Category: Infection

At least six people have died on the East Coast this summer after being infected with “flesh-eating” bacteria in warming waters. Health officials say two people in Connecticut, one person in New York and three in North Carolina died in July and August from Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially deadly bacterium. The U.S typically sees a handful of deaths in Gulf states, but it’s rare for deaths to be spiking in East Coast states. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory to warn doctors, laboratories and public health departments to be on the lookout for these infections. “The sky is not falling, but be careful, pay attention and take it seriously if you have an infection and get it treated,” Dr. Rita Colwell, a microbiologist and marine expert at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, told ABC News. Vibrio bacteria cause an estimated 80,000 illnesses each year in the U.S., according to the CDC. In particular, Vibrio vulnificus can lead to life-threatening infections. Between 150 and 200 infections are reported to the CDC every year with about one in five people dying — often within a day or two of becoming ill, the agency said. A Vibrio Vulnificus bacterium. Universal Images Group via Getty Images These bacteria are naturally occurring in saltwater and brackish waters and more abundant in the summer months, between May and October. “Most often than not, this bacterium is going to have a coastal origin, meaning that somebody would visit coastal waters for recreation, they may have a wound or like exposed skin,” Dr. Antarpreet Jutla, an associate professor in the department of environmental engineering science at the University of Florida, told ABC News. “And then these bacteria basically get into those holes and then a person can get infected.” Eating raw or undercooked shellfish such as oysters that live in coastal waters can also increase the risk of an infection caused by Vibrio vulnificus. Symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus infection can include fever, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and watery diarrhea. For those who have a bloodstream infection, symptoms include fever, chills, low blood pressure and blistering skin lesions, For a wound infection, a patient might have redness, pan, swelling, warmth, fever discoloration, and discharge. Those with wound infections can suffer necrotizing fasciitis, which is when the flesh around an open wound dies. Treatment involves antibiotics and replacing liquids lost through diarrhea. Necrotizing fasciitis can sometimes lead to limb amputation. Many of the infections in Connecticut, New York and North Carolina were contracted due to open wounds that were exposed to coastal waters, according to the CDC. Some of the infections were due consuming of raw or undercooked seafood — and other infections had unclear origins. To reduce the risk, health officials recommend people stay out of saltwater and brackish water if they have an open wound. If an open wound does come into contact with this water, wash the wound thoroughly with clean, running water and soap. Additionally, avoid eating or coming into contact with raw shellfish. “If you got cut and it’s healed over, that’s not a problem,” Tessa Getchis, an extension educator with Connecticut Sea Grant & University of Connecticut Extension, told ABC News. “If it’s an open wound, they want to wait until that wound is closed.” She added that it’s not enough to cover the wound with a waterproof bandage and that people with open wounds should avoid the water completely. Jutla said that with more populations settling along the coasts and warming temperatures making coastal waters warmer for longer, it could be an issue in the future. He and a team of researchers at the University of Florida sampled water in the Fort Myers region after Hurricane Ian in 2020 and found “extensive sampling” of Vibrio vulnificus, even after four weeks of sampling. With the recent passing of Hurricane Idalia in southern states, experts say that floodwaters and storm surges may leave an opportunity for people to become infected with Vibrio vulnificus. “If I were in that region, I would not wander around in flooded waters,” Jutla said. “I would be very careful in in in going to sea water coastal waters .”

Topline The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert Friday warning healthcare professionals to be on the lookout for fatal infections of the “flesh-eating bacteria” Vibrio vulnificus, as warmer waters and Hurricane Idalia may cause a spike in cases. Key Facts Vibrio vulnificus can be contracted by eating raw seafood like oysters, or if an open wound comes into contact with raw seafood or its drippings, salt water or brackish water—a mix between fresh and salt water. At least five people died from fatal vibrio infections in New York, Connecticut and North Carolina between July and August, according to the CDC report, while the Florida Department of Health reported 26 cases and five deaths statewide between January and August. There have been three confirmed cases since July 1 in Connecticut: All three patients were hospitalized and between the ages of 60 and 80, while two confirmed they swam in brackish water in Long Island Sound and the third consumed out-of-state raw oysters, though only one died, according to the state Department of Public Health. Only one fatal case was identified in New York while three fatal cases were reported in North Carolina, where two people were exposed to brackish water in North Carolina and another eastern state while the third person was exposed to brackish North Carolina water and ate personally caught seafood, state officials said. The bacteria live in coastal waters, naturally separate from shellfish during hotter months and populate in the warm water, so the CDC advised in its health alert to avoid open water if people have an open wound or cut. Hurricanes, storm surges and floods also increase exposure to the bacteria by bringing the coastal waters inland, like in 2022, when 38 cases and 11 vibriosis-related deaths were reported after Hurricane Ian. What To Watch For Though no vibrio cases have been reported since Hurricane Idalia, Florida Department of Health press secretary Jae Williams told NBC the state began warning residents of potential infection “as soon as the state of emergency was declared.” Crucial Quote “People should consider the potential risk of consuming raw oysters and exposure to salt or brackish water and take appropriate precautions,” Manisha Juthani, the Connecticut Department of Health commissioner said. Big Number 80,000. That’s how many Americans the CDC estimates get a vibrio infection each year, resulting in 100 deaths. Key Background Though anyone can get sick from the bacteria, the elderly and people who have diabetes, HIV, liver disease, thalassemia or cancer are the most at risk of developing severe complications. People who had recent stomach surgery, take medicine to reduce stomach acid and receive immune-supressing therapy also face a risk. Vibrio symptoms include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fever and vomiting. Wound infection symptoms include pain, swelling, redness, discharge, discoloration and warmth. Blood infection symptoms may present as chills, fever, blistering skin infection or dangerously low blood pressure. Though there’s no cure for vibrio infection, antibiotics and other treatments are used to treat skin infection from spreading and other symptoms, like shock. These treatments include fluid drainage, cleaning dead skin from wounds, oxygen therapy, medication for low pressure, intravenous fluids and potential amputation. There’s about a one in four chance a vibrio wound infection will turn fatal, researchers report. Sometimes, infection can turn into necrotizing fasciitis, a severe, “flesh-eating” infection that causes the skin around a wound to die. In other severe cases, vibrio infection can lead to septicemia, a very fatal bloodstream infection that can lead to sepsis, which only has a 50% survival rate. Tangent U.S. vibrio infections on the East Coast have increased over the past 30 years, rising from 10 infections a year in 1988 to 80 in 2018, according to research published in March in Scientific Reports. Infections north of Georgia used to be rare and were typically localized to the southern Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. However, the researchers pointed to warmer weather and an aging population as the causes for an increase in cases on the East Coast. They predicted cases could spike as high as 140 and 200 cases on the East Coast every year by the end of the century. The U.S. experienced a record-breaking summer this year, seeing over 6,500 daily heat records and sometimes fatally hot temperatures. Parts of the North Atlantic ocean witnessed a category four marine heat wave in July, causing periods of unusually extreme temperatures and warm waters. Ocean temperatures were warming up 24% faster last decade compared to previous ones, according to a 2019 study published in Science. Further Reading Flesh-Eating Bacteria Are Migrating Up The East Coast As Climate Change Warms Sea, Scientists Say (Forbes) What Warmer Oceans Mean For The Environment—From Dangerous Storms To Severe Flooding (Forbes) Record-Breaking Summer: Over 6,500 Daily U.S. Heat Records Fell—Here Are The Biggest Ones (Forbes)

A number of cases of flesh-eating Vibrio vulnificus infection has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a health advisory to doctors, laboratories and health departments to be on the alert for such bacterial infections and to see that treatment is provided quickly. The V. vulnificus bacteria can cause severe wound and foodborne infections. The Washington Post reported that 13 people died recently from V. vulnificus infections, which can come from undercooked shellfish or from contact with the bacteria from open wounds — even very small ones. And the geographic area where the bacteria lurk is spreading, experts say. This year, of confirmed deaths linked to the bacterial infection, seven have been in Florida, three in North Carolina, two in Connecticut and one in New York, the Post reported. “Many of these infections were acquired after an open wound was exposed to coastal waters in those states. Some of these infections were associated with consumption of raw or undercooked seafood or had unclear etiology,” per the CDC. People can also be infected through undercooked shellfish that comes from areas where the bacteria can be found, so the geographic risk is not limited to coastal regions. CNN reported that “during July and August, as the U.S. saw widespread heatwaves and above-average coastal sea surface temperatures,” more people were infected. Diagnosis and treatment must be swift because of the speed with which the infection advances, per the CDC. About Vibrio infections Infections from different species of Vibrio bacteria are common, causing about 80,000 illnesses — most often diarrhea — in the U.S. alone each year. But Vibrio vulnificus is an entirely different story for its ability to cause what the CDC calls “life-threatening infections.” The CDC notes there are about 150-200 of those infections reported each year — and 20% of those infected died, “sometimes within 1-2 days of becoming ill.” Vibrio bacteria naturally live in coastal waters, including salt water. Typically, infections occur when people eat raw or undercooked shellfish. Oysters are especially prone to harboring the bacteria. Infections also occur when an open wound is exposed to salt water or brackish water that harbors Vibrio. An open wound exposed to undercooked or raw seafood can lead to infection, too. “Open wounds include those from a recent surgery, piercing, tattoo, and other cuts or scrapes — including those acquired during aquatic activity. Extreme weather events, such as coastal floods, hurricanes and storm surges, can force coastal waters into inland areas, putting people that are exposed to these waters — especially evacuees who are older or have underlying health conditions — at increased risk for Vibrio wound infections,” the advisory says. LiveScience reported that while infection is more common on the Gulf Coast, “increased coastal sea surface temperatures and widespread heatwaves this summer have coincided with the reported infections across the East Coast. Indeed, rising coastal water temperatures associated with climate change have been previously linked with increasing rates of Vibrio infections.” CDC reported that the range of V. vulnificus infections has spread north about 30 miles a year between 1988 and 2018 as temperatures have increased. And the number of infections in the East has increased eightfold. There are no known cases of person-to-person transmission. Wound infections take off quickly and kill skin and soft tissue, including muscles and nerves. Those infected may need surgery and intensive care. The bacteria have developed some antibiotic resistance, meaning treatment doesn’t always work to kill the bacteria once someone is infected, so prevention is vital. Staying safe To avoid exposure to what can be a deadly infection, the CDC recommends: Stay out of salt water or brackish water if you have any open wound or cut. If you get cut in the water, leave it immediately. If open wounds touch salt water, brackish water, or raw or undercooked seafood, wash them thoroughly with soap and clean running water. Then cover them entirely with a waterproof bandage. Cook raw oysters and other shellfish before eating them. Always wash with soap and water after handling raw shellfish. Seek medical care immediately for infected wounds.

A systematic review and meta-analysis found resistance to cefiderocol was low overall but “alarmingly high” among certain types of carbapenem-resistant bacteria, Greek researchers reported late last week in Clinical Microbiology and Infection. Sold under the brand name Fetroja, cefiderocol is a cephalosporin antibiotic with a novel method of penetrating the tough outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug-resistant pathogens. Approved for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 and for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia in 2020, cefiderocol is considered a last-resort option for carbapenem-resistant bacterial infections. Higher resistance in certain carbapenem-resistant isolates With resistance to cefiderocol being increasingly reported, researchers from the University of Crete set out to estimate the global cefiderocol non-susceptibility (CFDC-NS) in clinical isolates of the gram-negative pathogens considered to be among the most serious antimicrobial resistance threats: Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The 78 studies they reviewed included 82,035 clinical isolates from Europe (50%), the Americas (33%), and the Western Pacific Region (17%). CFDC-NS was low overall but varied by species, with a rate of 8.8% for A baumannii, 3% for Enterobacterales, 1.4% for P aeruginosa, and 0.4% for S maltophilia. And while cefiderocol appeared to retain relatively good activity against carbapenem-resistant bacteria overall, CFDC-NS was much higher in carbapenem-resistant A baumannii (13.2%) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (12.4%) and significantly higher in New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM)–producing A baumannii (44.7%), NDM–producing Enterobacterales, and cefatazidime/avibactam-resistant Enterobacterales (36.6%). Among other limitations, the study authors note that CFDC-NS varied by breakpoint definition, with the FDA, Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), and the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) all having different susceptibility thresholds. “Antimicrobial stewardship, infection control and continued surveillance at the local level, as well as regular updating and reporting of global CFDC-NS estimates, are imperative for preventing or delaying emerging resistance against cefiderocol,” they wrote. “Harmonization of EUCAST and CLSI breakpoints would help such efforts.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research from The Ohio State University College of Medicine finds COVID-19 vaccine mandates are highly effective at reducing the spread of the virus and increasing immunity in a university setting. The study, published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, found net viral loads among all community members declined after university vaccine requirements went into effect. Masking, isolation and antibodies from getting sick weren’t enough to decrease infection rates. “Before the vaccine was required, the virus was becoming more concentrated in saliva and easier to spread to vulnerable populations like young children and older adults,” said Richard Robinson, PhD, principal investigator and associate professor in the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity. “Once the requirements were in place, we saw on average a 100% decrease in virus in saliva and up to 12,000% increase in antibody levels to block its spread.” Researchers looked at data generated as part of The Ohio State University’s COVID monitoring program, which occurred from August 2020 to June 2022. As part of this program, saliva specimens were collected on a weekly basis from asymptomatic students, staff and faculty. More than 850,000 diagnostic COVID tests were performed. “The COVID monitoring program focused on asymptomatic adults for several reasons,” Robinson said. “Asymptomatic infections are more common in young adults, asymptomatic individuals would still spread the virus and the isolation of symptomatic individuals alone wasn’t enough to flatten the curve of COVID infections.” Six Ohio State campuses in Columbus, Newark, Mansfield, Lima, Marion and Wooster participated in the monitoring program. The data found COVID positivity in asymptomatic adults occurred in waves which mirrored the infection rates in the regions surrounding the university campuses and were driven by newly emerging variants such as Delta and Omicron. “At the time, there was growing concern that college students were creating new waves and peaks in infection when they would return to communities after distance learning and breaks in their education, but that wasn’t the case,” Robinson said. “The rates of infection were already increasing when classes resumed, even in rural areas.” Additionally, researchers explored the causes of breakthrough infections in vaccinated people. They compared the antibody responses of uninfected vaccinated people with those of infected vaccinated people. The study found breakthrough infections in vaccinated people were not due to an absence of antibodies but depend on antibody levels at the time of exposure, the neutralizing ability of the antibodies and the amount of virus to which the person is exposed. Future research will focus on the conditions that make people more resistant to COVID infection. Other researchers involved in this study were Marlena R. Merling, Amanda Williams, Najmus S. Mahfooz, Marisa Ruane-Foster, Jacob Smith, Jeff Jahnes, Leona W. Ayers, MD, Jose A. Bazan, DO, Alison Norris, MD, PhD, Abigail Norris Turner, PhD, Michael Oglesbee, DVM, PhD, Seth A. Faith, PhD, and Mikkel B. Quam. ### Media Contact: Serena Smith, Wexner Medical Center Media Relations, [email protected]

The fusion peptide on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has a larger role in COVID-19 infection than previously thought, according to the results of a recent study published in Structure. Steven Van Doren, a molecular biologist at the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources—alongside other researchers at the University of Missouri—discovered that the fusion peptide is a consistent feature on all SARS-CoV-2 viral spike proteins.1 Image credit: BillionPhotos.com | stock.adobe.com “Throughout the evolution of this virus, the fusion peptide endured despite all the mutations and variants that we kept on hearing about in the news,” Van Doren said in a press release. “It’s too critically important for infection for it to be modified.”2 The fusion peptide sits at the N terminus of the spike protein’s S2 summit. The spike protein is what binds the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the human host cell; the fusion peptide is what facilitates this bond, which leads to infection transmission.1 This could explain why “the fusion peptide is the most preserved part of the whole viral spike,” Van Doren said in the press release.2 During the study, investigators looked at how the fusion peptide, most likely folded with 42 residues (Ser816-Gly857)—a residue being an amino acid that characterizes a certain polypeptide or protein—punctures the host cell membrane lipid bilayer leading to cell fusion. The study aims to identify insertion mechanisms and measure disturbances in the host lipid bilayer using magnetic resonance.1,2 Advertisement At analysis, investigators discovered that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can effectively enter human cells via the endocytic pathway, which has a lower pH range (5 to 6.5) and low-calcium conditions (0.3 to 30 μM).1 The fusion peptide was also observed to prefer attaching to areas of negative charge (anionic) outside the host cell membrane, influencing viral transmission, infectivity, membrane fusion, and cell-cell fusion. Study authors note that different anionic residues may represent different viral strains. Finally, investigators discovered that the fusion peptide may insert itself deeply into a host membrane, despite appearing to only have shallow insertion.1 Authors note study limitations, including choice of lipid. The team used bilayered micelles (bicelles) to study the role of the fusion peptide. Bicelles have a simpler lipid composition that does not include cholesterol, anionic lipids, curvature-inducing head groups, and specific acyl chains.1 Ultimately, Van Doren noted in the press release that protein functionality and process remain a source of great interest in his research. “How proteins work has been something that has stuck with me for decades now—I’d say going on almost 40 years,” Van Doren said in the press release. “I love what protein molecules look like and what they can do.”2 Van Doren noted further that the recent novel findings around the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein’s role in COVID-19 infection could be applied to the vaccine setting. However, to this end, it will be important to more fully understand how the fusion peptide inserts itself into cells, which could help with identifying targets for the development of COVID-19 vaccines.1,2 “There may be many strategies for crossing membranes, but it’s conceivable that the fusion peptide work could help further development of more ways to cross cellular membranes, which could be useful to deliver therapeutics through cell membranes,” Van Doren said in the press release.2 References Van Doren SR, Scott BS, Koppisetti RK. SARS-CoV-2 fusion peptide sculpting of a membrane with insertion of charged and polar groups. Structure. August 24, 2023. Accessed on August 28, 2023. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969212623002782?dgcid=author Perrett C. Mapping the coronavirus spike protein could provide insight into vaccine development. University of Missouri. News Release. August 24, 2023. Accessed on August 28, 2023. https://showme.missouri.edu/2023/mapping-the-coronavirus-spike-protein-could-provide-insight-into-vaccine-development/

COVID-19 certainly didn’t take a vacation this summer. Virus levels in the US have been on the rise for weeks, but it’s hard to know exactly how widely it’s spreading. Federal data suggests that the current increases have stayed far below earlier peaks and notable surges. But judging by word of mouth among family, friends and coworkers, it can seem like everyone knows someone who’s sick with COVID-19 right now. “We have several folks down with COVID, unfortunately,” one health-focused nonprofit told CNN when seeking comment for this story. Rates of severe disease may be staying at relatively low levels, but experts agree that there are probably more infections than the current surveillance systems can capture. “There is more transmission out there than what the surveillance data indicates,” said Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. “And we should be paying attention to it, because we are starting to see an increase.” SEE ALSO: First lady Jill Biden experiencing ‘mild symptoms’ after testing positive for COVID From 2020 to 2022, the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation produced regular estimates of COVID-19 case rates and projections for trends. But the research institute paused that modeling in December. All of the measures that factored into the model had stopped being reported or had changed in some way, said Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences and chief strategy officer of population health at the University of Washington. “The surveillance system was not adequate anymore to capture changes in COVID-19,” he said. “We felt that the margin of error became really too big for us to make a prediction that we could stand by and defend.” Mokdad declined to quantify an estimate for current case counts, but he said he’s been getting lots of calls and questions about COVID-19 recently — similar to what he experienced around the end of last year. In mid-December, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was reporting about 500,000 cases a week. And IHME estimates from that time suggest that the US was in one of the worst waves of the pandemic, second only to the Omicron surge. Two imperfect measures of transmission Tracking COVID-19 trends has always had its challenges. But the rise of rapid home tests — and general waning of public interest in testing at all — has all but erased the ability to grasp current case counts nationwide. The CDC officially stopped reporting aggregate COVID-19 case counts months ago, noting that data had become less representative of actual infections or transmission levels over time. As case counts started to become less reliable, some experts first pointed to hospitalization metrics as a reasonable substitute to gauge transmission. Hospitals were regularly testing all patients, whether they were coming in for COVID-related symptoms or for something else entirely, and they are required to report positive cases. The idea was that case rates in a hospital could serve as a proxy for case rates in the broader community. There were about 15,000 new hospital admissions for COVID-19 in the week ending August 19, according to CDC data — less than half of what the numbers were at this time last year and lower than they were for about 80% of the pandemic. But hospitals have shifted their testing practices, balancing changing federal requirements and recommendations with local risk assessments, which makes it difficult to compare data from different points in time. “When testing supplies first were readily available, we moved to testing everyone, including health care workers routinely, including anybody who was coming in the door for any reason,” said Nancy Foster, vice president of quality and patient safety for the American Hospital Association. “Anybody and everybody got tested.” MORE: Updated COVID-19 shot likely to be available mid-September Although hospitals are still required to report any positive cases, they’ve eased back on testing to be more in line with guidance around other infectious diseases. The focus is on those who are symptomatic, have been exposed or might be around other high-risk patients. “Hospital admissions is much more of an indication of severity at this point in time, than I think it is of generalized transmission,” Hamilton said. Many measures of COVID-19 and other public health surveillance rely on people to seek out clinical testing or medical treatment, and those behaviors have changed over the past few years. Wastewater surveillance offers a more consistent approach by monitoring the amount of virus shed in sewage systems. But interpreting that data can be complicated — and with COVID, wastewater levels can’t be directly translated to case counts. The amount of virus that an infected person sheds depends on a many factors, including the presence of antibodies from a vaccine or previous infection and the severity of the current infection. Data from Biobot Analytics, a biotechnology firm that has partnered with the CDC, shows that wastewater concentrations of the coronavirus are similar to what they were at the start of the first winter surge in 2020. But now that the vast majority of people in the US have some immunity to COVID-19 through vaccination, infection or both, those same viral concentrations could translate to a larger number of infected individuals with milder — but still contagious — infections. The upward trend is clear Even if the exact number of new infections isn’t clear, experts say, the rising trends in the data that is available are enough to raise alarm. “Surveillance data is across a continuum. We want to have multiple different types of data that tell us different kinds of things. When they’re all pointing in the same direction, that’s maybe a time to get even more concerned,” Hamilton said. And right now, many key measures are indicating an increase. Weekly hospital admissions have nearly doubled over the past month, including a 19% bump in the most recent week, CDC data shows. And a sample of laboratories participating in a federal surveillance program show that test positivity rates have tripled

Chances are, someone close to you or in your periphery has recently gotten COVID-19. Cases and hospitalizations are trending upward as new variants of the virus have emerged. Data show hospitalizations in the U.S. are not anywhere near the levels seen during the worst surges of the pandemic. (Credit: CDC) Still, with new variants come new concerns about the severity of symptoms, the effectiveness of the upcoming vaccines, and what fall and winter might look like if a surge is around the corner. Here’s what we know from health experts and current data. What are the dominant COVID-19 variants right now? New lineages of the Omicron variant that first popped up in November 2021 continue to emerge and spread nationally and globally. Omicron subvariant EG.5, which some health experts nicknamed “Eris,” is the dominant strain, accounting for an estimated 21.5% of cases in the country for the two weeks leading up to Sept. 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eris held about 18% of cases during the previous two weeks. FL.1.5.1 is the second-largest strain, holding 14.5% of infections in the U.S. as of Sept. 2. During the previous two weeks, FL.1.5.1 accounted for 9.5% of COVID infections. What about the new variant BA.2.86? A highly mutated variant called BA.2.86 has caught the attention of health experts around the globe. “We have not seen a new variant [in humans] with this many new spike mutations happening all at once since the emergence of the original Omicron,” Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, told NBC News in August. As of Aug. 30, there were 24 confirmed cases of BA.2.86 throughout the world, including three in the United States, one of whom tested positive at Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, Virginia, through the CDC’s Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance. Ten others who tested positive for the variant were in Denmark, four were in Sweden, two were in South Africa, two were in Portugal, one was in Canada, one was in Israel and one was in the UK, the CDC said. “One of the reasons WHO and other viral evolution people were concerned about this is because it seemed to pop up in four different continents at once, and that suggests it’s widely distributed,” said Dr. Jesse Goodman, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Georgetown University Medical Center. Outside of those confirmed cases, the CDC says wastewater samples taken from Ohio and New York have indicated the presence of the BA.2.86 variant. While the CDC and World Health Organization say they’re monitoring BA.2.86, it’s still too soon to know how well it can spread. “Detection across multiple continents suggests some degree of transmissibility,” the CDC said. “This is notable since scientists have not detected broad international spread of many other highly diverged lineages, which can arise in immunocompromised persons with prolonged infections.” Where do we stand with case rates and hospitalizations from COVID-19? Since most tests are now done at home and go unreported, individual cases of COVID-19 are harder to track. But health experts say they’ve noticed an uptick in patients with the virus. Goodman, who is a physician at three hospitals in the D.C. area, said he’s seen an increase in COVID-19 patients in the past several weeks. “I think just generally, and also talking to my colleagues, whereas a few months ago we weren’t seeing much, we didn’t have many COVID patients hospitalized. Now, we’re starting to see them,” he said. From Aug. 13-19, there were nearly 19% more patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. than the previous week, at more than 15,000 new admissions. The Washington, D.C., region saw a significant jump in COVID hospitalizations during that time frame. Maryland reported 207 new COVID hospital patients, nearly 47% more than the 141 hospitalizations the previous week. Virginia reported a 26% increase of 298 hospitalizations. D.C., however, reported 35 new patients hospitalized, a slight decrease from the 41 patients the week before. Below, a map shows a county-by-county breakdown of the percentage change in hospitalizations from the week of Aug. 12 to Aug. 19. D.C. and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties saw a moderate increase, while other counties such as Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun were in the “stable” range. (Credit: CDC) While hospitalizations are rising, they are still relatively low, with about four in every 100,000 people hospitalized in the country with COVID-19. “This [virus] is still being nasty and tricky. It’s still shifting just as fast as vaccines can be developed. And we are seeing an uptick in infection nationally, an uptick in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, but it is nothing to the kind of level that was experienced earlier in the COVID epidemic,” Goodman said. Deaths from COVID-19 are also rising, but remain low. From Aug. 20-26, 361 people died of COVID in the U.S., according to the CDC. The week before, 636 people died. Those numbers are drastically lower than the number of deaths seen at the height of the pandemic. (Credit: CDC) What are the symptoms of Eris, FL.1.5.1 and other variants? Symptoms of the variants that are currently circulating are the typical upper-respiratory and cold-like symptoms seen with most COVID cases, including: Sore throat Runny nose Cough Sneezing Fever Fatigue Muscle aches Headache “We’re seeing in healthy, young individuals, you know, COVID disease perhaps being somewhat milder because people have preexisting immunity from prior infection and vaccine,” Goodman said. But, Goodman says, there are still severe cases in which people get pneumonia and require oxygen, and other cases in which people show no symptoms at all. “It still seems to run the whole range, but with time we’ve generally seen the manifestations become milder,” he said. “But if you’re one of the people that gets severe COVID or is hospitalized, obviously, it’s no laughing matter and there’s still the issue of [long COVID], which I think is the concern.” Symptoms of the BA.2.86 variant remain unclear. “There’s no data on symptoms associated with infection

Infection control and prevention is crucial in health care. From infection preventionists to environmental hygienists, these professionals work tirelessly to ensure patients and staff remain safe from infectious diseases daily. A major part of their work is teaching others about the many and varied processes of controlling and preventing infections. Every person in infection and control is an educator. With that thought in mind, Linda Spaulding, RN, CIC, infection prevention consultant, InCo and Associates, International, Inc, announces today that Infection Control Today® is reviving the annual Infection Control Today®’s Educator of the Year Award™. The award was given from 2002 until 2010, and she was honored with it in 2003. The Infection Control Today®’s Educator of the Year Award™ recognizes the infection prevention and control professional who has excelled and is passionate about educating others on infectious disease. Recipients must have at least 15 years of experience in the field and have demonstrated quantifiable results and positive change. Formal rules are posted on the Infection Control Today®’s Educator of the Year Award™ webpage. Advertisement Nominees will be accepted from September 5, 2023, until November 1, 2023. The Winner will be notified by December 1, and announced on the Infection Control Today website on December 15, 2023, and in the January/February 2024 print publication. If you are interested in nominating someone, please go to The Infection Control Today®’s Educator of the Year Award™ webpage and fill out the form. We are thrilled to bring back this prestigious award and look forward to reading the nominations. Abbreviated Rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest begins on or about August 31, 2023, at 12:01 a.m. ET and ends on October 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Open only to legal U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older. Subject to Official Rules. See Official Rules at [ADD LINK TO FULL RULES] for additional eligibility restrictions, prize descriptions, restrictions, and complete details. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: MultiMedia Medical, LLC

Do you know an infection prevention and control professional whose exceptional dedication goes beyond ordinary efforts, actively empowering others to effect positive change within their sphere?Nominate the deserving individual for this year’s prestigious title of Infection Control Today‘s Educator of the Year by clicking the button below to complete the form. The nominee should possess a minimum of 15 years of distinguished experience in infection prevention and control and currently hold a pivotal role within the field. Demonstrating a commitment to education, they should excel in imparting knowledge with fervor and possess measurable achievements that highlight a positive transformative impact. Advertisement Submit a comprehensive Word document nomination, containing a maximum of 1,000 words, showcasing the nominee’s outstanding dedication to education with examples of: Educational Excellence: The nominee excels and is passionate about educating others. Provide at least two (2) compelling examples that highlight their exceptional teaching skills. Empowerment for Change: The nominee goes above and beyond to encourage others for positive change. Present at least two (2) instances that illustrate their commitment to fostering empowerment and transformation. Thank you for your submission! Abbreviated Rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest begins on or about August 31, 2023, at 12:01 a.m. ET and ends on October 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Open only to legal U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older. Subject to Official Rules. See Official Rules at [ADD LINK TO FULL RULES] for additional eligibility restrictions, prize descriptions, restrictions, and complete details. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: MultiMedia Medical, LLC