Category Archives: Corona Virus

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Oregon could climb to around 300 this spring due to a particularly infectious coronavirus subvariant and the states decision to lift mask requirements, a new Oregon Health & Science University forecast predicted Friday.

The projected bump in hospitalizations is minuscule compared to the peaks reached during the delta and omicron waves. About half of those in the hospital would be there to get treatment for a different condition but would test positive for COVID-19, according to the universitys estimates. Hospitalizations would then fall by around mid-June, according to the forecast.

Cases and hospitalizations have been dropping precipitously since the omicron surge peaked in January. Daily average cases are now as low as they were before the delta wave. Hospitalizations Friday were down to 157 occupied beds, 86% lower than the omicron peak.

Forecasting for the unpredictable coronavirus has been challenging throughout the pandemic, sometimes underestimating the likelihood of surges until they are in full swing and other times projecting dire situations that dont materialize.

Experts have previously said that the BA.2 omicron subvariant is unlikely to drive a major surge in cases, given existing levels of immunity. But officials have said they do expect some rise in cases from the subvariant, which is estimated to be about 50% to 60% more contagious than the original omicron.

Fedor Zarkhin

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Small COVID-19 hospitalization bump forecast for spring in Oregon - OregonLive

The number of coronavirus infections across the UK rose by an estimated 1m compared with the previous week, with figures in Scotland at a record high, data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed.

According to the latest information from the ONS, based on swabs collected from randomly selected households, an estimated 9% of the population in Scotland had Covid in the week ending 20 March, about one in 11 people. The figure is the highest recorded by the survey since it began looking at the situation in Scotland in October 2020.

Infection levels also increased in England and Wales, although they decreased slightly in Northern Ireland, with data revealing that about one in 16 people in England had Covid in the most recent week, compared with one in 20 the week before, a rise from about 2,653,200 to 3,485,700 people.

The figure is just shy of the all-time high for England, when about 1 in 15 were estimated to have Covid in the week between Christmas and New Years Eve last year, at the height of the Omicron wave.

Experts have suggested that the recent surge in infection levels in the UK is owing to a number of factors, including the lifting of Covid restrictions to various degrees across the UK, changes in behaviour, waning immunity after the booster programme and crucially the rise of the BA.2 variant, which appears to be more transmissible than the earlier form of Omicron.

The percentage of people with infections compatible with the Omicron BA.2 variant increased in England, Wales and Scotland and decreased in Northern Ireland, the ONS report states.

Previous ONS figures have suggested that Northern Ireland experienced a rise in BA.2 before other parts of the UK.

On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency reported that cases of the BA.2 Omicron variant were increasing 75% faster than the original variant, BA.1, and now made up almost 89% of Covid infections sequenced in England. There is no evidence that BA.2 causes a greater risk of hospitalisation.

The agency is also monitoring three recombinant forms of the coronavirus that can occur when a person is infected with two Covid variants at once. The first, a mix of Delta and BA.1, known as XF, caused a small cluster in the UK but has not been spotted since mid-February. The second, XE, is a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 and is spreading about 10% faster than BA.2 in the UK, with 637 cases identified as of 22 March.

The third, XD, is another blend of Delta and BA.1. While it has not yet reached the UK, it has surfaced in France, Belgium and Denmark, and scientists are watching it closely because it is essentially the Delta variant with the Omicron spike protein.

The ONS figures also show that infection levels rose in all age groups in England. While the percentage of people testing positive was highest in children between two years old and school year 6, infection levels reached unprecedented levels in older adults: among those who are 70 or over, the figure hit an estimated 5.7% on 19 March.

While all regions of England experienced a rise, the highest levels of infection were in the south-east, with about 7.5% of people or one in 13 estimated to have had Covid during the week.

Sarah Crofts, the head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: Our latest data show infection levels have continued to increase in England, Wales and Scotland, driven by the rise of the Omicron BA.2 variant.

Northern Ireland was a few weeks ahead of the rest of the UK in this rising variant, where we now see a welcome decrease. Meanwhile, Scotland has now reached the highest level of any UK country seen in our survey.

Across England, infections have increased in all regions and age groups, notably the over-50s, who are at their highest levels since our survey began.

The figures come the week before free community testing ends for most people. After 1 April, most people in England will have to pay to take a Covid test, while advice to stay at home if someone has Covid symptoms is also set to be scrapped.

While vaccinations, improved treatments and a shift in variant severity have all helped to weaken the link between infections, hospitalisations and deaths, the recent surge in the number of people with Covid has nonetheless affected the NHS, with an uptick in hospitalisations including an increase in those primarily being treated for Covid increasing concerns about infections in vulnerable people and posing logistical challenges. Some hospitals have suspended visiting because of rising infection levels.

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Weekly Covid cases in UK increase by 1m, figures show - The Guardian

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Wyoming nursing homes hit hard by COVID-19 omicron variant - Wyoming Tribune

The worst of the Covid-19 pandemic may be behind us, but pretending that it is over will not make it so. A new Omicron subvariant, BA.2, is driving up coronavirus case counts in Europe and Asia, and experts predict it soon will account for the majority of new cases in the United States. The impact is uncertain. On the one hand, many Americans have already been infected by a similar strain of the virus. On the other hand, BA.2 arrives as people increasingly are resuming prepandemic behaviors, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one-third of Americans have not completed their initial round of vaccinations, and more than 70 percent have not received booster shots.

In the face of this uncertainty, it would be reckless for the government to reduce its efforts to minimize new cases and help those who fall ill. Yet that is exactly what is happening after Congress recently failed to approve $15.6 billion for tests, treatments and vaccines.

Denied the funding it needs, the Biden administration is curtailing its efforts to combat the virus. Last week, the administration said that it would reduce the distribution of highly effective monoclonal antibody treatments by more than 30 percent and that it would be forced to end shipments this spring. It also stopped accepting reimbursement claims for Covid-19 tests and treatments from uninsured Americans; vaccine reimbursements will be accepted only through April 5. And the government said that it lacked sufficient funds to place an order for enough doses of vaccines to ensure the availability of booster shots later this year.

Congress must approve more funding immediately. Ensuring that Covid tests, treatments and vaccines remain readily available is the best way to prevent new waves of infections and to preserve the progress so far toward the end of the pandemic.

Failing to maintain adequate public funding means Americans increasingly will have to rely on their own resources. In effect, the United States is reverting to its usual approach to health care: Those with money and insurance will be able to get tests and treatments; those without may not. The price for a dose of monoclonal antibody treatment can approach $2,000, and even the relatively modest cost of test kits or vaccinations can discourage people from taking the basic steps necessary to protect themselves and others.

A bill to fund the government, which passed this month, initially included $15.6 billion in Covid aid, which would have provided the administration with much of the $22.5 billion it has requested. But the funding was stripped because House Democrats were unable to resolve an internal squabble. The bill would have repurposed unused money from earlier rounds of Covid aid, but some Democrats resisted, insisting the government should provide new funding.

To pass a new bill, Democrats will need the support of at least 10 Senate Republicans, and those most amenable want to use money from prior appropriations.

That should not be a deal breaker. States have received more federal aid in the past two years than they know what to do with; some state coffers are overflowing. Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed legislation this week that will send up to $500 to Georgia households to help with the rising cost of food, gas and other essentials. About a dozen other states, including California, are considering similar distributions of surplus cash. But while higher prices are a real challenge for many Americans, policymakers must also remain focused on preventing fresh outbreaks of Covid-19, which could be even more economically painful.

A chunk of the funding requested by the Biden administration, for example, was earmarked to help lower-income countries fight the coronavirus. The United States has a moral obligation to provide this humanitarian aid, and there are diplomatic benefits to helping other nations. In addition, it will help the whole world get closer to the end of the pandemic. Allowing the virus to continue to run rampant in some parts of the world increases the chances that new variants will continue to develop and spread.

It is worth underscoring that much of what the Biden administration is requesting should not require emergency funding. The United States ought to maintain funding for public health, including the resources to monitor infectious diseases and to develop new vaccines and treatments, in the same way that it maintains funding for other forms of national defense. The gaping holes in the nations public health infrastructure, which the pandemic exposed, were created by exactly the kind of shortsightedness now on display.

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Opinion | Congress Needs to Fund the Fight Against Covid-19 - The New York Times

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday for the second time in five months, one day before she was scheduled to join President Biden on a diplomatic trip to Europe.

Ms. Psaki took a test for the virus on Tuesday morning and it came back positive, she said in a statement, adding that she would not join Mr. Biden and top officials at a NATO summit where the president will press allies to use more economic sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Ms. Psaki said that she had two meetings with Mr. Biden on Monday that were socially distanced, and that she and the president were not considered to have been in close contact based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The C.D.C. defines close contact as being less than six feet away from an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period.

Mr. Biden tested negative for the virus on Tuesday, Ms. Psaki said in her statement.

Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms, she said. In alignment with White House Covid-19 protocols, I will work from home and plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of a five-day isolation period and a negative test.

Ms. Psakis positive case comes as the White House is grappling with the toll of an enduring two-year-old pandemic while also resuming the usual routine of the presidency, including overseas travel.

The administration has faced a series of positive cases in recent days. Last week, Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive. Ms. Harris stood alongside Mr. Biden during a bill signing that same day. The vice president tested negative on Sunday, a spokeswoman for her, Sabrina Singh, said on Tuesday.

Mr. Biden also had to cancel face-to-face meetings with Prime Minister Micheal Martin of Ireland last week after the prime minister received a positive result. The president was with Mr. Martin at a gala the night before but was not in close contact with him, according to White House officials.

Congress has seen a flurry of recent cases as well. Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania, said on Tuesday that he had tested positive.

Hillary Clinton also announced a positive test result on Tuesday, writing on Twitter that she had some mild cold symptoms but was feeling fine. She said former President Bill Clinton had tested negative but was quarantining.

Movie recommendations appreciated! she wrote.

While virus cases in the United States have been on the decline, a highly transmissible Omicron subvariant known as BA.2 is spreading rapidly in parts of China and Europe. The spike in cases in Europe was caused in part because government officials relaxed precautions too quickly, a senior World Health Organization official in the region, Dr. Hans Kluge, said on Tuesday.

Still, White House officials have said they are focused on returning the United States to a place of prepandemic normalcy, and the White House has not reimposed mask-wearing mandates or capacity restrictions meant to mitigate the spread of the virus.

The C.D.C. issued guidelines last month that suggested that most Americans could stop wearing masks, and even before that, governors across the country had moved on their own to roll back pandemic restrictions.

The announcement of Ms. Psakis positive test came minutes after she was scheduled to deliver the daily press briefing with Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser. She and Mr. Sullivan were not considered to have been in close contact on Tuesday, White House officials said.

Ms. Psaki did not meet with Mr. Biden on Tuesday, the officials said.

Chris Meagher, a deputy White House press secretary, filled in for Ms. Psaki at the briefing. He said that no members of the news media were considered to have been in close contact with Ms. Psaki during the daily press briefing on Monday.

The White House said Karine Jean-Pierre, the principal deputy press secretary, would travel to Europe with Mr. Biden.

Ms. Psakis last positive test, in October, also came as the White House was preparing for international travel. She dropped out of a trip to Europe after learning that members of her family had contracted the virus. Her own positive test came days later.

Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.

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Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, tests positive for coronavirus. - The New York Times

On February 16, Scott Nguyen went hunting. And what he found is a bit surprising: a coronavirus variant that looks like a Frankenstein virus. It has the head of the omicron variant stuck onto the body of the delta variant.

Officially, Scott Nguyen is a bioinformatician at the Public Health Laboratory in Washington, D.C. He tracks emerging coronavirus variants around the city.

But on the side, Nguyen and a handful of scientists around the world have an intriguing hobby: "We're variant hunters," he says. "I think that's a pretty cool way to describe it."

Nguyen and other variant hunters search through millions of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences in a massive database, called GISAID, looking to uncover strains that could shift the course of the pandemic or simply give scientists a better understanding for how the virus evolves.

For instance, back in November one variant hunter found "a very weird set of ...mutations coming from a variant in South Africa," Nguyen says. "That became omicron."

Then early one morning in February, Nguyen detected not simply another variant but a whole new class of variants: variants that mix together parts of delta and omicron. And not just any parts, randomly put together. In some instances, the virus seems to be optimizing the combinations picking the best traits from each for infectiousness and immune evasion.

Specifically, Nguyen found a variant that's mostly delta but contains the spike protein of omicron the tiny studs on the surface of the virus that initiate infection. "So a good chunk of the virus' spike protein is omicron but the body of the virus is still delta," Nguyen says. "So yes, that's the best way to describe it."

So far, this variant, called XD, is rare. So, scientists have detected it in only France, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. But there are likely many of these deltracrons out there. Scientists in San Mateo, California, have already found a handful of them in the U.S. At least one has emerged in the U.K. and Brazil.

Health officials, including those at the World Health Organization, are watching these hybrid variants closely. Because they demonstrate how the virus can take its most successful parts and combine them quickly into a supervirus. This process is called recombination, and it's how dangerous strains of flu are made.

"So very often recombination is the way in which we get pandemics of influenza. ," Dr. Mike Ryan with the World Health Organization said on Friday. "So we have to be very cautious ... we have to watch these recombinant events very, very closely."

For instance, omicron's spike protein is especially apt at hiding the virus from our immune system, especially our antibodies. And so the XD variant is essentially the delta variant wearing omicron's invisibility cloak.

"From the variant's perspective, it has the best of worlds," Nguyen says. ""It's surprising that the virus can really do this, and do it very well, as well.

So how does the virus do this? How does it create these Frankenstein hybrids?

For starters, a person has to catch both omicron and delta at the same time, says Shishi Luo, a bioinformatician at the genomics company Helix. "So a person has to be exposed to both variants in a short enough time frame so that they have both of them in this system."

Luo and her colleagues recently analyzed samples from nearly 30,000 Americans infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the rise of omicron in this country, from November until February. They found 20 people co-infected with both delta and omicron. In other words, they were infected twice.

"Omicron happened around Christmas and New Year, when there were many social gatherings," Luo explains. "So you can imagine, you go to one social gathering and got exposed to delta, and then you go to a different social gathering, and you catch omicron."

If both variants manage to infect the same cell, at the same time, then the virus can end up doing recombination, Luo says. In essence, during replication, one variant steals a chunk of genes from another variant. So the delta variant, in way, plagiarized part of omicron's genetic code.

"If you're writing a document, you can have typos where you change a single letter," Luo says. "But you can also copy and paste and move big chunks of text. That's recombination, where one variant, in this case delta, takes a big chunk of text from omicron."

Grabbing chunks of code instead of just single letters makes the virus more malleable or flexible, Luo says, so it can quickly evolve new variants, including ones that can evade our immune protection. "It just shows how SARS-CoV-2 has many tools in its kit for changing itself."

Scientists are just starting to understand how important recombination is for SARS-CoV-2 evolution. "It's been known that coronaviruses, in general, have a lot of recombination. For SARS-CoV-2, this is the first time we've seen so much evidence that it's happening," she adds.

In fact, recombination may be the reason SARS-CoV-2 exists in the first place. Last month, scientists at the University of Glasgow published a study in which they speculate about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Their analysis suggests an animal in the Wuhan seafood market could have been co-infected with two coronaviruses at the same time and that these two viruses recombined, just like omicron and delta are doing right now, to generate the initial version.

"You know, early on in the pandemic, we were all expecting SARS-CoV-2 to not mutate too much," Scott Nguyen says. "But this virus has surprised us at every corner. So I think these recombinant variants provide some interesting clues to how this virus is going to evolve next" and just how quickly the next variant of concern may appear.

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Delta and omicron met up in one person and combined to create 'deltacron' : Goats and Soda - NPR

Chris Newman, a wildlife biologist at the University of Oxford and a co-author of one of the studies, said that his Chinese colleagues saw a number of wild mammals for sale at the Huanan market in late 2019. Any of them might have been responsible for the pandemic, Dr. Holmes said.

You cant prove raccoon dogs yet, but theyre certainly a suspect, he said.

Some critics have questioned how sure Dr. Holmes and his colleagues can be that a Huanan animal was to blame. Although many of the earliest Covid cases were linked to the market, its possible that other cases of pneumonia have not yet been recognized as early Covid cases.

We still know far too little about the earliest cases and there are likely additional cases we dont know about to draw final conclusions, said Filippa Lentzos, an expert on biosecurity at Kings College London. I remain open to both natural spillover and research-related origins.

Another problem: If infected animals indeed started the pandemic, theyll never be found. In January 2020, when researchers from the Chinese C.D.C. arrived at the market to investigate, all the animals were gone.

But Dr. Holmes argues that theres more than enough evidence that animal markets could spark another pandemic. Last month, he and Chinese colleagues published a study of 18 animal species often sold at markets, obtaining them either in the wild or on breeding farms.

They were absolutely full of virus, Dr. Holmes said.

Over 100 vertebrate-infecting viruses came to light, including a number of potential human pathogens. And some of these viruses had recently jumped the species barrier bird flu infecting badgers, dog coronaviruses infecting raccoon dogs. Some of the animals were sick with human viruses, too.

The simplest way to reduce the odds of future pandemics, Dr. Holmes has argued, is to carry out studies like this one at the interface between humans and wildlife. His own experience discovering new viruses has convinced him that it doesnt make sense to try to catalog every potential threat in wildlife.

You could never possibly sample every virus out there and then work out which one of those can infect humans, Dr. Holmes said. I dont think thats viable.

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He Goes Where the Fire Is: A Virus Hunter in the Wuhan Market - The New York Times

The United States may be vulnerable to an unseen surge of COVID-19 cases right now, according to multiple health experts.

Why it matters: The United States has reached a lull period in the coronavirus outbreak. All of that could be upended without much foresight because of how Americans are currently handling the pandemic.

Driving the news: Experts are worried theres not enough public data on COVID-19 cases and there are fewer COVID-19 testing sites, forcing the U.S. to fly blind in the face of a resurgence.

What theyre saying: Comprehensive case data is critical to an effective response. As we have seen throughout the pandemic, lack of data leads to poor decision making and ultimately costs lives, Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Childrens Hospital, told ABC News.

Yes, but: PerBloomberg, data from wastewater testing sites across the country could warn us of a potential rise in COVID-19 infections because traces of COVID-19 end up in peoples waste.

What to watch: Coronavirus cases are expected to rise in the coming weeks because of the BA.2 subvariant, which has been spreading throughout Europe.

What theyre saying:I would expect that we might see an uptick in cases here in the United States because, only a week or so ago, the CDC came out with their modification of the metrics for what would be recommended for masking indoors, and much of the country right now is in that zone, where masking indoors is not required,Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, toldKGTVlast week.

The bottom line: System-wide modernization and change to benefit all of public health requires CDC to have the authority to coordinate and guide how data are reported and shared for evidence based decision-making, an unnamed CDC representative told ABC News. The nation can no longer continue with the current, fractured approach of collecting public health data to be better prepared for future pandemics.

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New COVID surge: Why the US wont see the next COVID wave - Deseret News

If youre hoping to get pregnant, you may have heard rumors that getting the COVID-19 vaccine can cause infertility. Lets debunk that myth right up front: No credible scientific evidence shows the COVID-19 vaccine has a negative impact on fertility.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services.Policy

COVID-19 vaccination does not decrease female fertility, confirms Ob/Gyn and reproductive infectious disease specialistOluwatosin Goje, MD. What can impact your fertility, though, is getting COVID-19 which means theres just one more reason to get your vaccine.

Dr. Goje talks about where the vaccine rumors came from, what the science really says about it and what having COVID-19 can do to your fertility.

In December 2020, a German scientist teamed up with a former Pfizer employee to share a hypothesis about the COVID-19 vaccine and infertility. It caught traction among vaccine skeptics and has persisted even though it has since been disproved by researchers.

The myth is based on an assumption that the vaccine could cause your body to attack syncytin-1, a protein in your placenta that shares a small piece of genetic code with the spike protein of the coronavirus.

Even though this misinformation was proved incorrect, the rumor still took on a life of its own, as it was shared and reshared throughout the internet.

Most of the data coming out agrees with initial information that vaccines do not affect fertility, Dr. Goje says. She shares some of the science debunking this myth and explains the COVID-19 vaccines safety for people who are pregnant and want to become pregnant.

A January 2022 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology looked at 2,000 couples trying to conceive without fertility treatment. Data shows no differences in the likelihood of conception between vaccinated and unvaccinated couples.

Researchers found no association between the COVID-19 vaccine and lower fertility rates, Dr. Goje says.

A fetus cant survive without the placenta, which connects to your uterus during pregnancy. If the vaccine actually attacked the placenta, Dr. Goje explains, wed be seeing a rise in miscarriages among vaccinated people which isnt the case.

The thought that the vaccine would attack the placenta has been debunked because there has been no increase in miscarriages among vaccinated women, she says.

Researchers havent found any evidence of the vaccine having a negative impact on sperm. Two studies in couples undergoing fertility treatment found no appreciable difference in semen volume, sperm concentration or motility measured before and after vaccination, Dr. Goje adds.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine wont impact your fertility, but catching the virus could. Dr. Goje breaks down some of the science about the effect that COVID-19 infection can have on people who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.

Though the myth says the vaccine could negatively impact the placenta, it seems that its the virus that actually does so. The vaccine has been shown to be safe for people who are pregnant, while studies show that pregnant people who contract COVID-19 have higher rates of:

This shows that the relationship to the placenta is actually a concern for pregnant people who get infected, not for pregnant people who get vaccinated, Dr. Goje says.

The January 2022 study found that in couples in trying to get pregnant, conception was down 18% in the three months after the male partner (or partner assigned male at birth [ABAB]) was infected with COVID-19.

Dr. Goje says doctors arent yet sure why this is, but researchers continue to study COVID-19s impact on the body, and studies have reported on a few possibilities:

Within a few months of having COVID-19, male fertility seems to go back to normal. But if youre trying to get pregnant, its important to know how your partners infection could temporarily impact your ability to conceive.

By now, we know that COVID-19 can trigger a variety of health concerns. Studies show that one of those concerns is subacute thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid gland that can happen when your body is fighting off a virus. This leads to over- or under-production of thyroid hormone, which can, in turn, impact your ability to get pregnant.

Thyroid disorders affect menstrual cycles and fertility, so its possible that dysregulation of the thyroid due to COVID-19 can indirectly affect fertility, Dr. Goje explains.

Whether youre trying to get pregnant or just trying to stay healthy, all of the science points in the same direction: Getting your COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to fend off the viruss most severe impacts. If youre hoping to conceive, you can get vaccinated with confidence, knowing that its one of the best ways to protect your health and your fertility.

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How COVID-19 (and the Vaccine) Can Impact Your Fertility - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) Its been nearly two years since the first deaths from COVID-19 took place in Chatham County.

A little over two years out when we took care of our first patients here at Memorial Health, said Dr. Stephen Thacker who is Memorials Associate Chief Medical Officer. Today, we had one patient in the hospital who has active COVID-19.

And so weve come a long way in two years, Thacker said. At the beginning of the pandemic there was so much unknown about how do would take care of people.

He said not only has the medical community learned how to treat patients, but that Americans have access to more reliable testing, including at-home kits.

Thacker also said new anti-viral medications have been able to help treat people as outpatients. And he said the game changer was the development of safe and effective vaccines that prevent people from contracting the virus.

I hope everyone understands that the reason we got here is through science and good sound decision making from our public policymakers as well as guidance from our research community on how to develop a safe and effective vaccine. And here we are, said Thacker.

He continues to urge all those who have not been vaccinated to consider getting the shots.

Because its the most safe and effective way to prevent yourself and your community from being harmed from the virus moving forward.

Sill, Thacker reminds the community that 850 people in Chatham County have died of COVID 19 and that statewide, more than 35,000 Georgians have died.

So, sobering statistics that changed what the face of our communities, Thacker said. So we need to make sure that we remember that and not just focus on the loss but make sure that we learn something in this process.

Thacker says that means sharing the right messages to stay healthy.

He also said two new variants are surfacing and while that is always a concern, he is hopeful we will not seek spikes similar to the Omicron variant. He does say the medical community is bracing for a possible uptick in cases and hospitalizations because of the large crowds that gathered over St. Patricks Day.

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2 years after we first heard of the coronavirus, what has been learned? - WSAV-TV