Three Things Thursday

July 14, 2022

About a decade ago while I was running marathons and adjusting to motherhood, I followed several runners and running mamas online. One of those runners would write a post every Thursday called Three Things Thursday, which highlighted important news from the previous week. I found these posts to be informative and helpful as I was getting ready for long weekend runs (sometimes the posts were running related and other times were fun anecdotes that made me love running more).

Given rising COVID cases, new vaccines, and new outbreaks, I thought a Three Things Thursday (#ttt) Epidemiologist Mama edition was appropriate. So here we go —

BA.5
As of this morning, the number of COVID cases in the US is increasing. Over the past 14 days, the number of new cases (confirmed by PCR testing) has increased by 16 percent. The total number of new cases each day (which is more than 130,000) is mostly reinfections (people getting COVID for a second, third, or fourth time). And the number of new cases being reported is a gross underestimate of the true number of COVID cases causing illness each day. Remember — home- and rapid tests are not included in national and state case counts.

The BA.5 Omicron variant is now the most dominant type of COVID spreading worldwide and in the US (causing approximately 65 percent of all cases). BA.5 is highly contagious — meaning it is easily passed from person to person — and it can evade our immune systems causing illness in individuals who have previously had COVID or who are fully vaccinated. According to STATNews (my favorite) —

“Waning immunity from previous infections or past shots leaves people more susceptible to infections, even as vaccine-elicited protection against more severe outcomes is broadly maintained.”

Meaning — neither your vaccine status nor previous infection will keep you from getting sick (if you come in contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus). However, your vaccine will continue to provide protection from severe illness and death.

And while we are talking about vaccines — be sure you have received your booster shot(s) if you are 5 years of age or older.

Symptoms of BA.5 include — a runny nose, sore throat, headache, and fatigue.

Additionally, everyone should be masking when —

1. Traveling on public transportation

2. Attending crowded indoor events (think concerts, movies, sporting events)

3. Ventilation is poor

Photo credit.

Novavax
Yesterday the FDA issued a EUA for the Novavax COVID vaccine for adults aged 18 and older. IMPORTANT — the vaccine is NOT yet available to the public. It still needs to be approved by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the CDC Director. The ACIP meeting is scheduled for next week (July 19).

If approved by CDC, Novavax will require individuals to receive two shots three weeks apart. The vaccine will be the first protein-based COVID vaccine available in the US. Protein-based vaccines are actually an old(er) technology. So for anyone who has said they will not get the Pfizer or Moderna because it is using “new technology,” they no longer have that excuse.

“The Novavax vaccine [was built with] a much older technology for vaccine development where, instead of injecting the genetic recipe, we actually inject the protein. It [uses] a combination of spike proteins that form what are called nanoparticles, which group together. The Novavax vaccine also has an adjuvant, an immune stimulant to get a better immune response. In some ways, this is an older technology. The protein is made outside of the human body and then injected into us, and that induces the immune response.” ~Dr. William J. Moss

According to the data Novavax presented at the FDA meeting, the vaccine had 90.4 percent efficacy during the clinical trial (which included 25,500 individuals). However, it is expected to be lower for the current variants. The vaccine is efficacious at preventing severe illness and death and the efficacy is expected to hold with BA.5.

I will provide an update following the ACIP meeting next week. You won’t want to miss it —

Listeria
In non-COVID-related news, ice cream made by Big Olaf has been recalled because it is contaminated with listeria. Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

Photo credit of the listeria bacteria.

The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. And it can cause serious illness and death among individuals in these groups.

Listeriosis is usually caused by eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. And illness occurs 1-4 weeks after eating contaminated food.

Listeriosis is diagnosed through a laboratory test (blood or spinal fluid sample is taken). Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.

If you have Big Olaf ice cream at home, get rid of it. If you have recently had Big Olaf ice cream and are experiencing flu-like or foodborne-illness symptoms, call your doctor right away or visit an urgent care facility.

Listeriosis is no joke.

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Happy Thursday! With knowledge of these three things, please be aware that BA.5 is spreading in all of our communities. Start talking with your unvaccinated friends and family about the Novavax vaccine (old technology — lots of safety data is available), which will likely be available next week. And get rid of any Big Olaf in your freezer.

Have any questions about these three things? Let me know.