What to know
- Opportunities and concerns are more than 70% of all new cases in New York, up from about 10% in January.
- The British and Brazilian variants are considered variants of concern, as the former has been shown to cause more severe results, while the latter may be more resistant to vaccines.
- New York health officials say they are looking into whether the Washington Heights cause a higher risk of reinfection through other options or is more resistant to vaccines.
More contagious variants keep the number of daily COVID cases in the five neighborhoods at a “high plateau,” even as vaccine launches accelerate, and city officials are examining whether one that first appeared in Washington Heights last year is more likely to cause reinfection Among people who have previously had the virus, health officials say.
It also investigates whether other types of variants are more likely to infect people who have been fully vaccinated and whether the Washington Heights variant, known as B.1.526, contributes to more severe outcomes in terms of deaths, hospitalization and diseases. , says a new analysis of the health department published on Monday.
The Washington Heights variant, together with the UK (B.1.1.7), Brazilian (P.1) and South African (B.1.351) strains, have been shown to be more transmissible than the previous COVID strains, which is why are known as “variants of concern” or “variants of interest”.
Strain B.1.1.7 is described as a ‘variant of concern’, as evidence shows that it causes more severe infections than previous strains. It can be even more lethal. Variant P.1 is also considered a variant of concern, as evidence shows that antibodies from previous infection or vaccination may be less effective against it.
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While research is underway to assess the potential threat level in B.1.526, health officials say it represents about 34% of the total positive sample studied since January. The prevalence of all variants has increased dramatically since January.
At that time, the variants of concern and the variants of interest represented approximately 10% of all the cases studied. By mid-March, they accounted for more than 70% of genetically sequenced cases in laboratories. The Brazilian variant represents only about 2% of the samples studied in January, but city officials say its presence is growing.
handed The city recently updated its variant data.
Variants B.1.526 and B.1.1.7 were detected in all five neighborhoods, although the former is less common in the Bronx and parts of Queens. The British strain is less common in southern Brooklyn, eastern Queens and Staten Island.
So far, the city has not found any evidence that either of these two strains reduces the effectiveness of vaccines, health officials said. But more studies are needed.
handed This map shows the detection of the Washington Heights variant.
handed This map shows the prevalence of the British variant.
“So far, cases of reinfection and cases of people who have been completely vaccinated are rare. It is too early to know whether any of these variants are more likely to cause reinfection or discovery of the vaccine compared to other previously circulating variants.” , said Health Commissioner Dr. Chave. Chokshi said. The increase in the proportion of cases that are variants indicates that they may be more transmissible, so New Yorkers should continue to be vaccinated when they are eligible and join the Core Four.
While new daily cases, hospitalizations and confirmed viral deaths are declining in the last two weeks studied, new cases are declining at a slower rate (20 percent) than hospitalizations (41 percent) and deaths (30.5 percent), the data.
The decline in more severe outcomes may be associated with higher vaccination rates among the most vulnerable populations, city officials said. Similar trends are maintained across the country, with declining death and hospitalization rates among the elderly, but the share of young people in COVID emergency rooms is increasing.
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New cases and emergency room visits are on the rise in younger adults, “most of whom have not yet been vaccinated,” said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Walensky says the cause of the increase remains under investigation, but she is among the experts who have expressed concern. COVID-19 variants contribute to higher spread rates at a critical critical time in the launch of the national vaccine.
The UK strain is now the predominant strain in the US In the latest CDC report, nearly 21,000 positive samples from the US contained the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, in all 52 US jurisdictions. This variant represented 27% of all positive samples tested in the last two-week period, up from 12% in the previous two weeks.
The South African and Brazilian variants, B.1.351 and P.1., Remain less common, but the prevalence of each continues to increase at national level. The South African variant was detected in at least 453 American samples in 36 states, while P.1. The strain was found in nearly 500 samples in 31 states, says the CDC. Genomic sequencing for the detection of variants is an exhaustive process. The CDC has assessed only a small proportion of cases in recent months; then the presence of more transmissible strains increased.
New York and New Jersey, which were among the five states that accounted for 44 percent of all new daily cases nationwide a week ago, according to Johns Hopkins, have stepped up their genomic sequencing efforts. The city has sequenced more than 5 percent of the cases confirmed in recent weeks, which is high.
New Jersey health officials say they hope to be able to sequence a similar percentage as early as this week; previously, scientists sequenced only 2% of the samples.
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New Jersey has reported nearly 960 cases in total to date. The UK strain accounts for 98% of them. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said on Monday that strain B.1.1.7 appears to be associated with more severe results in the state, based on hospitalizations and death rates. Hospitalizations are also on the rise among people between the ages of 18 and 24, which is similar to Walensky’s warnings nationwide.
In New York, variant B.1.1.7 was identified in 1,586 samples in the last seven-day period studied, an increase of 169% over the data reported for a seven-day period two weeks earlier. Genomic sequencing of a subset of virus specimens taken from city dwellers in the week beginning March 22 found that about 29.5% were B.1.1.7, according to the latest city data.
Daily percentage of positive tests in the New York region
The Andrew Cuomo government divides the state into 10 regions for testing purposes and tracks positivity rates to identify potential hot spots. Here are the latest tracking data by region and for the five neighborhoods. For the latest county-level results at the state level, click here
More than 34 percent of the samples studied during the same period were variant B.1.526, the strain believed to have originated in Washington Heights before spreading to other neighborhoods and states. This New York variant was present in 6 percent of all cases in the U.S. tested two-week period that ended March 13, up from 4 percent from the previous two-week reporting period, according to the CDC.
It is generally said that the three nationally authorized vaccines for national emergency use are extremely effective in reducing the severe outcomes and deaths associated with COVID-19; they are also believed to be effective in preventing new infections. Here’s everything you need to know about Big 3, including how effective each one is and how it compares.
The hope – and the plan – is that increased vaccinations will eventually overcome the spread of variants and that people will follow precautions until they do so. To date, New York City has completely vaccinated about 22.4% of its population, while 35.4% have had at least one stroke. Nationally, 24.9% of the population is fully vaccinated, while 37.9% have had at least one stroke.
In New Jersey, about a quarter of the population is completely vaccinated. Garden State will open the eligibility of all residents at least 16 years old on Monday. New York did the same thing early last week, while Connecticut did that universal boost the week before.
President Joe Biden has set an April 19 deadline for all states to make universal vaccinations available to adults. Nationally, about 46.5 percent of American adults 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose, while 28.6 percent are now completely inoculated.
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have asked the FDA to expand the emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15.
The US reported 4.6 million doses of vaccine delivered on Saturday, a new record in a single day, as the country sees an average of almost 69,000 new cases of COVID per day, a level consistent with the increase in the summer of 2020, according to Johns Hopkins data. This figure is up 7% from a week ago.
The seven-day average of new daily deaths is about 962, which is also similar to summer 2020 levels, the university says.
It is not yet clear how long the protection of those who are vaccinated lasts, says the CDC, although new research suggests that protection against the Moderna vaccine lasts at least six months. It takes about two weeks after the last shot to build immunity.
Recent research suggests that even a single injection of Moderna or Pfizer is up to 80% effective in preventing infection, but experts say Americans should continue to receive both doses. A single dose of one of these vaccines in a place where more contagious variants proliferate is less effective in preventing infection, city health officials say.