SimplyInfo.org Coronavirus Live Blog 4.23.22

This is an ongoing periodic update of news headlines, new studies, and data related to the coronavirus outbreak. The newest information is at the top. If you have a question or want to discuss this issue in-depth, we have been discussing this issue in our chat system. Covid blog Information is updated on a periodic basis depending on the current volume of information.

We have moved older live blog posts to an archive that can be found in the right-side navigation.
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Vaccine Related Information:

Should people wait until the fall for a second booster? CDC panel weighs in. –
Despite previous recommendations that people ages 50 and older get a second
Covid-19 booster shot, advisers to the CDC suggested it may be reasonable for some to wait.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/people-wait-fall-second-booster-rcna25160

CDC advisers mull what’s next for Covid-19 boosters
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/20/health/cdc-acip-meeting-covid-booster-shots/index.html

Moderna data yield hope for better Covid boosters, but highlight complexity of figuring out how to give them
https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/19/moderna-data-yield-hope-for-better-covid-boosters-but-highlight-complexity-of-figuring-out-how-to-give-them/

Moderna: Bivalent COVID Booster Passes Muster — Superior immune response to authorized booster, company says https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/98278

Men and women may respond differently to vaccines. Research needs to account for that
https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/18/vaccine-research-sex-differences-into-consideration/

Pfizer: COVID Booster Fights Omicron in Kids 5-11 – — Company plans to submit data for EUA in this age group https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/98213

 

Testing:

How to use Biden’s free coronavirus tests for international travel
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/free-tests-biden-international-travel/

FDA OKs First Breath Test for COVID-19 — With high sensitivity and specificity, results returned in under 3 minutes
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/98228

 

Scientific Research & Variants:

Seven in 10 people in England have had Covid, research shows
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/22/seven-in-10-people-in-england-have-had-covid-research-shows-omicron

Factors Associated with Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) After Diagnosis of
Symptomatic COVID-19 in the Inpatient and Outpatient Setting in a Diverse Cohort
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-022-07523-3

About 30% of COVID Patients Develop “Long COVID” – Here’s Who Is Most at Risk
https://scitechdaily.com/about-30-of-covid-patients-develop-long-covid-heres-who-is-most-at-risk/

BA.2.12.1 in statnews: “Omicron splinters into fast-spreading lineages, highlighting coronavirus’s evolution”
https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/19/omicron-splinters-into-fast-spreading-lineages-highlighting-coronaviruss-evolution/

“Covid hasn’t given up all its secrets. Here are 6 mysteries experts hope to unravel”
https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/19/six-covid-mysteries-including-how-it-will-evolve/

“4 Michiganders with COVID-19 strain unique to mink were likely 1st U.S. spillover cases”
https://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2022/04/17/michigan-covid-cases-tied-to-mink-human-spillover/7338784001/

“New, highly transmissible forms of omicron may pose latest covid threat”
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/New-highly-transmissible-forms-of-omicron-may-17084050.php

Chemical Found in Leafy Greens Shown to Slow Growth of COVID-19 and Common Cold Viruses
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/chemical-found-in-leafy-greens-shown-to-slow-growth-of-covid-19-and-common-cold-viruses

Mutations in BA.4, BA.5 sub-variants: Cases detected in South Africa, Denmark, Botswana,
Scotland and UK – Experts closely tracking emerging variants to know their infectiousness, severity
https://gulfnews.com/special-reports/mutations-in-ba4-ba5-sub-variants-cases-detected-in-south-africa-denmark-botswana-scotland-and-uk-1.1649747608841

New Omicron Sub-Variants BA.4 And BA.5 On WHO Radar: All You Need To Know –
The two new sub-variants – BA.4 and BA.5 – were discovered in South Africa. The
WHO has added these strains to its list for monitoring.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/2-new-omicron-sub-variants-ba-4-and-ba-5-on-who-radar-all-you-need-to-know-2881093

 

Outbreaks & Restrictions:

Beijing on alert after COVID-19 cases discovered in school – Beijing is on alert after
10 middle school students tested positive for COVID-19, in what city officials say was an initial round of testing
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/beijing-alert-covid-19-cases-discovered-school-84259927

Shanghai’s Low Covid Death Toll Revives Questions About China’s Numbers
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/world/asia/covid-shanghai-china-deaths.html

Sanitation workers wearing personal protective equipment sit on an electric tricycle
during the lockdown in Shanghai on Wednesday.
https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-1240w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2022-04/GettyImages-1391352024-5f459c.jpg

Shanghai reports record virus cases as Xi says no change in ‘zero-Covid’ strategy –
Leader Xi Jinping said China must continue with its strict pandemic measures, promising
those enduring lockdowns that persistence will win out in the end.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/shanghai-covid-lockdown-xi-jinping-rcna24350

Guangzhou closes to most arrivals as China’s outbreak grows
https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-business-guangzhou-beijing-e4c1df45c9906cd6818ddeee4d855b3e

Shanghai lockdown: residents in fear of false-positive Covid-19 tests after couple who tested negative hauled off to quarantine
https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3173882/shanghai-lockdown-residents-fear-false-positive

Following first unmasked concert, chorus members share cautionary tale
https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/04/15/tanglewood-festial-chorus-boston-symphony-orchestra-covid?linkId=161068569

Wedding late Jan 2021: “Infectious Disease Doc Pulled Off 400-Person Wedding During Omicron
Surge — Manoj Jain, MD, MPH, details strict event protocols that emphasized health and safety”
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/98288

COVID-19 in Wisconsin: Over 1,000 cases confirmed for 2nd day, rate of positive tests rises
https://www.wbay.com/2022/04/21/covid-19-wisconsin-over-1000-cases-confirmed-2nd-day-rate-positive-tests-rises/

Twin Cities wastewater shows steady COVID-19 increase – Sewage sampling, COVID-19 cases
and hospitalizations are gradually rising, but severity of Minnesota’s next pandemic phase unclear.
https://www.startribune.com/twin-cities-wastewater-shows-steady-covid-19-increase/600167118/

Nearly 100 San Mateo High School students get COVID after prom
https://abc7news.com/coronavirus-covid-outbreak-san-mateo-high-school-prom/11775462/

Marin 8th graders return from field trip to Washington D.C. with COVID-19
https://www.ktvu.com/news/marin-8th-graders-return-from-field-trip-to-washington-d-c-with-covid-19

Boston Symphony Orchestra cancels concert dates in Europe due to COVID-19 –
“We must keep as our first priority the health and safety of everyone involved with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.” https://www.boston.com/news/music/2022/04/12/boston-symphony-orchestra-cancels-europe-tour-covid-19/

Doctors support return of masking restrictions amid signs of new COVID surge –
Six of the nine Bay Area counties are reporting substantial or high levels of COVID-19 community transmission, CDC says
https://abc7news.com/coronavirus-covid-cases-bay-area-new-variant-delta/11738737/

US travel advisory for all of China, Hong Kong
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/china-travel-advisory.html

Virus outbreaks are pushing some U.S. universities to reinstate mask mandates.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/11/us/colleges-mask-mandate.html

The U.S. State Department orders nonemergency workers and their families to leave Shanghai.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/04/12/world/covid-19-mandates-cases-vaccine/us-shanghai-lockdown

Ontario sees another covid wave
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-ontario-sixth-covid-wave-hospitalizations-likely-rise-official-2022-04-11/

“COVID Cases Rising in About Half of States”
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220408/covid-cases-rising-in-about-half-of-states

NYC mayor tests positive for COVID as cases surge 42% statewide, hospitalizations rise 14%
https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2022/04/11/new-york-covid-cases-rise-nyc-mayor-eric-adams-tests-positive/65349345007/

 

 

All Other Covid News:

Milwaukee schools dropped a mask mandate. It was back days later.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/04/21/milwaukee-schools-mask-mandate

First person to have Covid infection for more than a year identified in UK
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/21/first-person-to-have-covid-infection-for-more-than-a-year-identified-in-uk

What experts told me to do after my positive COVID-19 at-home test –
It gets complicated to figure out how to report results and when you’re no longer contagious
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-coronavirus-rapid-test-at-home-positive-cases

Ohio bill encourages use of ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/your-local-election-hq/ohio-bill-encourages-use-of-ivermectin-hydroxychloroquine-for-covid-19-patients/

How to Judge COVID Risks and When to Wear a Mask – Scientific American asks experts in medicine,
risk assessment and other fields how to balance the risks of COVID with the benefits of visiting public indoor spaces
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-make-smart-decisions-about-covid-risk-benefit1/

It Makes Total Sense if You Still Don’t Want to Get COVID – Between people going maskless
on planes and politicians attending fancy dinners, there’s a lot of pressure to just move on.
https://slate.com/technology/2022/04/covid-masks-planes-gridiron-treatments.html

Philly ends mask mandate and nixes response levels, hours after Kenney defended them – Health Commissioner
Cheryl Bettigole said the metrics the city created in mid-February “are no longer what we need right now.”
https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/live/covid-philadelphia-mask-mandate-restrictions-pa-nj-de-cases-20220422.html

CDC: Kindergarten vaccination rates drop across the U.S. – Coverage for three
state-required vaccines for public and private schools fell by about 1 percent to approximately 94 percent, with most states reporting a drop.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/21/cdc-kindergarten-vaccination-rates-drop-00026921

As COVID-19 recedes, Californians have new worries
https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2022/04/21/as-covid-19-recedes-californians-have-new-worries

Hochul: NY Mask Mandate Stays for ‘Short Term,’ COVID Hospitalizations Up 56% in Month –
A federal judge in Florida threw out the CDC’s mask mandate for public transportation and
airlines earlier this week. Here’s what New York’s governor has to say on that front
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/hochul-ny-mask-mandate-stays-for-short-term-covid-hospitalizations-up-56-in-month/3653877/

U.S. FAA to make zero tolerance unruly passenger policy permanent
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-faa-make-zero-tolerance-unruly-passenger-policy-permanent-2022-04-20

DOJ to appeal mask ruling after CDC request
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3275003-doj-appeals-mask-ruling-following-cdc-request/

We’re Toying With a Ruinous End to COVID Travel Masking —
CDC’s powers to protect the public during health emergencies hangs in the balance
https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/98309

COVID Reinfection Rate in NY County Hit Hard by Contagious Subvariant Is Nearly 3x Average –
The New York area, as the CDC defines it, has another new dominant COVID subvariant —
and this one could be 60% more contagious than the “most transmissible yet” one that came before it, experts say
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/covid-reinfection-rate-in-ny-county-hit-hard-by-contagious-subvariant-nearly-3x-average/3653903/

Biden appeal of judge’s mask mandate ruling risks backfiring
https://thehill.com/news/administration/3274441-biden-appeal-of-judges-mask-mandate-ruling-risks-backfiring/

Administration officials are divided over whether to fight for travel mask mandate
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-pulse/2022/04/20/administration-officials-are-divided-over-whether-to-fight-for-travel-mask-mandate-00026517

New CDC team: A ‘Weather Service’ to forecast what’s next in pandemic
https://wapo.st/3vsm2A9

White House urges travelers to keep wearing masks after ‘disappointing’ ruling
https://thehill.com/news/administration/3272152-white-house-urges-travelers-to-keep-wearing-masks-after-disappointing-ruling/

CDC removes all countries from highest COVID travel risk category
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3272146-cdc-removes-all-countries-from-highest-covid-travel-risk-category/

“Covid vaccine concerns are starting to spill over into routine immunizations –
Public health leaders fear preventable and possibly fatal diseases could become more common.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/18/kids-are-behind-on-routine-immunizations-covid-vaccine-hesitancy-isnt-helping-00025503

Reinfections account for a growing percentage of COVID-19 cases
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/reinfections-account-for-a-growing-percentage-of-covid-19-cases-2561869/

Leana Wen talks Covid risk tolerance and her response to critics
https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/15/leana-wen-talks-covid-risk-tolerance-and-her-response-to-critics/

Two new omicron variants are spreading in N.Y. and elsewhere. Here’s what we know
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/04/14/1092812456/two-new-omicron-variants-are-spreading-in-n-y-and-elsewhere-heres-what-we-know

COVID-19 patient released after 204 days in Des Moines hospital
https://www.kcci.com/article/des-moines-iowa-covid-19-patient-released-after-204-days-in-hospital/39720405#

“Imperfect messengers? An analysis of vaccine confidence among primary care physicians”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X22003024

What Proportion of Doctors Are Vaccine Hesitant? —
Researchers conducting a new survey said the answer was far higher than expected
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/98196

China’s economy pays a price as lockdowns restrict nearly a third of its population.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/14/business/china-lockdowns-economy.html

New ‘highly contagious’ omicron BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 subvariants detected in NY –
Health officials announced the discoveries Wednesday, attributing them to rising case levels across the state.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2022/04/new-highly-contagious-omicron-ba212-and-ba2121-subvariants-detected-ny/365639/

Could COVID Infection After Age 50 Leave You Vulnerable to Shingles?
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-04-11/could-covid-infection-after-age-50-leave-you-vulnerable-to-shingles

Will Easter, Passover and Eid gatherings spur COVID spike in NJ? Here’s what models show
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/coronavirus/2022/04/13/nj-covid-cases-spring-holidays-spike-easter-passover/7305801001/

Dirty soda bottle tubes sold to US govt for covid lab test kits
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/04/12/1091678178/pandemic-inc-j-david-mcswane-covid-fraud

iPhone maker Pegatron halts Shanghai production due to Covid lockdown
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/13/iphone-maker-pegatron-halts-shanghai-production-due-to-covid-lockdown

A Key Detail in Some People’s Childhoods May Lead to Vaccine Resistance, Study Finds
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-key-detail-in-some-people-s-childhoods-may-lead-to-vaccine-resistance-study-finds

As U.S. cases tick up, the new White House Covid czar says it’s not a moment to be ‘excessively concerned.’
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/11/us/politics/covid-cases-white-house-czar.html

Incomplete data likely masks a rise in U.S. Covid cases as focus on infection counts fades –
Experts agree that daily U.S. Covid cases are dramatically undercounted. Some have begun
to question the stat’s importance in this phase of the pandemic.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/incomplete-data-likely-masks-rise-us-covid-cases-rcna23652

Economies face ‘long COVID’ threat as data shows rates surging – Patients call for more research
and support as an estimated 1.7 million people in the UK are found to have long COVID.
https://www.politico.eu/article/economy-long-covid-threat-data-surge/

“Are large indoor events safe? It’s impossible to know, making “personal choice” a false one. –
The math on events like the D.C. Gridiron dinner is variable and complicated, especially without testing or masks.”
https://insidemedicine.bulletin.com/are-large-indoor-events-safe-it-s-impossible-to-know-making-personal-choice-a-false-one/

 

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