Weekly News From Los Alamos County
October 17, 2022
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Inside this newsletter, you will find...
The Epidemiology Corner - COVID-19 Update:
1) CDC Revises Data to Show New Highly Immune Evasive Omicron Variants Quickly Rising in US;
2) COVID-19 in the County: Sustained Rise in Case Incidence and ED Visits Suggest Fall/Winter BA.5 Wave May Be Emerging;
3) Wastewater Surveillance Reflects Rising Case Transmission in the County;
4) CDC Community Level Remains at LOW for Los Alamos County;
5) Multi-Year Trend Suggests Fall/Winter Increase in County Case Transmission
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COVID-19 Update: New Variants of Concern Emerge in US as County Data Suggest Fall Wave May Soon be Coming
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CDC Revises Data to Show New Highly Immune Evasive Omicron Variants Quickly Rising in US
For the week ending October 15, CDC abruptly revised its variant profile to show that newly tracked Omicron variants BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BA.2.75.2 are quickly gaining ground in the US and outcompeting the predominant variant BA.5. They now account for over 10 percent off all US cases. See HERE. Laboratory studies indicate these new Omicron variants have the highest level of immune evasion yet observed and each has been linked with rising case transmission in Europe and elsewhere. See HERE.
The BQ.1.1 variant is of particular concern since its very high contagiousness is coupled with near complete resistance to antibody therapies, including evusheld and bebtelovimab. See HERE. Fortunately, since all the new variants are Omicron offspring, existing COVID-19 vaccines and anti-viral therapeutics should still provide effective protective against severe disease and hospitalization. See HERE.
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COVID-19 in the County: Sustained Rise in Case Incidence and ED Visits Suggest Fall/Winter BA.5 Wave May Be Emerging
An average of 3-4 cases per day have been registered in the county through the first two weeks of October compared to 1-2 cases per day during the later part of September. According to the NMDOH, 6.7 percent of all emergency department (ED) visits for the two weeks ending October 11 were for COVID-like illness, which is an increase over the 5.3 percent value seen for the preceding two-week period ending October 4. See HERE. The rise in reported COVID-19-related ED visits is consistent with the rising case incidence seen over the past several weeks. A similar pattern preceded this past summer’s BA.5 variant wave, which took about 6-8 weeks to fully emerge. Wastewater surveillance, as of the end of September, indicates that BA.5 is still the predominant variant circulating in the county, and health authorities believe that waning immunity and relaxation of COVID-19 mitigation measures have the potential to spark another COVID-19 wave going into the Fall/Winter.
CDC recommends that all eligible persons 5+ years and older receive the new bivalent booster vaccine, which provides added protection particularly against the BA.5 variant. See HERE. Early clinical trials data in adults 18+ years indicate that the bivalent booster can significantly increase protective antibodies towards BA.5. See HERE.
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Wastewater Surveillance Reflects Rising Case Transmission in the County
Virus continues to be detected in county municipal wastewater and levels have roughly doubled over the past several weeks with rising case transmission. The CDC contractor Biobot reports that the BA.5 variant represented nearly all virus detected and genetically sequenced during the week of September 28, the most recent time period for which data are available. See https://biobot.io/data/.
Given the rapid growth of new variants nationwide, it is likely the variant profile in the county reflects the national genomic surveillance profile, which includes the new Omicron variants of very high concern.
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CDC Community Level Remains at LOW for Los Alamos County
For the week ending October 11, the CDC Community Level for the county remains at LOW. New COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 declined to 3.3 from the prior week’s value of 4.1, indicating a favorable change but still marking that severe disease is occurring at modest levels in the four-county Health Services Area (HSA) population. Declining case incidence trends have ceased in all four counties in the HSA, with rates now ranging between 100 to 200 cases per 100,000. This level of incidence is roughly twice as high as that observed in March-April 2022.
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Multi-Year Trend Suggests Fall/Winter Increase in County Case Transmission
October is the beginning of the cold/flu season and COVID-19 case transmission in the county increased each of the past two years going into the fall and through the winter. Furthermore, new Omicron variants now emerging in the US have the potential to drive a new wave of infection as is being seen in Europe and elsewhere. Also, CDC has warned of a possible severe flu season this year and that you cannot tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 by the symptoms alone because they have some of the same signs and symptoms. Specific testing is needed to tell what the illness is and to confirm a diagnosis. Having a medical professional administer a specific test that detects both flu and COVID-19 allows you to get diagnosed and treated for the specific virus you have more quickly. Getting treated early for COVID-19 and flu can reduce your risk of getting very sick. See HERE.
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NOTE: The COVID-19 incidence data reviewed here are based on PCR-confirmed testing results compiled by CDC and NMDOH and do not include data on positive at-home antigen tests. As such, case counts are likely underestimated, but how much cannot be determined at any given time point.
To assist with more complete case monitoring in New Mexico, NMDOH provides for online reporting of positive at-home antigen results HERE.
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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:
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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 - October 14, 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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Have a question? Email us. |
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Los Alamos Testing Information |
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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 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?
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