Weekly News From Los Alamos County
December 16, 2022
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Inside this newsletter, you will find...
The Epidemiology Corner - COVID-19 Update, Boosters Authorized for >6 mo., White House Winter Preparedness Plan, Two Sites Available for Free At-Home Test Kits, Updates to Local Testing Sites, Weekly Survey, COVID-19 data, and more.
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COVID-19 Update:
Sharp Decline in Reported Cases in County Likely Not Reflective of Elevated Infection Risk Going Into the Holidays...
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COVID-19 Update: Omicron BQ.1x Variants Dominate as XBB Variant Showing Quick Emergence
Omicron variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 (BQ.1x) continue slowly ascending in predominance and now account for nearly 70% of cases nationwide, according to CDC forecasts. Prevalence of the XBB variant increased 22% from last week, and now accounts for an estimated 7% of cases nationwide. All other variants circulating in the US appear to be stable or descending in prevalence. See HERE Recent laboratory studies suggest that new infection and re-infection risk from BQ.1x and XBB is likely higher than that of any previous Omicron variant See HERE Health authorities expect that indoor gathering during the upcoming holidays will likely lead to increased case transmission, especially given the enhanced antibody resistance of the BQ.1x and XBB variants. Vaccination is demonstrated to be effective and highly recommended to prevent severe disease and hospitalization See HERE, but additional mitigation measures should be considered to reduce infection risks from COVID-19 (as well as flu and RSV) during holiday gatherings. See HERE
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Community Level Risk Remains at LOW
For the week ending December 14, the Community Level remained at LOW for Los Alamos County, as it did for the three other counties (Taos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe) which collectively comprise the regional Health Services Area (HSA) over which CDC hospitalization metrics are calculated. County incidence rates for reported cases declined from 181 to 52 per 100,000 week to week. Rates similarly declined in the three neighboring HSA counties, although to a lesser extent. However, little change was observed in the HSA hospitalization rate, which declined only slightly from 7.9 down to 7.5 new admissions per 100,000. NMDOH reported no new COVID-19 hospital admissions for Los Alamos County residents for the week ending December 12, but did report one COVID-19 death. See https://cv.nmhealth.org/epidemiology-reports/
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Emergency Department Visits for COVID-Like Illness Decline with Fewer Reported Cases
NMDOH reports the percentage of emergency department (ED) visits in county residents for COVID-like illness declined sharply to 3.2% for the two-week period ending December 14. The decline was accompanied by a sharp drop in average daily reported cases for the single week ending December 14. See HERE
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COVID-19 Virus Continues to be Detected in County Wastewater
SARS-Cov-2 virus levels in county wastewater have declined on average over the past several weeks but remain at levels indicative of ongoing disease transmission. For the week of November 28, genomic sequencing of detected virus revealed a nearly 40% prevalence of the BQ.1x variants, with the remainder involving BA.5 variant. See https://biobot.io/data/ The county variant profile data lag the national data presented above by at least two weeks.
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County Seniors Currently at Highest Risk of Reported COVID-19 Infection
Reported case transmission decreased into the first weeks of December for all age groups except seniors (65+), among whom incidence modestly increased over that seen in November. Rates of reported cases in county seniors have been relatively constant since August of 2022, ranging from about 25 to 35 cases per 100,000. This may reflect a more stable reliance on reportable PCR testing by seniors, and if so, suggests that the sharp decline in cases for the week ending December 14 may have more to do with declines in PCR testing than actual declines in virus transmission.
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New Mexicans Encouraged to Self-Report Positive COVID-19 Home Tests
To assist with more complete case monitoring in New Mexico, NMDOH encourages residents to download the NM Notify app and to report positive COVID-19 home tests on the app, or for a fast and easy way to report your at-home test results online, visit https://makemytestcount.org/.
The NMDOH/CDC COVID-19 incidence data reviewed here are based on PCR-confirmed testing results and do not include data on positive at-home antigen tests. As such, case counts are incomplete and underestimated, but by how much cannot be determined precisely at any given time point.
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CDC Expands Updated COVID-19 Vaccines to Include Children Ages 6 Months through 5 Years
Following FDA action, today CDC expanded the use of updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 6 months through 5 years. Children ages 6 months through 5 years who previously completed a Moderna primary series are eligible to receive a Moderna bivalent booster 2 months after their final primary series dose. Children ages 6 months through 4 years who are currently completing a Pfizer primary series will receive a Pfizer bivalent vaccine as their third primary dose.
Updated COVID-19 vaccines are formulated to protect against some of the more recently circulating viruses.
Most importantly, COVID-19 vaccines are critical to providing ongoing protection as immunity wanes and the virus continues to mutate.
The vast majority of children in this age group have not received any doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. CDC is working to increase parent and provider confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and improve uptake among the 95% of children who are not vaccinated or who have not completed the COVID-19 vaccine primary series. Parents should talk to their child’s health care provider to ensure their child is up to date on their COVID-19 and other vaccines.
To view the media release, click HERE!
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Biden Administration Announces COVID-19 Winter Preparedness Plan
Administration to focus efforts on making vaccinations, testing, and treatments even more widely available and accessible as COVID-19 cases increase
Today, the Biden Administration is announcing a plan to stay ahead of an increase in COVID-19 cases this winter. While COVID-19 is not the disruptive force it once was, the virus continues to evolve, and cases are on the rise again as families are spending more time indoors and gathering for the holidays. Throughout the COVID-19 response, this Administration has been prepared for whatever the virus throws our way – and this moment is no different.
The Administration’s COVID-19 Winter Preparedness Plan includes:
Expanding easy access to free COVID-19 testing options in the winter.
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Making free at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests available through www.COVIDTests.gov for a limited round of ordering this winter. Starting today, all U.S. households can order a total of four at-home COVID-19 tests that will be mailed directly to them for free. The Administration will also make tests available to individuals who are blind or have low-vision through this program. People who have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages – 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. E.T., Monday to Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. E.T. on weekends.
- Distributing more free tests to Americans at trusted locations. In addition to continuing to support access to free COVID-19 tests in schools, community health centers, rural health clinics, long-term care facilities, and other convenient locations, the Administration is announcing additional distribution programs to reach people in their communities.
Making vaccinations and treatments readily available to all Americans as cases rise.
- Offering resources and assistance to increase vaccinations and respond to a possible surge. This includes setting up additional mobile and pop-up vaccination sites, surge testing sites, as well as Test to Treat sites where Americans can not only get tested for free, but also can get prescribed and dispensed safe, effective COVID-19 treatments right on site if they test positive and treatment is appropriate for them.
- Collaborating with communities to open pop-up and/or mobile vaccination sites. The Administration has been engaging jurisdictions on the availability of federal resources, including through use of flexible single-dose vials, and will continue to engage state, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders in the weeks ahead.
- Getting additional resources to community health centers and aging and disability networks to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The Administration for Community Living is awarding $125 million to support community-based organizations in the aging and disability networks to hold accessible vaccine clinics and provide in-home vaccinations, transportation, and other supportive services to increase COVID-19 vaccinations for older adults and people with disabilities.
Preparing personnel and resources. Together with states, we will monitor the impacts of variants, cases, and hospitalizations on our communities and – should it become necessary – escalate our support to states and communities.
Readying clinical personnel for deployment as needed to support jurisdictions. The Administration continues to make federal teams and medical personnel available to alleviate strains on hospitals and health care systems through the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the U.S. Public Health Services Corps, and the Department of Defense.
- Pre-positioning critical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile. The U.S. government has hundreds of millions of N-95 masks, billions of gloves, tens of millions of gowns, and over 100,000 ventilators stored in the Strategic National Stockpile—all ready to ship out if and when states need them.
- Closely monitoring emerging variants and assessing their potential impacts on testing, treatments and vaccines. This winter, federal agencies will continue to monitor Omicron subvariants and the spread of any other emerging variants of the virus in the United States. This includes genomic surveillance of specimens from representative populations to detect new variants and to monitor trends in currently circulating variants.
Focusing on protecting the highest-risk Americans. This includes residents of nursing homes and other congregate care facilities, where we know vaccination rates remain too low. This also includes older Americans, individuals who are immunocompromised, disabled individuals, and others who face a higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19.
- Releasing a winter playbook for nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Nursing homes often serve residents at great risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, and congregate care settings have an increased risk of spread of respiratory infections. All facilities should take concrete actions to ensure that every resident is educated on and offered an updated COVID-19 shot; that every resident who tests positive for COVID-19 is evaluated and offered treatment; and that every facility is taking steps to improve its indoor air quality.
- Expanding the pool of providers that may administer COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition to working with their partners, staff at nursing homes will now be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines to all residents. HHS will work with states to launch teams and use partner with their Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), home health agencies, and Emergency Medical Technicians to deliver vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities.
- Reaching out to governors on nursing home vaccinations. CMS leadership will be reaching out to the jurisdictions with the lowest vaccination rates at these long-term care facilities to remind them of what additional steps they can take to increase vaccination rates among seniors and long-term care facility residents.
- Encouraging hospitals to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to patients before discharge.
- Expanding access to high-quality masks in communities. To expand access to these high-quality masks, HHS will offer guidance to participating pharmacies and grocery stores on how they can to work with local health clinics, aging and disability networks, community-based organizations, and health departments to distribute these masks more widely, so that any spare inventory can be utilized through distribution to even more locations.
- Ensuring that every individual has a plan for COVID-19 this winter. CDC has launched a COVID-19 Personal Action Plan, an easy-to-use guide for individuals, caregivers, and clinicians that helps guide individuals through making a plan for where to access free tests, the location of their closest Test to Treat site, and what to ask their provider on treatments if they test positive. The Personal Action Plan helps lay these steps out in an easy-to-use template so that all Americans – especially those at highest risk for severe illness – can decrease the risk of COVID-19 and, if they become infected, have a plan to quickly seek out treatment and avoid its worst outcomes.
To view the entire news release, click HERE.
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Los Alamos Testing Information |
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Free COVID-19 at-home antigen tests available again
The Biden administration announced that starting today, all U.S. households can order a total of four at-home COVID-19 tests that will be mailed directly to them for free. Tests will begin shipping next week and can be ordered HERE.
The Department of Health recommends residents to take advantage of this program while the free at-home antigen tests are available this winter. Residents are encouraged to use an at-home COVID-19 test if they are experiencing symptoms or before gathering with family this winter. Testing is one of our best defenses against spreading COVID-19 and at-home testing provides a safe, convenient way to protect others from the virus.
“Everyone in New Mexico should take advantage of this opportunity to stock up on free at-home COVID-19 tests before the holidays,” said Acting Cabinet Secretary David R Scrase M.D. “It’s also a good idea for families to test before they gather this winter. And remember, if you are sick, stay home and avoid infecting others.”
At-home antigen tests take 15 minutes to complete, offering users a convenient way to check whether they are infected with COVID-19. If you have symptoms, serial testing with an at-home test separated by 48 hours is 90% accurate. Users can follow up with a PCR test from a medical provider or test site at: findatestnm.org to verify results. It is still important to stay home if you have symptoms to prevent the spread of COVID and other respiratory illnesses such as RSV and flu.
Health officials have seen the number of COVID, flu and other respiratory viruses increase following Thanksgiving and anticipate the number may grow higher as more families gather during the winter holiday season.
Additionally, New Mexico residents can still receive mail order free at-home tests through the Rockefeller Foundation’s Project Act program while supplies last at: https://accesscovidtests.org/.
As the holidays quickly approach, DOH would like to remind residents with private insurance, as well as Medicare and Medicaid that they can request reimbursement for up to eight tests per month.
Residents can self-report a positive COVID test at Make My Test Count. The reporting of tests on this site is confidential and no personal information is required to use the site.
For more information on how to stay safe and healthy from COVID-19, visit cv.nmhealth.org.
To view the news release, click HERE.
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Are you ordering your free at-home COVID-19 test kits?
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PCNM COVID-19 testing resumes in Los Alamos until Dec.16, then moves locations; Curative testing service to end
Pathology Consultants of New Mexico (PCNM) has resumed their PCR COVID-19 testing service. Beginning Monday, Dec. 19, PCNM will move their testing site to White Rock Town Hall (139 Long View, White Rock) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
No appointments are necessary, but individuals are asked to bring their insurance card. For those who are uninsured, PCNM does charge $99 per test. PCR test results are provided within 48-72 hours. For more information, visit https://PCNM.com.
Curative rapid PCR testing ended Friday, Dec. 16. The company will be discontinuing all COVID-19 testing services across the country as of December 28, 2022.
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Los Alamos County COVID Testing Resources
Visit the County COVID Page for information regarding testing, click below:
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Los Alamos Vaccine & Booster Information |
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How do I know if I'm eligible for a vaccine or booster?
Follow these links to review the CDC eligibility guidelines:
Where can I get my COVID-19 Vaccine or Omicron booster?
In addition to the clinics that use the NMDOH scheduling site, Los Alamos has other options available. Click below on the vaccine/booster resources website for more information.
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Los Alamos County COVID Vaccine/Booster Resources
Visit the County COVID Page for information regarding vaccinations/boosters, click below:
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CDC COVID Data Tracker - December 16, 2022
To get today's break down of positive case data, demographics information, vaccine status and more for Los Alamos County or other counties across the United States, click HERE
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NMDOH Epidemiology Reports - Daily and Weekly Data
As part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, NMDOH collects and analyzes statewide data for COVID-19 positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. The reports reflect these critical data and are updated weekly - click HERE
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We are listening to you!
Your feedback is helping to shape future newsletters, inform decisions regarding services, and make Los Alamos County healthier and safer. Make sure to participate each week to be heard!
Check out the responses to our last survey:
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Remember, we appreciate your questions! We always try to respond in a timely manner, and if appropriate, we will include those Q&As in future newsletters.
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Have a question? Email us. |
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Los Alamos Treatment Information |
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Los Alamos County COVID Treatment Resources
Visit the County COVID Page for information regarding treatments, click below:
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What else would you like to see in this newsletter?
Click below to email us your feedback and questions!
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