COVID in California: BA.5 drives a new wave of coronavirus infections in New York

BA.5 drives a new wave of COVID infections in New York City

New York City’s average coronavirus test positive rate reached 9.94% Tuesday, the highest level since Jan. 24, according to health department data. In parts of the city it is as high as 17%. Dr. Jay Varma, an epidemiologist at Cornell and former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s top public health advisor, said infections appear to have stabilized at a high level in the city, rather than dropping like they have in previous surges. Hospitalizations and deaths continue their downward trajectory from late May and mid-June, respectively. “The decline of reported COVID-19 cases in NYC has stopped. Reported cases are at a high plateau, which means actual transmission is very high when you account for the >20x under-counting,” Varma tweeted. “This is likely the beginning of a BA.5 wave.”

First reported case of a person getting COVID from a cat

Researchers in Thailand say they have documented the first confirmed case of a pet cat infecting its owner with coronavirus, according to a report in Nature. “We’ve known this was a possibility for two years,” Angela Bosco-Lauth, an infectious-disease researcher at Colorado State University in Fort Collins who was not involved in the study, told the journal. The study was published earlier this month in Emerging Infectious Diseases by infectious-disease researcher and physician at Prince of Songkla University in Hat Yai, southern Thailand, said a veterinarian in Thailand was diagnosed with COVID-19 after being sneezed on by an infected cat owned by an infected patient. Genetic study supported the hypothesis of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from the owner to the cat, and then from the cat to the veterinarian. Researchers say that such cases of cat-to-human transmission are probably rare. Experimental studies have shown that infected cats don’t shed much virus, and shed for only a few days, Leo Poon, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, told Nature.

Fewer than 34% of eligible Americans have received life-saving booster shots

Just over a third of eligible Americans have received a first booster shot of coronavirus vaccine, even though public health officials say the booster offers essential protection against newer COVID variants, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 1.7% of children ages 5- to 11-years-old, who just became booster-eligible in May, have received the extra shots. About 28.7% of eligible teens age 12 to 17 are boosted, along with less than 40% of eligible 18- to 49-year-olds. Among those now eligible for two boosters, more than 55% of those 50-64 have received the first booster, as have 72% of those 65 and older. Only 8.1% of the former group and 21% of the latter has received two shots. Because most older adults received their shots many months ago, they are now at greater risk for infection, hospitalization, and death, according to CDC.

Fauci says he has a “much worse” rebound infection following Paxlovid treatment

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the White House, said he is experiencing a rebound COVID-19 infection after completing his initial course of the Pfizer antiviral Paxlovid. Speaking at a Foreign Policy Global Health Forum event on Tuesday, Fauci said that after he recovered from his initial bout with the virus, he tested negative for three days before testing positive again with an antigen test on the fourth. “And then over the next day or so, I started to feel really poorly, much worse than in the first go around,” Fauci said. “So I went back on Paxlovid and right now I am on my fourth day of a five-day course.” He added that he is now feeling better but “not completely without symptoms.”

Panel urges FDA to OK boosters targeted to omicron

Federal vaccine advisers on Tuesday urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to move toward authorizing a COVID-19 booster shot that targets the omicron variant — the parent of today’s dominant subvariants in the United States. The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee recommended including an omicron component for booster vaccines. It is a first step toward potentially making omicron-specific boosters a reality as soon as October, with the goal of better protecting Americans against variants that the current vaccines don’t work as well against. Vaccines already in use tend to hold up well against severe disease and death, if people are boosted, but not as well at preventing infection. Read more about what’s at stake with the FDA’s deliberation and decision on new COVID booster shots.

Omicron subvariants BA.4, BA.5 causing more than half of COVID cases in U.S.

The fast-spreading BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of omicron made up a combined 52% of COVID-19 cases in the United States last week, according to estimates published Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The highly transmissible sublineages are crowding out BA.2 and BA.2.12.1, with BA.5 making up about 36.6% of new cases nationally and BA.4 about 15.7%. The proportions are roughly the same in the Northern California region. Many public health officials are uncertain about what impact these newer BA.4 and BA.5 mutations will have in terms of more severe disease outcomes.

Convicted killer Scott Peterson’s court hearing delayed due to COVID

A hearing for convicted murderer Scott Peterson in Redwood City was delayed because of COVID-19, a court spokeswoman for Santa Clara County said Tuesday. One of Peterson’s attorneys tested positive for the virus, according to Deputy Court Executive Officer Sarah Lind, who spoke with KTVU. Peterson was also exposed to COVID at San Quentin, she added, and is under “loose quarantine.” He has been seeking a retrial since he was convicted of killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and unborn son 20 years ago.

Hate crimes in California rocket up again in second pandemic year

Hate crimes in California shot up 33% to nearly 1,800 reported incidents in 2021, the highest since after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the state Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday. Crimes against Asian Americans, which had increased startlingly in 2020 after the emergence of the coronavirus in China, were up again, rising 178% to 247 incidents, said Attorney General Rob Bonta. Crimes against Black people were again the most prevalent in 2021, climbing 13% during 2021 to 513 reported incidents. Hate crimes motivated by sexual-orientation bias increased nearly 50% to 303 incidents. “One hard truth in our state, just as we see across the nation, is that the epidemic of hate we saw spurred on during the pandemic remains a clear and present threat,” said Bonta, a Democrat, at a news conference. “Each of these incidents represents an attack on a person, a neighbor, a family member, a fellow Californian.” Bonta blamed the upswing in anti-Asian American crimes on “the bigoted words of our former president” that turned “a trickle” of racial animosity into “a flood.”

California health workers slated to get pandemic bonuses of up to $1,500

Frontline health care workers in California who worked through the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic are set to receive a bonus from the state under a budget deal reached by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders. Eligible full-time employees may receive up to $1,500: part-time employees $1,250, and physicians up to $1,000, per Assembly Bill 184. “The Legislature finds and declares that stability in the California health care workforce will further its efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and address other public health issues that face Californians,” the lawmakers said.

What COVID-19’s evolution means for our future

Will we ever be able to get ahead of the relentless coronavirus? It’s surpassed the expectations of health experts and scientists: With each mutation, it’s more infectious than ever and, pandemic fatigue aside, is on track to maintain a major role in our lives. On The Chronicle’s Fifth & Mission podcast, Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday explains the evolution of the virus in discussion with host Cecilia Lei. Listen to hear what experts have to say about this wily coronavirus and what they are learning.