April Coronavirus Chronicle

A-      In the US, we are facing a lack of testing and incomplete data masking possibly a rise in COVID-19 cases. The BS 2 subvariant of the Omicron virus is now widespread in the nation, accounting for most than 70% of the cases. It is much more transmissible. The number of tests has dropped from 2 million test a day to 530,000 a day. Others have access to at-home rapid test. The state of Nebraska has seen COVID-19 cases raise to 80%, Arizona to Almost 75% and New-York to 60% and Massachusetts to 55% recently. Although the COVID-19 infections are mild for vaccinated people, many believe that it may not be longer vital to track every case. There is a lower point for hospitalization with only 15,000 across the USA since the beginning of the pandemic. Only 2000 people in ICU in New-York and 550 deaths daily. Numbers continue to decline.

B-        Two others new subvariants of the COVID-19 are now tracked by the WHO in South Africa. They are the BA.4 and the BA.5. It does not appear to be a surprise because. The virus will keep mutating. We will know how infectious these subvariants are. Few dozen of cases were also found in Belgium, Scotland, Denmark, England and Germany. The infected people do not appear to be getting sicker. All version of the Omicron were found to be highly transmissible but did not appear to cause severe disease. The BA.2 accounted for ¾ of all the cases in the United States.

C-        Are we going to be under another wave with the Corona virus? Recently, we have learned that some large town with their inhabitants were sequestered by the Chinese authorities. This is the case for a town like Shanghai with millions of its population. Fauci stated that in the USA, we were under a transitional phase with the virus although most of the actual cases due to the BA.2 remains mild in nature. In China many are still unable to go out freely. They stay requested in their home and they get regularly tested. If positive cases are discovered, then a “two weeks” quarantine” is declared “de novo for the area.

D-       In May 2022. It is noticed that hospitalizations and numbers of COVID-19 cases have increased in the United States. Several new subvariants of the Omicron are responsible of these changes. The BA.2appears to be the culprit while in other countries, other variants are identified like the BA.4, BA.5. All of those variants appear to be spreading rapidly. Some 62,000 cases are reported in the USA every day, in all states but especially Georgia, Hawaii, Maine. South Dakota, Washington and Nevada. BA.4 and BA.5 have also contributed to a rise in cases in South Africa during the past month. These variants appear to escape antibodies in people who have been vaccinated or had breakthrough BA.1 infections.

E-         Passengers on a cruise to Seattle WA this week, said that the chip was overwhelmed with more than too cases of COVID-19.and many passengers stayed in hotels in quarantine after testing positive or being exposed to someone with the disease. The cruise line stated that they also managed many cases with Carnival Cruise line in a 16-day Panama Canal cruise.

F-         14.9 million people died because of the coronavirus between January 2020 to December 2021, according to the World Health Organization. Between 13.3 million and 16.6 million deaths occurred during the first two years of the pandemic. The death toll was underestimated.  84% of the deaths were concentrated in the South East Asia, Europe and the Americas. With a higher percentage of men (57%) over women (43%). 4.74 million people died in India because of COVID in the first two years.

G-        As of the beginning of May 2022, there is a higher projection in admissions and deaths due to COVID. The CDC believes that 5000 deaths will occur over the next two weeks and states like Ohio, New Jersey and New York are projected to experience the largest daily deaths in the upcoming weeks. Presently, infection rate has risen to 55% in New-York and New Jersey in the past two weeks. Hospitalizations have begun to climb with 19,000 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the country, 1800 are in intensive care units as reported by the Department of Health and Human Services. Admissions have jumped to 20%as well as Emergency room visits. Public Health Officials have recorded a highly contagious Omicron subvariants BA.2 and BA 2.12.1 which continue to spread through the states. This subvariant of the virus escape immunity obtained from previous infections or vaccinations. Virus. BA.2 subvariant accounts for 62% of the new national cases while the BA,2,12.1 makes up 36%. It is already at 62% in the New-York area. Remember well these two subvariants strains evade Immunity. Other subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are also creating their own waves.

H-       Released on 11 may 2022, death from COVID-19 has increased in the vaccinated groups not because vaccines are not working but because the new sub-strains escape the antibodies created by the previous vaccines. There is a 1.1% of deaths occurring among Americans fully vaccinated in 2021 but by February 2022. There have been a 25% increase and required 7 times more hospitalization. 220 million Americans have been fully vaccinated. Death is uprising in a growing population being hospitalized with infections due to Omicron variant and their sub-variants. Older populations with underlying conditions continue to be at risk for complications.

I-            More again is announced on the news about the nasal sprays “vaccines” which could stop the coronavirus from invading the body through the nasal mucosa. There is more than a dozen of clinical trials as reported in the news. Countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil and Mexico have started the manufacturing of such nasal vaccine. These new vaccines may be used as a booter in the USA but can become more widely used in underdeveloped countries. They can be more effective in stopping the virus from entering the body. A nasal spray as a vaccine can be easily manufactured and stored because, it will not require ultra-cold temperatures like for the Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccines. People certainly will prefer a nasal spray to a needle in the arm for price as low as 30 dollars.

J-           The Icahn School of Medicine is developing the new nasal spray/vaccine in eggs while the Cincinnati Hospital in Ohio is using a canine flu. Oxford/Astra Zeneca is using a weakened adenovirus. Trials on rodents have also begun in Lancaster University in England and in Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio TX. The animals which were given two doses of the nasal vaccine, developed T-cell responses strong enough to suppress SARS-CoV-2. 

Maxime Coles MD

Boca Raton FL