Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #111

[Gemmie]

I'm confused. The current variant circulating is BA.2.86, which has 30 mutations from XBB.1.5. Canada has approved the XBB.1.5 vaccine for the Fall, stating that it triggers an immune response to Omicron.

We also know that the vaccine or prior illness increases risk, and now Canadians are offered a free vaccine that does not target the latest variant. My impression is that no one knows what is going on, there is no vaccine for the current variant, but older vaccines might somewhat help.

"Compared to the earlier BA.2 and XBB.1.5 subvariants of Omicron, BA.2.86 shows more than 30 mutations in the spike protein responsible for target cell attachment and most of the primary antibody response to the virus."​

BA.2.86 Omicron variant: Is our immunity under siege?

A new preprint posted to the bioRxiv server discusses whether this variant shows neutralization escape.

www.news-medical.net

Published Sept. 12, 2023​

"Health Canada has approved the use of Moderna's Spikevax XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine for all Canadians over the age of six months.​

...​

​

Tam said preliminary clinical data has shown the XBB.1.5 vaccine triggers an immune response against several Omicron sublineages, including EG.5 and BA.2.86."​

Health Canada approves updated Moderna XBB.1.5 COVID vaccine

Health Canada has approved the use of Moderna's Spikevax XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine for all Canadians over the age of six months.

www.ctvnews.ca

Speaking only for Oregon... BA.2.86 isn't circulating here. It's various XBB strains (5 of them to be exact) and I had checked those stats RIGHT before I came here! *smiles at the timing*

Last I heard there were only 10 cases of BA.2.86 in the world, likely more today, but I haven't kept up on it daily. So I don't think it's the current variant going around (IMO), it's the current one that the experts are all watching closely.

Will the new COVID-19 boosters available this fall protect against these new variants?​

The three companies — Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax — producing COVID-19 vaccine boosters this fall are all targeting the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant. Data shared by these companies has shown that the vaccines will neutralize the current variants circulating, including BA.2.86 and EG.5.

BA.2.86 and EG.5: How will the new COVID-19 boosters work with new variants?

Infectious diseases expert answers questions about the new COVID-19 variants and how well the COVID-19 booster this fall will work against them.

health.ucdavis.edu

==========================================================================
Moderna’s latest Covid booster appears to work against the BA.2.86 omicron subvariant, the drugmaker said in a release Wednesday.

The updated booster generated a strong antibody response against BA.2.86, according to Moderna. The variant has not yet gained widespread prevalence in the United States but has raised alarm among experts and health officials because of its high number of mutations.

Fall Covid boosters works against the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant, vaccine makers say

The variant has not yet gained widespread prevalence in the U.S., but it has raised alarm among experts because of its high number of mutations.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Gemmie]

Looks like BA.2.86 cases are up from the 10 that I suspected and last heard of. So 60 around the world aren't what is currently going around, it's mostly XBB strains. Again, speaking for Oregon, others would need to check their own local stats to see what's circulating.

6 days ago (Updated Sept. 6, 2023, 11:19 AM PDT) — As of Sep. 6, the BA.2.86 variant has been linked to 60 cases in 11 countries, per the global virus database GISAID.

What to know about the new BA.2.86 'highly mutated' COVID variant found in the US

The new, highly mutated BA.2.86 "Pirola" variant is spreading. Here's what we know about its transmissibility, ability to escape immunity, and boosters this fall.

www.today.com

 

[Sundog]

Can COVID, Flu, and RSV Shots Be Given at the Same Time?

Here's how experts are strategizing fall vaccines

www.medpagetoday.com

This article talks about options to get the covid and flu shot together, or separately, and suggests that the RSV vaccine, if you plan to get it, should be given separately from covid and flu shots.

There is also some information on the two manufacturers that make the RSV vaccine for people over 60, and suggestions on who should get it, etc.

We don't plan to get the RSV vaccine from what we have read so far, but we are still studying information on it.

 

[Lilibet]

I found this article helpful in providing details of the current booster/vaccine for fall 2023 and the information on its effectiveness in relation to the currently circulating variants of covid-19.

FDA OKs Updated COVID Shots

New single-strain vaccines will exclusively target the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant

www.medpagetoday.com

edited to remove info on RSV vaccine, as this article doesn't address RSV at all

Thanks for this article. It answers a question I’ve had. When we got our second bivalent injection July 18, the nurse said we’d have to wait six months to get the new vaccine. But the article states:

“Under the FDA's action, people 5 years and older can receive a single dose of the updated mRNA vaccines at least 2 months since their last dose of any COVID vaccine.”

So we‘re good to go after Sept. 18, which makes sense, since this is a completely new vaccine.

 

[Sundog]

These stats on the circulating covid-19 variants were published yesterday in this article -

FDA OKs Updated COVID Shots

New single-strain vaccines will exclusively target the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant

www.medpagetoday.com

While XBB.1.5 now only makes up 3% of U.S. cases, the shots are still expected to offer broad protection against circulating strains. E.G.5 is currently responsible for the largest share of cases in the nation (22%), followed by FL.1.5.1 (15%) and then mostly a slew of XBB strains.

A particular concern of late has been the BA.2.86 or Pirola strain, which has yet to register on CDC's tracker. Vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer have assured, however, that their XBB.1.5-adapted products can effectively neutralize the highly mutated variant. The extent of neutralization appears "to be of a similar magnitude to the extent of neutralization observed with prior versions of the vaccines against corresponding prior variants against which they had been developed to provide protection," the FDA stated.

 

[Lilibet]

@Gemmie, fellow Oregonian here. I appreciate your Oregon-specific info. It reminded me to get myself back on the State websites again. Among my friends I see covid cases popping up more often now, and some have no idea where they were exposed (they‘re vaxxed and careful). So covid is definitely back in circulation here and we have been re-upping our precautions. We will get the new vaccine and our flu shots ASAP. Not being a metro area, we are always a little later gaining access to the latest covid vaccine here.

JMO

 

[Teche]

Speaking only for Oregon... BA.2.86 isn't circulating here. It's various XBB strains (5 of them to be exact) and I had checked those stats RIGHT before I came here! *smiles at the timing*

Last I heard there were only 10 cases of BA.2.86 in the world, likely more today, but I haven't kept up on it daily. So I don't think it's the current variant going around (IMO), it's the current one that the experts are all watching closely.

Will the new COVID-19 boosters available this fall protect against these new variants?​

The three companies — Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax — producing COVID-19 vaccine boosters this fall are all targeting the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant. Data shared by these companies has shown that the vaccines will neutralize the current variants circulating, including BA.2.86 and EG.5.

BA.2.86 and EG.5: How will the new COVID-19 boosters work with new variants?

Infectious diseases expert answers questions about the new COVID-19 variants and how well the COVID-19 booster this fall will work against them.

health.ucdavis.edu

==========================================================================
Moderna’s latest Covid booster appears to work against the BA.2.86 omicron subvariant, the drugmaker said in a release Wednesday.

The updated booster generated a strong antibody response against BA.2.86, according to Moderna. The variant has not yet gained widespread prevalence in the United States but has raised alarm among experts and health officials because of its high number of mutations.

Fall Covid boosters works against the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant, vaccine makers say

The variant has not yet gained widespread prevalence in the U.S., but it has raised alarm among experts because of its high number of mutations.

www.nbcnews.com

I wish the scientist gave the variants names instead of numbers. Sally, John Malik would make it so much easier to follow.

 

[otto]

I found this article helpful in providing details of the current booster/vaccine for fall 2023 and the information on its effectiveness in relation to the currently circulating variants of covid-19.

FDA OKs Updated COVID Shots

New single-strain vaccines will exclusively target the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant

www.medpagetoday.com

edited to remove info on RSV vaccine, as this article doesn't address RSV at all

That's the Moderna shot I've been looking for, and which has not been available in some Canadian provinces for 6 months. I thought it had already been approved, but today's announcements sound like it's a new approval. The vaccine works for cousin XBB.1.5, and should help with BA.2.86. Hopefully it works to significantly reduce symptoms.

 

[Gemmie]

I wish the scientist gave the variants names instead of numbers. Sally, John Malik would make it so much easier to follow.

I agree, it's confusing, but there's a reason that those that track the virus do it that way. It's all about the lineages since the darn thing is mutating just about every minute (MOO). It's all about parent lineage.

Lineages are named using an alphabetical prefix (such as B or BA) and numerical suffix (such as “.1” or “.1.1.5”). When a new lineage is defined, the Pango system assigns an additional number to the name of its parent lineage (e.g., BA.2.75 is a sublineage of BA.2). As the virus continues to change, the Pango lineage names can become very long. Lineages with longer names may be given alphabetic aliases and numbering continues (e.g., “BA” stands for “B.1.1.529,” thus BA.2 is the same as B.1.1.529.2).

For more information on the Pango lineage system and its nomenclature, see the Pango Network. For a full list of the current Pango lineages, see cov-lineages.org.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.

www.cdc.gov

 

[Gemmie]

Speaking of the Pango nomenclature.... here's one info about it:

The Pango nomenclature is being used by researchers and public health agencies worldwide to track the transmission and spread of SARS-CoV-2, including variants of concern. This website documents all current Pango lineages and their spread, as well as various software tools which can be used by researchers to perform analyses on SARS-COV-2 sequence data.

@otto - you might find this site interesting:

Cov-Lineages

cov-lineages.org

 

[Gemmie]

I wish the scientist gave the variants names instead of numbers. Sally, John Malik would make it so much easier to follow.

Here's another article explaining why a subvariant doesn't warrant it's own (Greek) name):

The XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant does not warrant its own Greek letter name — at least not yet — because data suggests it is behaving similarly to other omicron sublineages in terms of transmissibility, severity, immune escape and its effect on interventions, according to the World Health Organization.

"When that changes, we will be using these Greek letters. We're not afraid to use these Greek letters or to assign different subvariants, but we have a criteria by which we do this through our technical advisory group for virus evolution," Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, said during a Jan. 11 media briefing.

Why XBB.1.5 will not get a Greek letter: WHO

The XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant does not warrant its own Greek letter name — at least not yet — because data suggests it is behaving similarly to other omicron sublineages in terms of transmissibility, severity, immune escape and its effect on intervention

www.beckershospitalreview.com

 

[IceIce9]

Two of my friends were just diagnosed with COVID. They both developed symptoms four days after taking an Uber ride. They said the Uber driver was coughing and not wearing a mask.

They didn’t have masks with them, they hadn’t planned to take an Uber that day but their electric vehicle wouldn’t start and they called an Uber to get home.

 

[Betty P]

These stats on the circulating covid-19 variants were published yesterday in this article -

FDA OKs Updated COVID Shots

New single-strain vaccines will exclusively target the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant

www.medpagetoday.com

While XBB.1.5 now only makes up 3% of U.S. cases, the shots are still expected to offer broad protection against circulating strains. E.G.5 is currently responsible for the largest share of cases in the nation (22%), followed by FL.1.5.1 (15%) and then mostly a slew of XBB strains.

A particular concern of late has been the BA.2.86 or Pirola strain, which has yet to register on CDC's tracker. Vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer have assured, however, that their XBB.1.5-adapted products can effectively neutralize the highly mutated variant. The extent of neutralization appears "to be of a similar magnitude to the extent of neutralization observed with prior versions of the vaccines against corresponding prior variants against which they had been developed to provide protection," the FDA stated.

Slightly off topic, but I wonder how accurate the data will be when people are no longer being encouraged to test for COVID19? How accurate is the data if its mostly collected from people who become seriously ill from COVID and are tested in an ER or hospital?

Here's some new info from your article linked above:

While XBB.1.5 now only makes up 3% of U.S. cases, according to CDC's Nowcast trackeropens in a new tab or window, the shots are still expected to offer broad protection against circulating strains. EG.5, dubbed Erisopens in a new tab or window, is currently responsible for the largest share of cases in the nation (22%), followed by FL.1.5.1 (15%) and then mostly a slew of XBB strains.

US cases now:

EG.5 - 22%

FL.1.5.1 - 15%

Misc. XBB strains - 40%

XBB.1.1.5 - 3%

BA.2.86 - NR

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Expected CDC guidance on N95 masks outrages health care workers

Health workers warn that loosening mask advice in hospitals would harm patients and providers.

www.nbcnews.com

Nurses, researchers and workplace safety officers worry new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might reduce protection against the coronavirus and other airborne pathogens in hospitals.

A CDC advisory committee has been updating its 2007 standards for infection control in hospitals this year. Many health care professionals and scientists expressed outrage after the group released a draft of its proposals in June.

The draft controversially concluded that N95 face masks are equivalent to looser, surgical face masks in certain settings — and that doctors and nurses need to wear only surgical masks when treating patients infected by “common, endemic” viruses, like those that cause the seasonal flu...

 

[dmac55]

I have an appointment at my pharmacy to get the new COVID-19 Pfizer booster (Comirnaty), on Monday morning and I’m excited about it

I had influenza and RSV vaccines last month

I had to look up what Comirnaty means:
“The name is coined from Covid-19 immunity, and then embeds the mRNA in the middle, which is the platform technology, and as a whole the name is meant to evoke the word community,”…

Comirnaty is Pfizer and BioNTech's New Vaccine Brand Name | Fierce Pharma
https://www.fiercepharma.com/market...-comirnaty-as-brand-name-for-covid-19-vaccine

 

[Teche]

Expected CDC guidance on N95 masks outrages health care workers

Health workers warn that loosening mask advice in hospitals would harm patients and providers.

www.nbcnews.com

Nurses, researchers and workplace safety officers worry new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might reduce protection against the coronavirus and other airborne pathogens in hospitals.

A CDC advisory committee has been updating its 2007 standards for infection control in hospitals this year. Many health care professionals and scientists expressed outrage after the group released a draft of its proposals in June.

The draft controversially concluded that N95 face masks are equivalent to looser, surgical face masks in certain settings — and that doctors and nurses need to wear only surgical masks when treating patients infected by “common, endemic” viruses, like those that cause the seasonal flu...

My daughter is a NICU NP and she just got fitted for a N95 mask. She work for a large hospital group.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I have an appointment at my pharmacy to get the new COVID-19 Pfizer booster (Comirnaty), on Monday morning and I’m excited about it

I had influenza and RSV vaccines last month

I had to look up what Comirnaty means:
“The name is coined from Covid-19 immunity, and then embeds the mRNA in the middle, which is the platform technology, and as a whole the name is meant to evoke the word community,”…

Comirnaty is Pfizer and BioNTech's New Vaccine Brand Name | Fierce Pharma
https://www.fiercepharma.com/market...-comirnaty-as-brand-name-for-covid-19-vaccine

Which RSV vaccine did you get? Were there any negative side effects?

 

[Gemmie]

Slightly off topic, but I wonder how accurate the data will be when people are no longer being encouraged to test for COVID19? How accurate is the data if its mostly collected from people who become seriously ill from COVID and are tested in an ER or hospital?

Here's some new info from your article linked above:



US cases now:

EG.5 - 22%

FL.1.5.1 - 15%

Misc. XBB strains - 40%

XBB.1.1.5 - 3%

BA.2.86 - NR

Not much different than how it's been ever since most testing done are now home tests. The data has been skewed with all the underreporting for a long time now. I wish we'd go back to having those pop-up drive-thru labs.

As the number of Covid-19 cases grows in the United States, experts wonder if the country fully understands the current threat from the pandemic.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that only 7% of positive Covid-19 cases in the US are being detected, meaning case rates are actually 14.5 times higher than officially reported.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/18/health/covid-at-home-testing-data/index.html

 

[Gemmie]

I have an appointment at my pharmacy to get the new COVID-19 Pfizer booster (Comirnaty), on Monday morning and I’m excited about it

I had influenza and RSV vaccines last month

I had to look up what Comirnaty means:
“The name is coined from Covid-19 immunity, and then embeds the mRNA in the middle, which is the platform technology, and as a whole the name is meant to evoke the word community,”…

Comirnaty is Pfizer and BioNTech's New Vaccine Brand Name | Fierce Pharma
https://www.fiercepharma.com/market...-comirnaty-as-brand-name-for-covid-19-vaccine

I'm going to wait a bit myself. We had an incident here in my county when the bivalent booster first came out. They had drive-thru clinics and the 1st 20 people in line were inadvertently given the old monovalent vaccine. They were contacted about that but they thought they were being scammed since the call came from out of state (apparently some of the drive-thru's are done by traveling vaccinators which I didn't know until this issue came up). They asked neighbors on the Nextdoor app (site where you can talk to your neighbors about anything, after proving you're you at registration).

Of course there were all the naysayers saying "Don't believe it!", "Just hang up!", etc... but someone contacted our state health department who verified that it was indeed true. Those people had to wait 2 months before they could get the bivalent booster since they had just received a vaccine, even though it was the old one.

Pasting SS's since I can't provide a link. Well, I could, but no one could access the page unless you live here (that's how Nextdoor works), so doing it this way as proof this can happen.

The person who contacted our health dept. reply:

 

[dmac55]

Which RSV vaccine did you get? Were there any negative side effects?

Abrysvo and I didn’t have any side effects