COVID-19 omicron variant confirmed in Idaho - KTVB.com

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Most reported U.S. Omicron cases have hit the fully vaccinated -CDC - Reuters

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Most of the 43 COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant identified in the United States so far were in people who were fully vaccinated, and a third of them had received a booster dose, according to a U.S. report published on Friday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that of the 43 cases attributed to Omicron variant, 34 people had been fully vaccinated. Fourteen of them had also received a booster, although five of those cases occurred less than 14 days after the additional shot before full protection kicks in.

While the numbers are very small, they add to growing concerns that current COVID-19 vaccines may offer less protection against the highly transmissible new variant.

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The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been found through testing in about 22 states so far after first being identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong in late November.

Among the Omicron cases, 25 were in people aged 18 to 39 and 14 had traveled internationally. Six people had previously been infected with the coronavirus.

Most of them only had mild symptoms such as coughing, congestion, and fatigue, the report said, and one person was hospitalized for two days. Other symptoms reported less frequently including nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, diarrhea and loss of taste or smell.

The CDC said that while many of the first reported Omicron cases appear to be mild, a lag exists between infection and more severe outcomes. Symptoms would also be expected to be milder in vaccinated persons and those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The first known U.S. Omicron case was identified on Dec 1 in a fully vaccinated person who had traveled to South Africa. The CDC said that the earliest date of symptom onset was Nov. 15 in a person with a history of international travel.

The Delta variant still accounts for more than 99% of all U.S. cases. But reports from South Africa show that the Omicron variant is very transmissible.

Even if most cases are mild, a highly transmissible variant could result in enough infections to overwhelm health systems, the CDC cautioned.

Laboratory studies released this week suggest that the Omicron variant will blunt the protective power of two doses of Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, although a third dose may restore that protection.

The U.S. has authorized COVID-19 vaccine boosterdoses for all Americans age 16 and older.

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Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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North Carolina college student tests positive for COVID-19 omicron variant - WXII12 Winston-Salem

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1. North Carolina college student tests positive for COVID-19 omicron variant  WXII12 Winston-Salem
2. UNC Charlotte student tests positive for Omicron variant in Mecklenburg County, public health officials say  WGHP FOX8 Greensboro
3. UNC Charlotte student NC's first confirmed case of omicron variant  WSOC Charlotte
4. UNC-Charlotte lab confirms state's first case of coronavirus' omicron variant  WRAL.com
5. Positive test for omicron variant confirmed in Mecklenburg County, health officials say  WIS10
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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New CDC data shows first-known omicron Covid patient in U.S. had symptoms starting Nov. 15 - CNBC

A woman is getting a Covid-19 test at a Covid-19 mobile testing site at the Times Square in New York City, United States on Dec 6, 2021.

Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said the first-known case of omicron Covid in the U.S. was found in a person who had traveled internationally and started presenting symptoms on Nov. 15.

The new infection timeline means omicron arrived in the U.S. earlier than first thought. California had reported what was believed to be the first confirmed case on Dec. 1. An international traveler returned to San Francisco from South Africa on Nov. 22, developed symptoms three days later and tested positive on Nov. 29.

The CDC said 22 states have confirmed at least one omicron case, and some of those cases indicate community spread is underway. Among 43 omicron Covid patients, 33% reported international travel during the 14 days before symptom onset or testing positive, according to the CDC.

Case investigations have identified exposures associated with international and domestic travel, large public events and household transmission. 

One vaccinated person was hospitalized for two days, but there haven't been any deaths reported to date among the patients who have been followed by health officials, according to the CDC.

Among the cases, 58% of the patients were between 18 and 39 years of age, and 79% were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before symptom onset or testing positive. Fourteen people had received booster doses and six had recovered from previous Covid infections, according to the CDC. Five received their booster dose less than 14 days before symptom onset.

The most common reported symptoms were cough, fatigue and congestion, or a runny nose.

"Many of the first reported cases of omicron variant infection appear to be mild, although as with all variants, a lag exists between infection and more severe outcomes, and symptoms would be expected to be milder in vaccinated persons and those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection than in an unvaccinated person," the CDC said in its weekly Morbidity and Mortality report on Friday.

The World Health Organization has said the omicron variant appears to be more contagious than the predominant delta variant, though more data is needed for conclusive answers. White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has said early reports of mild symptoms are encouraging, though more data is needed to determine the possible severity of health outcomes.

The U.K. Health Security Agency warned on Wednesday that the spread of the omicron variant is widening, eclipsing the previous delta one. Health Secretary Sajid Javid told British lawmakers that omicron infections in the U.K. could top 1 million by year-end.

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LA County moves back into 'high transmission' category as COVID cases increase, health officials say - KABC-TV

LOS ANGELES COUNTY (CNS) -- Exactly two weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday and its associated gatherings of family and friends, Los Angeles County is seeing a resulting increase in COVID-19 cases, the public health director said today, calling the trend a possible start of yet another winter surge of infections.

In an online briefing, Barbara Ferrer said the increase was visible by Dec. 1, when the county's seven-day average daily number of new cases topped 1,000 -- a 19% increase from the previous week.

She also noted a resulting increase in hospitalizations, with the daily number of COVID patients nearing roughly 600.

"We do expect increases to continue on the heels of our Thanksgiving gatherings, but already, based on trends, we are looking at possible beginnings of a winter surge,'' Ferrer said.

She said the county's current average daily rate of new infections has risen to 13 per 100,000 residents, up from 8 per 100,000 residents a week ago.

The seven-day cumulative rate of infections rose to 113 per 100,000, moving the county back into the category of "high'' transmission as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The county was previously in the less-severe "substantial'' transmission category.

MORE: How severe is omicron? Expert says variant's 50 mutations could be its downfall

That category requires a county to have a cumulative seven-day transmission rate of less than 100 cases per 100,000 residents.

Ferrer said the county's case increase was also reflected in schools.

"In the week following the Thanksgiving break, cases among students in particular rose to their highest level since late September,'' Ferrer said. "If, as we suspect, this increase in cases reflects transmission that took place during holiday gatherings, we should consider this an early warning about the upcoming December holiday.''

Ferrer said infections among students are likely due to Thanksgiving gatherings, because transmission at schools remains low thanks to strict infection-control measures on campus, such as regular testing and mandatory mask-wearing.

She acknowledged that with the widespread availability of vaccines and the benefit of more experience preventing and treating infections, the county can be considered to be "much better off'' than last winter.

But she insisted, "all increases in cases are worrisome."

READ ALSO | Traces of omicron found in Southern California sewage, scientists say

"I don't want to downplay the fact that we continue to now be back in what the CDC classifies as the tier of 'high' transmission,'' she said.

"So we have a lot of community transmission going on. And when you have a lot of community transmission going on and there's lots and lots of opportunities of people intermingling, you run the risk of these numbers just continuing to grow. And every time they grow and we see more and more cases, we all know it results unfortunately in a higher number of people that will end up in the hospital and tragically pass away.''

COVID vaccines will likely limit the impact of a major winter surge on hospitals and the county's overall health care system, Ferrer said, noting that while vaccinated people may get infected, they are less likely to become severely ill and require hospitalization.

But she said more people need to get the shots to prevent strain on hospitals.

"There's a lot we all need to do to slow down transmission and that we're obviously not all doing,'' she said, urging vaccinated residents to get booster shots to counter waning immunity from the original shots.

She said five million people in the county are eligible for booster shots, but only 1.6 million booster doses have been administered.

"All of you who are waiting, please don't wait any longer,'' she said. "The boosters are essential to add additional protection.''

The county reported another 15 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, raising the death toll to 27,288.

Another 1,718 new infections were also reported, giving the county a pandemic total of 1,541,886.

According to state figures, there were 667 COVID-19 positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals as of Thursday, the same as Wednesday.

The number of those patients being treated in intensive care was 158, up from 151 a day earlier.

The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 1.4% as of Thursday.

According to the most recent figures, 83% of county residents aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 75% are fully vaccinated. Of all eligible residents aged 5 and over, 77% have received at least one dose, and 69% are fully vaccinated.

Of the more than 6.15 million fully vaccinated people in the county, 84,931 have tested positive, or about 1.38%.

A total of 2,798 vaccinated people have been hospitalized, for a rate of 0.046%, and 537 have died, for a rate of 0.009%.

While the county Department of Public Health has identified a total of four cases of the new omicron variant of COVID-19 -- and Long Beach has confirmed one additional case -- Ferrer said the delta variant remains the dominant strain of the virus in the county, accounting for more than 99% of cases that undergo genetic sequencing.

Ferrer said the county is now conducting sequencing of 25% of all positive cases to identify COVID variants.

Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.

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Doctors weigh COVID-19 impact on children as vaccine drives ramp up - Reuters

JERUSALEM, Dec 9 (Reuters) - One month after her son Eran had recovered from a mild case of COVID-19, Sara Bittan rushed the three-year-old to the emergency room. He had high fever, a rash, his eyes and lower body were swollen and red, his stomach was hurting and he was crying in pain.

Eventually diagnosed with the rare multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), also known as pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome, or PIMS, Eran was hospitalized in October for a week and has fully recovered, Bittan said.

"It is important for me to tell parents, mothers, all over the world that there is a risk. They should know," said Bittan. "He suffered a lot and I suffered with him."

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Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors worldwide are learning more about how the illness impacts children.

While cases of severe illness and death remain far more rare among pediatric patients than adults, tens of thousands of children may struggle with its effects. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites COVID-19 as one of the top-10 causes of death among children age 5 to 11.

A very small portion can suffer badly from complications, such as PIMS, which affects fewer than 0.1% of infected children. "Long COVID" - the persistence of symptoms weeks or months after infection - affects children as well as adults.

A growing number of countries are making COVID-19 vaccines eligible for younger children. The European Union will begin a campaign to inoculate 5- to 11-year-olds next week, while a similar U.S. vaccination drive that began in November appears to be losing momentum.

Doctors hope the knowledge they have gained will not only improve treatment, but also help parents understand the risks of COVID-19 as they consider vaccinating their children.

"Long COVID and PIMS are a major consideration in getting vaccinated," said Liat Ashkenazi-Hoffnung, who heads the post-coronavirus clinic at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel.

PIMS, which typically occurs a few weeks after coronavirus infection, is caused by the immune system suddenly going into overdrive, creating inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, and gastrointestinal organs. Affected children may spend up to two weeks in hospital, some requiring intensive care.

The CDC cited close to 6,000 PIMS cases nationwide, including 52 deaths. It is roughly estimated at 3 cases per 10,000 children, according to Boston Children’s Hospital's Audrey Dionne, about in line with some European statistics and with the Israeli estimate of one in every 3,500 children infected and a fatality rate of 1%-2%.

Singapore's Ministry of Health cites six cases of PIMS among more than 8,000 pediatric COVID-19 cases.

'VERY DISHEARTENED'

Doctors say they have learned how to better treat the condition with most children recovering. UK studies of children six months and one year after PIMS show that most problems had resolved.

"Children from the second wave and now from the third wave (of COVID-19) are benefiting from the information of the first wave," said Karyn Moshal, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

A six-month assessment by Moshal and colleagues published in the Lancet found organ damage to be uncommon in children who were hospitalized with PIMS. Lingering symptoms including mental fatigue and physical weakness often persisted, but resolved with time.

"They get tired more quickly. So schoolwork is affected because they can only concentrate for a shorter period of time," Moshal said. "Understanding this is important both for the families and for the young people because they can get very disheartened, and also for schools and teachers to understand how to deal with it."

Several UK and U.S. studies have found that PIMS is more likely to affect Black, Hispanic and Asian children, although the reasons for that are still unknown.

Identifying long COVID in children presents more of a challenge. Determining its prevalence depends on what symptoms are looked at, and from whom the information is collected - physicians, parents or the children themselves, said Ashkenazi-Hoffnung.

Cautious estimates find about 1% of children with coronavirus will suffer long COVID, said Zachi Grossman, chairman of the Israel Pediatric Association.

Ashkenazi-Hoffnung said her clinic has treated around 200 children for long COVID.

She believes that is likely only the "tip of the iceberg" among previously healthy children and teens, who months after being infected suffer symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, headaches, tremors and dizziness.

"It can dramatically affect quality of life," she said.

Simple actions like climbing stairs, running for a bus or simply standing or walking are intolerable, Ashkenazi-Hoffnung said. Some children have developed asthma-like symptoms or hearing loss, and some toddlers who had been walking reverted to crawling because they were so tired and achy.

Most children do recover with time, she said, aided by physiotherapy and medication. Around 20% are still struggling.

Ashkenazi-Hoffnung and Moshal noted an extra burden observed in children who suffered PIMS or long COVID - a sense of stigma and shame.

"I was quite shocked by this,” said Moshal. "You can't ascribe blame or shame for being infected with a disease."

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Additional reporting by Rami Amichay in Tel Aviv, Hannah Confino and Rinat Harash in Jerusalem; Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore; Alistair Smout and Josephine Mason in London and Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Bill Berkrot

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Pfizer Shot Provides Partial Omicron Shield in Test - Bloomberg Markets and Finance

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