Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #110

[Gemmie]

I had my bivalent booster in early October and I’d get another one if it’s offered. I’m not so sure my encounter with covid in late January 2021 still gives me “hybrid immunity.” I’m 77.

You know, I don't know if hybrid immunity is obtained with older variants before Omicron came out. Whatever you had in Jan '21 wasn't Omicron since that started circulating in late Nov of that year, and here in the US in December of 2021, way after your infection.

The original Omicron strain (BA.1) was first identified in Botswana and South Africa in late November 2021, and cases quickly began to surface and multiply in other countries. By December of that year, Omicron was causing daily case numbers in the U.S. to skyrocket to over a million.

Omicron, Delta, Alpha, and More: What To Know About the Coronavirus Variants

New variants are an expected part of the evolution of viruses, and that includes SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Yale Medicine provides some background on key variants that have surfaced during the course of the pandemic.

www.yalemedicine.org

 

[Lilibet]

You know, I don't know if hybrid immunity is obtained with older variants before Omicron came out. Whatever you had in Jan '21 wasn't Omicron since that started circulating in late Nov of that year, and here in the US in December of 2021, way after your infection.

The original Omicron strain (BA.1) was first identified in Botswana and South Africa in late November 2021, and cases quickly began to surface and multiply in other countries. By December of that year, Omicron was causing daily case numbers in the U.S. to skyrocket to over a million.

Omicron, Delta, Alpha, and More: What To Know About the Coronavirus Variants

New variants are an expected part of the evolution of viruses, and that includes SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Yale Medicine provides some background on key variants that have surfaced during the course of the pandemic.

www.yalemedicine.org

I assumed, without knowing for sure, that “hybrid immunity” referred to any covid strain, but now that you mention it, I don’t know if whatever I had in January 2021 (obviously not Omicron) would give me hybrid immunity. In any case, I feel vulnerable enough at my age and health issues to want another booster ASAP.

 

[Gemmie]

I assumed, without knowing for sure, that “hybrid immunity” referred to any covid strain, but now that you mention it, I don’t know if whatever I had in January 2021 (obviously not Omicron) would give me hybrid immunity. In any case, I feel vulnerable enough at my age and health issues to want another booster ASAP.

Based on a short interview with Dr. Scott Gottlieb (below) back in April 2022 (before the bivalent booster). It's MOO that since he was talking about how we (~1 yr ago) were "3 or 4 variants removed" from the original strain, and also how the bivalent booster specifically targets Omicron... it's MO that the vaccine needed to be updated to target a strain that came out of left field. That is why I'm not sure if hybrid immunity can be obtained from previous non-Omicron infections. It feels like it's it's own animal to me. More on that in a new post so this one doesn't get too long and confusing.

Gottlieb says... (~2:15) "we are 3 or 4 variants removed from the variant in which this (the monovalent vaccine) was based".

~3:10 - talks about the testing done (trails) with the bivalent booster @Lilibet

3:32 - "I'm hopeful that a vaccine that's specifically engineered against the variant of concern, the more prevalent variant (Omicron) is going to provide more protection against that variant, and hopefully against the other variants as well"

MSN

 

[Gemmie]

Re my above post: Here's why I'm not sure if hybrid immunity can be obtained from previous non-Omicron infections. It feels like it's it's own animal to me for these 2 reasons...

1) Since South African scientists announced last week (Dec 1, 2021 article) they had identified an unsettling new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the world has anxiously awaited clues about how it might change the trajectory of the pandemic. But as big a mystery—if less urgent—is where and how Omicron evolved, and what lessons its emergence holds for avoiding future dangerous variants.

Omicron clearly did not develop out of one of the earlier variants of concern, such as Alpha or Delta. Instead, it appears to have evolved in parallel—and in the dark. Omicron is so different from the millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes that have been shared publicly that pinpointing its closest relative is difficult, says Emma Hodcroft, a virologist at the University of Bern. It likely diverged early from other strains, she says. “I would say it goes back to mid-2020.”

Science | AAAS

www.science.org

Me again - due to it coming out of the dark like that and surprising scientists, that makes me wonder if hybrid immunity from a NON-Omicron variant is helpful with Omicron. I'm not a scientist but I just feel like that strain is just too different than previous ones.

2) Look at that red line and red dots! That's Omicron on it's own branch on an evolutionary tree. I'll post another tree if I can find the one I was looking for when I stumbled across this. All other variants appear to be a lot alike IMO as they are clustered together. Omicron is an outlier.

These are the reasons I'm not confident about hybrid immunity with Omicron and previous non-Omicron variants. Going forward, for those who've only had an Omicron infection will likely have hybrid immunity with other Omicron variants. Well, until we don't because things have once again changed so much. All MOO.

 

[Gemmie]

Here's the other (non-scientic) tree that might be easier to understand than the dot plot in my above post.



family trees give biologists insights into how a virus has evolved over time and what changes to expect in the future.

During the pandemic, the family tree of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, has produced more surprises than anyone expected.

It turns out the SARS-CoV-2 family had two black sheep that it kept hidden from the world. When those relatives appeared, seemingly out of the blue this autumn, they not only shocked the world, but they also made evolutionary biologists question their understanding of the pandemic's future.

Yes, I'm talking about omicron BA.1 and its sibling BA.2.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/02/09/1047616658/take-a-look-at-sars-cov-2s-family-tree-its-full-of-surprises

 

[Lilibet]

Fascinating stuff @Gemmie. Thanks. When I was hospitalized for six days with Covid in Jan/Feb 2021, I asked which kind I had. I was told that our area of Oregon wasn’t being checked. In any case, it wasn’t “black sheep” Omicron as it hadn’t emerged yet. I hope the CDC approves another booster soon.

 

[Gemmie]

dbm because it posted before I was ready!

 

[Gemmie]

Fascinating stuff @Gemmie. Thanks. When I was hospitalized for six days with Covid in Jan/Feb 2021, I asked which kind I had. I was told that our area of Oregon wasn’t being checked. In any case, it wasn’t “black sheep” Omicron as it hadn’t emerged yet. I hope the CDC approves another booster soon.

I'm sorry to hear you were hospitalized, but happy that you had a happy ending! Not everyone is so lucky.

You can see which variants were circulating in OR by week (see the 2nd bar chart titled Variant Proportions Over Time). That's about as close as I can get since they don't do by county. Close enough!

It's easiest to figure out which variant and date by hovering over a color in a stacked bar on the chart. So OR mostly had "All other" variants (not helpful!) as seen in the purple bar, and B.1.1.7 (Alpha), P.1 (never heard of it by that scientific name but it's Gamma), B.1.427/B.1.429 (Epsilon) for the week of 1/3/21 and into early Feb.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/oregon.health.authority.covid.19/viz/GISAIDVariantDashboardUpdated/OregonVariantDashboard

 

[ilovewings]

Hopefully this helps ease your mind.

The new booster is a bivalent vaccine, which means it contains two messenger RNA (mRNA) components of the coronavirus. Half of the vaccine targets the original strain, and the other half targets the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariant lineages

How do we know the booster is safe?​

The vaccines were authorized by regulators based on safety and effectiveness data from the original COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, as well as trials of the new formulation in mice. Regulators also took into account data from human trials by Pfizer and Moderna of a similar reformulation, aimed at a previous version of Omicron, BA.1.
In November, Pfizer released updated clinical trial data showing that the bivalent booster’s safety and tolerability in human adults remained favorable and similar to its original COVID-19 vaccine. Likewise, Moderna reported no new safety concerns in its human trials compared to its monovalent vaccine.

The Omicron Booster: Your Questions Answered

Yale Medicine infectious diseases doctors discuss the new Omicron-specific COVID-19 booster.

www.yalemedicine.org

Thank you- I appreciate this information!

 

[Gemmie]

Thank you- I appreciate this information!

You are most welcome. I love sharing Covid info but it feels like friends and family act like I'm walking toward their door carrying yet another bag full of overgrown zucchini in the height of summer. Must be the door slamming shut and the curtains quickly closing as they pretend to not be home. (kidding)

IOW... they do NOT want to hear anything Covid related. It's a lot of 'Lalalala... I can't hear you!' going on. I try to tell them that 'Information is powerful and is what keeps you safe' but it's in one ear and out the other. *shrug*

 

[Cool Cats]

The winter COVID wave that wasn't: Why the US didn't see a surge

Weekly cases and deaths in late winter 2022-23 are on par with what was seen in spring 2022, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts told ABC News that a combination of more immunity, better treatments, less severe infections and more people following...

www.yahoo.com

Experts told ABC News that a combination of more immunity, better treatments, less severe infections and more people following mitigation measures likely played a role.

"We did not see a wave because we had a very high immunity due to infections and vaccinations," Dr. Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist with the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, told ABC News. "Omicron and its subvariants did not spare anyone. Also, many of the infections were minor and not reported or did not end in a hospitalization."

 

[ilovewings]

You are most welcome. I love sharing Covid info but it feels like friends and family act like I'm walking toward their door carrying yet another bag full of overgrown zucchini in the height of summer. Must be the door slamming shut and the curtains quickly closing as they pretend to not be home. (kidding)

IOW... they do NOT want to hear anything Covid related. It's a lot of 'Lalalala... I can't hear you!' going on. I try to tell them that 'Information is powerful and is what keeps you safe' but it's in one ear and out the other. *shrug*

Lots of people want to believe the pandemic is history- covid is over-- I wish it were- people are still hospitalized and dying every day in this country. Thanks goodness though that for the most part the pandemic has transitioned a bit- most people are living pretty normal lives- within reason and some of us still mask up, wash our hands a lot and social distance when appropriate.

 

[Lilibet]

I'm sorry to hear you were hospitalized, but happy that you had a happy ending! Not everyone is so lucky.

You can see which variants were circulating in OR by week (see the 2nd bar chart titled Variant Proportions Over Time). That's about as close as I can get since they don't do by county. Close enough!

It's easiest to figure out which variant and date by hovering over a color in a stacked bar on the chart. So OR mostly had "All other" variants (not helpful!) as seen in the purple bar, and B.1.1.7 (Alpha), P.1 (never heard of it by that scientific name but it's Gamma), B.1.427/B.1.429 (Epsilon) for the week of 1/3/21 and into early Feb.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/oregon.health.authority.covid.19/viz/GISAIDVariantDashboardUpdated/OregonVariantDashboard

Fascinating! I think at that time they were checking mostly in Portland at the opposite end of the state. And even at that there wasn’t detailed info according to your chart, as you mentioned.

I’m very happy I had a happy ending! I had figured it would kill me. I was extremely fortunate as an aging, overweight patient with mild asthma. The day after I got my positive test result, monoclonal antibody infusions began at my local hospital (town of 22,000) and my doctor was informed enough to send me immediately, about five days after my symptoms began. But a week later, I ended up in ER by ambulance. I wanted to sleep all the time and not eat, so my dh called 911. I joke that I got the same drug protocol Trump did…and steroids make you feel great! My dh and I had been extremely cautious, but we think it hitched a ride home on my dh when he picked up some prescriptions. He didn’t get it as badly as I did. I’m just glad I got it pretty early and was able to get vaxxed before Delta started circulating in the summer of 2021. It was killing so many in our county and state.

 

[Lilibet]

You are most welcome. I love sharing Covid info but it feels like friends and family act like I'm walking toward their door carrying yet another bag full of overgrown zucchini in the height of summer. Must be the door slamming shut and the curtains quickly closing as they pretend to not be home. (kidding)

IOW... they do NOT want to hear anything Covid related. It's a lot of 'Lalalala... I can't hear you!' going on. I try to tell them that 'Information is powerful and is what keeps you safe' but it's in one ear and out the other. *shrug*

You’re hilarious! Overgrown zucchini! LOL

 

[anneg]

You are most welcome. I love sharing Covid info but it feels like friends and family act like I'm walking toward their door carrying yet another bag full of overgrown zucchini in the height of summer. Must be the door slamming shut and the curtains quickly closing as they pretend to not be home. (kidding)

IOW... they do NOT want to hear anything Covid related. It's a lot of 'Lalalala... I can't hear you!' going on. I try to tell them that 'Information is powerful and is what keeps you safe' but it's in one ear and out the other. *shrug*

Thank you for the research you are doing and your interesting, informative posts. I'm sorry you have friends and family who are resistant to hearing important information about Covid.

 

[Kingsley]

Lots of people want to believe the pandemic is history- covid is over-- I wish it were- people are still hospitalized and dying every day in this country. Thanks goodness though that for the most part the pandemic has transitioned a bit- most people are living pretty normal lives- within reason and some of us still mask up, wash our hands a lot and social distance when appropriate.

It seems to be considered a bit gauche to mention Covid at all. (My observation but not my opinion).

 

[Gemmie]

Fascinating stuff @Gemmie. Thanks. When I was hospitalized for six days with Covid in Jan/Feb 2021, I asked which kind I had. I was told that our area of Oregon wasn’t being checked. In any case, it wasn’t “black sheep” Omicron as it hadn’t emerged yet. I hope the CDC approves another booster soon.

Here's a site for you @Lilibet. It shows wastewater monitoring for all of OR. You can hover your mouse over a dot to find where you live to see if it's increasing, decreasing, or plateaued.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/oregon.health.authority.covid.19/viz/OregonsSARS-CoV-2WastewaterMonitoring/Introduction?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Everyone outside of OR can Goog for their local Covid in your wastewater sources. You're all likely aware it's in the wastewater and being tracked that way.

 

[Gemmie]

Something I didn't know...

COVID-19 tests are extremely reliable when they give a positive result, but a negative result can’t always be trusted.

False negatives test results are tests that show a negative result even when the person is infected with the COVID-19 virus, and they are common.

“If you have any COVID-19-like symptoms, you should assume you have COVID-19,”

The science behind false negative COVID-19 tests : Oregon Health News Blog

Available in Spanish COVID-19 tests are extremely reliable when they give a positive result, but a negative result can’t always be trusted. False negatives test results are tests that show a negati…

covidblog.oregon.gov

 

[Lilibet]

Here's a site for you @Lilibet. It shows wastewater monitoring for all of OR. You can hover your mouse over a dot to find where you live to see if it's increasing, decreasing, or plateaued.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/oregon.health.authority.covid.19/viz/OregonsSARS-CoV-2WastewaterMonitoring/Introduction?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Everyone outside of OR can Goog for their local Covid in your wastewater sources. You're all likely aware it's in the wastewater and being tracked that way.

Thanks @Gemmie! This is great. I knew about wastewater tracking but hadn’t looked for my area. I will save this.

 

[Lilibet]

Here's a site for you @Lilibet. It shows wastewater monitoring for all of OR. You can hover your mouse over a dot to find where you live to see if it's increasing, decreasing, or plateaued.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/oregon.health.authority.covid.19/viz/OregonsSARS-CoV-2WastewaterMonitoring/Introduction?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Everyone outside of OR can Goog for their local Covid in your wastewater sources. You're all likely aware it's in the wastewater and being tracked that way.

Thanks @Gemmie! This is great. I knew about wastewater tracking but hadn’t looked for my area. I will save this.