Biden adminstration extends Covid public health emergency as highly infectious omicron XBB.1.5 spreads
said the pandemic was over in September, a period when infections, hospitalizations and deaths were all declining. But HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters during a call in October what the virus does this winter would determine whether or not the emergency needs to continue., hospitals will lose flexibility in how they deploy staff, add beds and care for patients when there's a surge in admissions.
Last month, Congress severed the Medicaid protections from the public health emergency and said states could start withdrawing people from Medicaid in April if they no longer meet the eligibility requirements.The omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant is rapidly becoming dominant in the U.S. Scientists believe it has a growth advantage because it is better at binding to human cells and is also adept at evading immunity.
In a series of Twitter posts last week, Jha said he is concerned about the rapid rise of XBB.1.5 but does not believe the subvariant represents a huge setback. He encouraged people to get an omicron booster if they haven't received one already and for the vulnerable to obtain an antiviral treatment if they have a breakthrough infection.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
WHO sounds the alarm: XBB.1.5 is most transmissible omicron subvariant yetThe World Health Organization is warning that XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible omicron subvariant detected so far.
Read more »
Omicron Subvariant XBB.1.5 Accounts for 27% of US COVID CasesThe Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5, is estimated to account for 27.6% of COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending Jan. 7, data from the CDC showed on Friday.
Read more »
Latest COVID-19 strain — XBB.1.5 — likely already spreading in San AntonioThe proportion of XBB.1.5 cases in Texas seems to be doubling every two weeks — a rate that public health officials in the state have never seen.
Read more »
What you need to know about the new COVID-19 variant XBB.1.5In just one month, from the last week of November 2022 to the last week of December 2022, the subvariant rose from less than 1% of total estimated COVID-19 infections nationwide to 40%, according to the CDC.
Read more »
XBB.1.5 is latest COVID variant: Symptoms, what to knowThe latest COVID variant - XBB.1.5 – now accounts for almost half of the cases in the U.S. and is expected to soon become the predominant strain, according to health officials. Read more here:
Read more »
Why COVID’s XBB.1.5 ‘Kraken’ Variant Is So ContagiousA new variant of the virus that causes COVID has mutations that make it more transmissible, but vaccines are still likely to protect against severe disease
Read more »