THE OVERALL USA SUMMARY - October 22, 2022:
Weekly flu cases, while still low, have risen for the 7th week [page 38, 39]. Weekly Monkeypox cases fell this week; the decline is attributed to Monkeypox not being airborne (unlike Flu and COVID) and to behavioral changes. Recent US covid new cases and deaths fell, but covid beds had a small rise [page 5, 7, 8]. This is an active mutating virus going into winter, and the 4 and 2 week etc case trends suggest a clear rise [page 5]. Three new sub variants are now rapidly rising; BQ.1, BQ.1.1 and BF.7 [page 34], and both the UK and CDC say they may evade current antibody defenses. Experts suggest a winter flu and covid wave may appear as indoor gatherings and little mask protection increase transmission.
OUR LOCAL GEOGRAPHIC AREA:
Grant County is seeing a rise in COVID impact. Grant County covid hospital admissions were 0, covid ED visits leveled [pages 21, 23]; but the Grant County week on week cases rose [page 5, 16, 22]. Silver City, Bayard, and Hurley covid week on week cases rose [page 17, 18]. Deaths in Grant County 0, Luna 0, Sierra 0, Dona Ana 0 [page 15].
OUR STATE:
New Mexico is seeing a rise in COVID impact. NM daily hospital bed usage rose [page 13, 14, 24]. Deaths rose in NM [page 14, 15]. New NM week on week cases and positivity rose [page 13, 14].
NEIGHBORING STATES:
AZ cases, beds, and positivity rose. CO cases and positivity rose, beds oscillated. TX cases, beds, and positivity fell [page 9, 10, 11]
HOSPITALS:
US daily hospital admissions (7 day average): continued trending down [CDC] [page 25]
COVID inpatient beds rose in AZ and NM. CO oscillated, TX fell [HHS] [page 24]
Grant County ED covid like visits leveled HHS (data lags) [page 20] and NM DOH [page 23]
COVID admissions in Grant County were 0 in the last 7 days per NMDOH [page 21]
ACTIVE PATHOGENS
COVID: Weekly cases: 260,808; deaths 2,566 a week. Covid is still very active. BA.5 still dominant, but new sub variants are rising rapidly.
COVID VARIANTS OF CONCERN:
BQ.1.1 BQ.1 BF.7 proportions of all variants (1.7%, 2.6%, 3.7%, 6.0%, 9.9%, now 16.7%) see graph [page 34]
BQ.1.1 BQ.1 BF.7 days to double are between 11 and 17 days (range is due to weekly not daily data)
INFLUENZA: see [page 38, 39] (NM & CO do not report yet). Map and data see: [page 38, 39]
-- This week: Weekly: cases = 2849, admissions = 1674, deaths = 18
-- Last week: Weekly: cases = 1899, admissions = 1322, deaths = 9
MONKEYPOX: see [page 40, 41].
-- US weekly cases: this week: 567 previous week: 740
-- NM weekly cases: this week: 0 previous week: 8
NOTES AND NEWS:
10/20/20: CDC now only reporting weekly and deaths, and no longer reporting positivity
10/19/22: PERCENT OF VACCINE BREAKTHROUGH CASES BY AGE GROUP IN NM chart added [page 29]
BQ.1.1 BQ.1 BF.7 growth graph and data added [page 34]
10/15/22: FUN YET TRUE NEWS: One researcher has predicted covid waves by looking at a rise in complaints that Amazon scented candles didn't smell (loss of smell is a covid symptom).
10/15/22: BQ1.1 and BQ.1 are thought to completely resist existing monoclonal antibody drugs. The updated omicron boosters are believed to offer protection against the strains [page 34]