Covid variant Eris causes summer surge as mask mandate returns spark debate – latest

A mini-wave of Covid cases has swept across parts of the US causing hospitalisations to increase by 39 per cent since the end of July.

The wave is being fueled by the newest dominant variant EG.5, nicknamed “Eris”, which is a subvariant of Omicron.

Eris was first detected in the US in April and contains a mutation that helps it evade antibodies from previous infections or vaccinations. Despite this, the subvariant does not seem to cause any more severe illness than previous strains and responds to treatment medications.

The rise in cases has caused several schools and healthcare companies to reinstate mask mandates leading to fierce debate.

Vaccine developers are now working to update and test a new Covid booster that will target Omicron specifically which experts say could help reduce the spread of the new variant and prevent severe illness

Officials in the Center for Disease Control (CDC) believe the new vaccine will be available in mid-late September once it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

CDC Covid tracker

15,067 hospitalisations from 13 August to 19 August

Covid positivity

13:57 , Ariana Baio

Can dogs really detect Covid-19 infections faster

13:00 , Ariana Baio

Dogs can detect Covid-19 faster and more accurately than a PCR test, a new study shows.

Researchers looked at the ability of canines to recognise the virus and its variants, even when they are obscured by other viruses, like those from common colds and flu.

Read here

Long Covid ‘brain fog’ can last for years, scientists find

11:00 , Ariana Baio

Brain fog associated with long Covid may last for years, new research has suggested.

Patients who suffered Covid-19 symptoms for 12 weeks were worst affected by the disease in terms of their memory, attention, reasoning and processing speed, according to a study of 3,000 people.

Rebecca Thomas reports:

Covid and flu autumn jabs sped up as fears grow over new BA.2.86 variant

10:00 , Ariana Baio

The roll-out of flu and Covid-19 vaccines for autumn has been sped up as fears grow over the new BA.2.86 coronavirus variant.

Vaccinations are now set to start on 11 September in England, with adult care home residents and those most at risk, those aged 65 and over, and health and social care staff and carers, to receive their jabs first.

The annual flu vaccine will also be given to these groups at the same time, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

The roll-out of flu vaccines was originally planned to begin in October – a month later than planned – to coincide with the roll-out of Covid booster jabs. But GP practices warned the delay would cause “chaos” and put vulnerable people at risk ahead of a difficult winter.

What is the new Covid variant BA.2.86

09:00 , Ariana Baio

Cases of a new variant of Covid-19 that has a larger number of mutations than normal have sparked fears of a wave of infections this summer.

The variant, known as BA.2.86, is being closely monitored by the World Health Organisation.

The first case of the strain in the UK was detected in London and announced on Friday. It is the fifth case found worldwide so far, with others recently found in Denmark, Israel and the US.

The WHO and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) placed BA.2.86 on their monitoring lists on Thursday as hospital admissions for Covid continue to rise in the UK.

Nearly 2 million deaths followed China’s abrupt end to Covid restrictions – study

07:00 , Ariana Baio

China‘s abrupt decision to end its stringent Covid-19 restrictions led to nearly two million excess deaths in just two months, according to a new US study.

The study by the federally-funded Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle found an estimated 1.87 million excess deaths from all causes occurred among people over 30 years of age between December 2022 and January 2023.

The paper, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, said that the deaths were observed in all provinces in mainland China except Tibet.

China in December last year removed its “zero-Covid”, which aimed at stopping the spread of virus by imposing strict lockdowns, mass testing and other regulations.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:

‘Succession’ star Brian Cox pulls out of event after getting Covid

05:00 , Ariana Baio

Brian Cox, the star of the hit show Succession, said he has contracted Covid-19, again.

Cox, who was meant to attend the March and Rally for Independent Scotland in the EU, and give a speech, was forced to pull out of the event.

“I am absolutely gutted to have to miss the Believe in Scotland rally which seems to be building into a pivotal moment for the independence movement,” Cox said, according to The National.

“I was looking forward tremendously to joining the grassroots independence organisers and supporters and an inspiring list of speakers on Saturday for this positive celebration of the independence movement. I would very much like to attend the Believe in Scotland March and Rally planned for early next year so I will work with the organisers to fit that into my schedule,” he added.

X community note fact-checks Trump claims of Covid lockdown

03:00 , Ariana Baio

Covid and flu autumn jabs sped up as fears grow over new BA.2.86 variant

01:00 , Ariana Baio

The roll-out of flu and Covid-19 vaccines for autumn has been sped up as fears grow over the new BA.2.86 coronavirus variant.

Martha McHardy reports:

Covid and flu autumn jabs sped up as fears grow over new BA.2.86 variant

Everything we know about EG. 5, the Covid subvariant dominating the US

Thursday 31 August 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio

A new variant of Covid-19 that now accounts for almost one-fifth of cases in the United States is causing a small rise in hospitalisations, health officials have warned.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

Covid symptoms: Everything we know about the Covid subvariant EG. 5

Should we wear masks again?

Thursday 31 August 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio

The uptick of Covid transmissions this summer has raised questions about whether or not certain safety measures such as wearing masks should be brought back.

Several companies and schools nationwide decided to reinstate Covid mask mandates in light of the rising hospitalisations including Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Lionsgate headquarters in Los Angeles, Kaiser Permanente across all California locations, and several hospitals in the state of New York. Workers and attendees at these locations are now required to wear masks upon entry.

“It is ticking up a little bit, but it’s not something that we need to raise any alarm bells over,” Dr David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the Seattle Times. Although many health experts like Dr Dowdy don’t believe people have cause to worry, some have expressed their concerns.

While many people have forgone wearing masks, UC San Francisco infectious diseases expert, Dr Peter Chin-Hong, cautioned the Los Angeles Times that swearing off masks for good would put people at higher risk of contracting the virus, elaborating: “Right now, when things are heating up all around the country with Covid, you might want to think about [masking at] public transit and airports.”

White House says Covid increase ‘not surprising'

Thursday 31 August 2023 21:00 , Ariana Baio

During Thursday’s White House Press Briefing, the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the recent increase in Covid cases was “not surprising” given the last three summers have shown a similar trend.

“While CDC is reporting an increase in infections as you all know, and hospitals, admissions, overall levels remain low, which is important. The US has experienced increases in COVID-19 during the last three summers, so it’s not surprising that we’re seeing this uptick,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.

Ms Jean-Pierre said the White House would be encouraging Americans to get vaccinated once the new booster shots become available. The White House plans to share more information about the boosters once they begin rolling them out in mid-September.

Highly mutated Covid variant found in new countries as scientists urge careful monitoring

Thursday 31 August 2023 20:30 , Ariana Baio

A new highly mutated coronavirus variant has been detected in Switzerland and South Africa, prompting scientists to raise alarm bells over a possible explosion of Covid-19 cases.

The Omicron offshoot, called BA.2.86, carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5 – the dominant variant through most of 2023.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) last week said it was “monitoring” the new strain after a small number of cases related to the strain were found in Israel, Denmark, Britain and the US.

The strain was first spotted in Denmark on 24 July after the virus from a patient at risk of becoming severely ill was sequenced. It has since been detected in other symptomatic patients, in routine airport screening, and in wastewater samples in a handful of countries.