THIS WEEK'S SUMMARY - August 27, 2022:
The current covid wave is not growing which is good [page 5, 7]. This report will continue as there may be a wave in the fall. COVID hospital bed usage charts got better. Newly added are Flu and Monkeypox graphs, numbers, and trends [page 41 etc]. Flu level is low in the USA [page 43]. Monkeypox average cases this week were 466 a day [page 45], and in NM there were 26 cumulative cases [page 45]. It is too early for Flu and Monkeypox trends.
OUR LOCAL GEOGRAPHIC AREA:
Grant County cases fell [page 15]. Recent GRMC Covid admissions were 0 this week [page 21, 23]; covid-like ED visits oscillated [page 22, 25]. Silver City, Bayard and Hurley daily cases fell and week on week cases fell also [page 16, 17]. Grant County deaths 0, Luna 2, Sierra 1 [page 14].
OUR STATE:
NM workplace cases are no longer documented. NM daily hospital beds fell [page 12, 26]. Deaths rose [page 12, 14]. NM case doubling times are not an issue [page 5, 6].
NEIGHBORING STATES:
AZ cases and beds fell (only weekly reporting), as did CO and TX. Refer to [page 8, 9, 10].
NATIONALLY:
Recent new cases and positivity fell, hospitalizations trended down [page 7]. Deaths were mostly level [page 7].
HOSPITALS:
US 7 day avg daily admission: 6418 on 07/24, now 5539 on 08/21 (4th weekly decline) [CDC] [page 27]
COVID inpatient beds fell in AZ, CO, NM, and TX [HHS] [page 26]
COVID admissions in Grant County fell from 2 to 0 in the last 7 days [page 21]; ED covid like visits had fallen per HHS (data lags) [page 22] but rose slightly recently per NM DOH [page 25]
VARIANT GROWTH:
In USA BA4.6 and BA.5 rose, in NM BA4.6 rose but BA.5 is still very dominant. AZ, CO, TX, BA.5 rose, [page 37]. Sub variants evade people's natural or vaccinated antibody defenses, however memory T-cells usually limit serious cases and deaths. Underlying conditions are a concerning factor [page 36].
OTHER PATHOGENS
INFLUENZA Daily cases In the USA rose to 57 per day (8/20/22) from 53 per day (8/13/22) [page 41, 43]
NM went from low to almost high based on the US map as NM not reporting on a dashboard [page 43]
MONKEYPOX average USA cases this week were 466 a day [page 45], and in NM there were 26 total cases averaging just under 1 case a day this week [page 47]
SOMEWHAT RECENT NEWS:
08/22/22: Pfizer asked U.S. regulators Monday to authorize its combination COVID-19 vaccine that adds protection against the newest omicron relatives
08/12/22: Silver schools roll back nearly all COVID restrictions
08/12/22: CDC loosens and revises covid guidance. Detailed yet easy to read.
07/21/22: Major study looked at every prominent vaccine in the world and found that despite this variant, all of these vaccine platforms elicit solid immune responses. Boosters are effective against BA.5
07/16/22: T cells played a critical role in shielding us from the worst ravages of COVID-19 when antibodies have been less effective, Harvard Medical School's Ekaterina Pesheva wrote.