South Africa was hit with a COVID-19 surge driven by two omicron sub-variants within the last three weeks, resulting in higher hospitalization rates, according to health experts.
Though the surge has resulted in higher numbers of cases and hospitalizations, the number of reported COVID-19 deaths have not increased dramatically. The country reported and average of 8,000 new cases this week, a noticeable shift from the average of 300 new cases per day in early April.
Meanwhile, authorities reported that less than 1 million people in Shanghai remained in strict lockdown at the beginning of this week as officials move to reopen the city after the recent COVID-19 outbreak was contained.
We’re updating this page with the latest news about the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the U.S. and the world. Click here to see the rest of our coronavirus coverage and here to see how we track the daily spread across Washington.
Jayapal tests positive for coronavirus, now in isolation
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, announced on Twitter that she tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday.
She was experiencing “flu-like symptoms at the moment, and in accordance with CDC guidelines, I will be isolating and working remotely,” her Saturday night tweet said.
Jayapal flew from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco on Saturday for a fundraiser, spokesperson Siham Zniber said. The congresswoman tested positive in San Francisco, according to Zniber, and on Sunday she was still determining her plan for recovery. One option was to rent a car to drive to Seattle, where she could isolate.
FDA clears COVID booster shot for healthy kids ages 5 to 11
U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized a COVID-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds, hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward.
Everyone 12 and older already was supposed to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest coronavirus variants — and some people, including those 50 and older, can choose a second booster.
The Food and Drug Administration’s authorization now opens a third shot to elementary-age kids, too — at least five months after their last dose.
There is one more hurdle: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must decide whether to formally recommend the booster for this age group. The CDC’s scientific advisers are scheduled to meet on Thursday.
An at-home COVID-19 test that can also detect other common respiratory viruses like the flu was authorized for emergency use Monday by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The test is made by Labcorp, a laboratory testing company based in North Carolina, and is the first nonprescription test authorized to look for multiple respiratory viruses in one sample. COVID symptoms can be similar to those from other respiratory illnesses like the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, so the new test is meant to help people more easily determine which virus they have.
Labcorp’s test consists of a nasal swab, performed at home, which is then sent to the company for testing. Diagnostic results from the test are provided through an online portal. If the test is positive, a health care professional will follow up, a release says. The tests can be purchased online or in stores.
“This is the first test authorized for flu and RSV, along with COVID-19, where an individual can self-identify their need for a test, order it, collect their sample and send it to the lab for testing, without consulting a health care professional,” Jeff Shuren, director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement.
Shuren also said the U.S. is moving closer to diagnostic testing for respiratory viruses that can be performed entirely at home.
N. Korea reports another surge in fevers amid COVID crisis
North Korea on Tuesday reported another large jump in illnesses believed to be COVID-19 as a mass outbreak spreads through its unvaccinated population and military medical officers were deployed to distribute medicine.
State media said the North’s anti-virus headquarters reported another 269,510 people were found with fevers and six people died. That raises North Korea’s deaths to 56 after more than 1.48 million people became ill with fever since late April. North Korea lacks testing supplies to confirm coronavirus infections in large numbers, and the report didn’t say how many of the fever cases were COVID-19.
The outbreak is almost certainly greater than the fever tally, considering the lack of tests and resources to monitor and treat the people who are sick. North Korea’s virus response is mostly isolating people with symptoms at shelters, and as of Tuesday, at least 663,910 people were in quarantine.
In addition to lacking vaccines for its 26 million people, North Korea also grapples with malnourishment and other conditions of poverty and lacks public health tools, including antiviral drugs or intensive care units, which suppressed hospitalizations and deaths in other countries.
