVID]. They have included, for example, chest problems, myocarditis, thromboembolic phenomena, or even diabetes, but hypertension is not yet part of this long COVID syndrome, which we don’t know much about.”

Dr. Laffin said researchers should continue monitoring blood pressure levels:

“It is going to be very important to identify if blood pressure elevations persisted throughout 2021, given that vaccination became more widespread and individuals started returning to see their medical provider. I think it is unlikely that we’ll see a decline to pre-pandemic levels until the current pandemic ends.”

Crucially, there are limitations to the generalizability of the study’s findings. In the U.S., Black adults consistently exhibit significantly higher rates of hypertension, for example, compared with their white counterparts. However, the present study did not characterize blood pressure based on race or ethnicity. This is an important point that researchers should further evaluate during the pandemic.

Fortunately, there are many things a person can do to try and maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

Prof. Bailey said: “I try to make sure I eat well and sleep well and have goals for regular exercise. Using mindfulness or breathing apps can be a really good way to unplug for a few minutes in the day. It’s a great idea to get your blood pressure measured — know your numbers — and to remember to keep taking the medicine if you have high blood pressure.”

“High blood pressure increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. However, many people are unaware that they have high blood pressure as there are usually no symptoms. It is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly. Ideal blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg,” Dr. Flaherty told us.

“To maintain healthy blood pressure, it is important to maintain a healthy weight by eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of physical activity. Eating a diet that is not too high in salt also helps to avoid raised blood pressure. Keep an eye on food labels and avoid foods that have a high salt content, such as salted nuts and potato chips.”

“Limit your alcohol intake to no more than the recommended amounts — in the U.K. this is no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread out over 3 or more days.”

“Physical activity can help to reduce your blood pressure, and adults should aim to do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity — for example, brisk walking — or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity — for example, running — each week.”

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Facts and myths about its health benefits

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat — also referred to as “healthy fats” — praised for their potential protective roles in several chronic diseases, such as heart disease and dementia.

They are one of the key building blocks for cell membranes and remain a subject of interest in the scientific community.

The family of omega-3 fatty acids includes:

  • alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
  • stearidonic acid (SDA)
  • eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
  • docosapentaenoic acid (DPA)
  • docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

DHA and EPA are the primary polyunsaturated fats in brain cell membranes and have been popularized and successfully marketed as dietary supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential, meaning the human body is incapable of creating them on its own — the fatty acids or their precursors must be obtained from the diet.

For instance, ALA from plant seeds can be converted in the body to all the other types of omega-3 fats: EPA, SDA, DHA, DPA.

However, this conversion is quite inefficient, with rates of less than 3{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of ALA being converted to DHA or EPA in males and less than 10{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in females — warranting adequate dietary intakes of DHA and EPA themselves.

DHA, EPA, and DPA omega-3 fatty acids are synthesized by marine organisms such as algae and phytoplankton.

When consumed by fish, aquatic mammals, and crustaceans, the fatty acids enter the food chain and are stored in body fat, liver, and blubber. They are then later consumed by humans.

Food sources of DHA, EPA, and DPA include:

  • fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, menhaden, or herring
  • the liver of lean, white fish, such as halibut or cod
  • blubber from seals or whales
  • fish oils from cod flesh, tuna, haddock, flounder, or krill oil

ALA, on the other hand, is concentrated in plant sources and is the most frequent omega-3 fatty acid used by the body to create all other types of omega-3 fatty acids.

Sources of ALA include nuts and seeds, such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts as well as oils, such as echium seed oil, canola, and soybean oils.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), most adults in the United States consume the recommended amount of omega-3 — 1.1 grams (g) for adult females and 1.6 g for adult males — in the form of ALA.

However, given that the conversion of ALA to DHA and EPA is poor, dietary intake of a combination of foods rich in ALA, EPA, and DHA is recommended.

Furthermore, a myriad of DHA and EPA omega-3 supplements are available and contribute significantly to daily omega-3 intake. Fish oil is the most common omega-3 supplement used by adults and children.

Decades of research on the health impacts of omega-3 fatty acids have provided controversial findings. Here are some evidence-backed benefits of consuming omega-3 fatty acids.

Anti-inflammatory properties

Chronic inflammation — also called low-grade inflammation — is linked to the development of obesity, heart disease, and cancers.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects in the human body and may aid in lowering markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6.

In fact, omega-3 fatty acids are regarded as one of the most potent lipids capable of reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. It also potentially guards against the development of chronic diseases.

Lower cholesterol

In a 6-week study, daily supplementation with at least 1.2 g of DHA significantly reduced triglyceride levels and increased “good” cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein.

In addition, omega-3 fatty acids lowered the “bad” cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), when dietary saturated fats were replaced with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids found in plants foods such as nuts and avocados.

Elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol are linked to an increased risk for metabolic syndrome and heart disease.

However, a recent evidence-based practice summary has shown no impact on a range of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes from the use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in patients with established CVD or raised risk factors for CVD.

Lower blood pressure

On the other hand, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve vascular health — the health of the blood vessels — by increasing the bioavailability of nitric oxide.

In a phase 2 scientific study, nitric oxide induced dilation (relaxation) of the blood vessels and led to a significant reduction in blood pressure.

May reduce the risk of heart disease

By reducing markers associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease — high triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood pressure — omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a review analyzing existing studies.

The same review concluded that high-dose daily supplementation with 4 g of purified EPA in people with elevated triglycerides levels led to a 25{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} reduction in cardiovascular events.

In their 2018 review, Prof. Fereidoon Shahidi, professor of biochemistry at Memorial University, Canada, and Prof. Priyatharini Ambigaipalan, currently at the School of Science and Engineering Technology at Durham College, also in Canada, identified evidence of health benefits from omega-3 in noncardiovascular health conditions.

Improve tolerance to cancer treatment

Omega-3 fatty acids may improve the efficacy and tolerance of chemotherapy and is a potential supportive treatment to people undergoing cancer treatment.

More specifically, daily supplementation with EPA and DHA helped patients with head and neck cancers and breast cancer to maintain body weight and reduce cancer-related muscle loss.

Improves depression

A 2019 review study of over 2,000 participants showed a beneficial impact of EPA omega-3 fatty acids on depression, with DHA showing little benefits.

This finding is supported by other studies included in Prof. Shahidi’s and Prof. Ambigaipalan’s review, indicating that fish oil supplementation helps protect against major depressive disorder in people between the ages of 15 and 25 years.

Furthermore, moderate intakes of fatty fish and seafood were associated with fewer occurrences of depression.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been successfully marketed as heart-friendly and reported to reduce the risk of adverse heart disease-related outcomes.

However, its role and health benefits for some conditions have been challenged and discredited. This Cochrane report review found no evidence of the benefit of omega-3 supplements on heart disease, stroke, or death.

Here are some conditions that omega-3 fatty acids may not prevent or improve, based on the latest scientific evidence.

Reduce risk of death by heart disease

Prof. Shahidi and Prof. Ambigaipalan also found that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids does not reduce the risk of adverse heart disease-related outcomes, such as sudden cardiac death, heart attack, or stroke, even in individuals without a history of disease.

Although omega-3 fats lower the risk of developing heart disease by lowering triglyceride, the “bad” cholesterol LDL, and blood pressure, a meta-analysis of over 80,000 individuals found that their supplementation neither prevented death from all causes nor heart disease.

Prevent blood clots

Anti-clotting effects of omega-3 fatty acids have been proposed by reducing platelet aggregation. However, this finding has been controversial, and the evidence in this regard is weak — typical doses of omega-3 fats from foods and supplements have a mild effect.

Prevent or treat diabetes

Evidence suggests that increasing omega-3 intake does not prevent or treat diabetes.

It does not affect fasting blood sugar, insulin resistance, or glycosylated hemoglobin in those with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Prevent cancer

Omega-3 fatty acids have been reported to reduce the complications of some cancer patients, and early findings look promising. However, there is no evidence of any action of omega-3s preventing the development of cancers.

In a meta-analysis of over one million people, a particularly high intake of omega-3 fats — 5–15 g per day — did not significantly reduce lung cancer risk, and in some cases, increased the risk of developing lung cancer.

Therefore, too low or too high omega-3 intake may be harmful.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential compounds that are key building blocks for cell membranes, particularly in the brain.

For decades, they have been the subject of scientific interest, but findings have been controversial and inconsistent.

The evidence shows that omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and may lower cholesterol, blood pressure, depressive episodes, weight loss during cancer treatment, and the risk for heart disease.

However, omega-3 intake does not reduce the risk of adverse and severe heart disease-related outcomes, including sudden death and stroke. Additionally, it cannot prevent or treat diabetes or prevent blood clots.

This is an emerging area of evidence, and further results will continue to inform health recommendations.