The COVID Report July 9, 2022

Category: Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases
Published: 09 July 2022 09 July 2022

THIS WEEK'S SUMMARY - July 9, 2022:

This wave, though almost a plateau, keeps having ups and downs. Prolonging it is the fact that sub variants change to evade people's natural or vaccinated defenses, sub variants are far more contagious, and people seem less cautious. Cases seem more manageable but people can get re-infected several times.

Also added is useful covid data for Catron, Hidalgo, Luna, Dona Ana, and Sierra counties.

OUR LOCAL GEOGRAPHIC AREA:

Grant County did better; cases fell [page 15]; workplace cases mostly fell [page 18, 19]. Recent GRMC Covid admissions were stable [page 22]; with earlier covid-like ED visits bouncing around [page 23, 26]. Silver City, Bayard, and Hurley cases are not concerning [page 16, 17]. Grant County had 0 COVID deaths [page 14]. Covid variants are significant so caution is advised.

OUR STATE:

NM positivity and hospital beds were generally leveling [page 12, 13], while workplace reports seemed to be leveling. Omicron sub variants increased [page 37]. NM case doubling times are not an issue [page 5, 6]. NM daily deaths fell [page 12, 14].

NEIGHBORING STATES:

AZ statistics rose. CO cases oscillate aggravated by older located cases being added to recent counts, covid beds seem stable. TX cases, positivity, and covid beds continued to rise [page 8, 9, 10].

NATIONALLY:

New cases are not rising, but positivity, and hospitalizations rose [page 7]. Cases may be in a gentle wave which changing sub variants may be prolonging, anecdotally aggravated by less covid precautions.

HOSPITALS:

US admissions 7 day average was 3833 (5/30) and now 4624 (7/2/22) (CDC) [page 28]
COVID like ED visits: Grant County were lower, Luna was stable, But Sierra rose [page 23, 41, 43]
COVID inpatient beds increased in AZ & TX; NM & CO seem stable

VARIANT GROWTH:
In AZ, CO, NM, and TX the BA.4 and BA.5 [page 37] rose, which may also prolong this wave. While contagion is high, cases are more manageable for most people.

SOMEWHAT RECENT NEWS:

06/17/22: Several factors may affect case rates by vaccination and booster status making interpretation of recent trends difficult. Limitations include higher prevalence of previous infection among the unvaccinated and un-boosted groups; difficulty accounting for time since vaccination and waning protection; possible differences in testing practices (such as at-home tests), and prevention behaviors by age and vaccination status. [data points are old, update is current]

06/11/22: Immunity gained during last omicron wave is fading, so sub variants rise. Many Americans aren't taking Covid precautions anymore, assuming they won't get sick. [Dr. David Dowdy, associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins]


Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.