60% of U.S. Has Already Been Contaminated With COVID

By Steven Reinberg and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters

Because of the Omicron surge this previous winter, 3 in each 5 People have now been contaminated with COVID-19, a brand new authorities report reveals.

As soon as Omicron surfaced because the predominant variant on this nation, the very best an infection charges have been seen amongst kids and teens, and the upward shift was steep: Only one in 3 People had been contaminated with COVID-19 by the point the variant took maintain final December, the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention knowledge discovered.

Since conventional illness surveillance strategies don’t seize all COVID instances as a result of some individuals are asymptomatic, not identified or not reported, the scientists analyzed assessments that measured antibodies, produced in response to COVID an infection however not in response to COVID vaccines at present approved in the USA, the researchers famous.

Even if much more People have now been contaminated with COVID, CDC officers careworn that vaccines stay essential.

“Having infection-induced antibodies doesn’t essentially imply you’re protected in opposition to future infections,” Dr. Kristie Clarke, co-lead for the CDC’s COVID-19 Epidemiology & Surveillance Taskforce Seroprevalence Group, mentioned throughout a media briefing Tuesday on the most recent statistics.

“Earlier an infection has been proven to supply some safety in opposition to extreme illness and hospitalization and vaccination both earlier than or after an infection offers extra safety. Moreover, we nonetheless have no idea how lengthy infection-induced immunity will final,” Clarke mentioned.

“What we do know is that vaccination is a protected and efficient solution to get sturdy immune safety for particular period of time,” she careworn. The “CDC continues to encourage all People to remain updated with their COVID-19 vaccinations. And whereas those that are underneath the age of 5 are usually not but eligible for vaccinations, the easiest way to guard them is to ensure that they’re surrounded by people who find themselves taking preventive measures like staying updated with vaccines.”

Within the examine, revealed April 26 within the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, total prevalence of COVID an infection elevated by solely 0.9 to 1.9 share factors per four-week testing interval between September 2021 and December 2021.

However between December 2021 and February 2022, when the Omicron surge peaked, total U.S. an infection charges jumped from 33.5% to 57.7%. Over the identical interval, an infection charges elevated from 44.2% to 75.2% amongst kids aged 0–11, and from 45.6% to 74.2% amongst these aged 12–17.

In the meantime, an infection charges elevated from 36.5% to 63.7% amongst adults aged 18–49; from 28.8% to 49.8% amongst these aged 50–64, and from 19.1% to 33.2% amongst these 65 and older.

Whilst these statistics present simply how contagious the unique Omicron variant was, a more recent Omicron subvariant often known as BA.2 is much more infectious, fueling a current enhance in each U.S. instances and hospitalizations, CDC knowledge present.

“General, we proceed to have some combined traits,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky mentioned in the course of the media briefing. “Deaths, fortuitously, are persevering with to development downward with a seven-day common of about 300 per day, which represents an estimated 18% decline from the prior week. Hospital admissions additionally stay low at about 1,600 per day. However for the second week in a row, they’re slowly trending upwards, [with] a rise of about 9% this week from the prior week.

“Instances additionally remained comparatively low to the place we have been even a month in the past at about 44,000 per day, although this, too, has represented a rise of about 25% previously week,” Walensky famous, including that the CDC additionally is aware of that at-home fast COVID take a look at outcomes are usually not captured in CDC knowledge assortment.

“Importantly, we proceed to consider that those that are vaccinated and particularly those that are boosted, proceed to have sturdy safety in opposition to extreme illness,” Walensky added.

Extra info

Go to the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention for extra on COVID-19.

SOURCES: April 26, 2022, media briefing with: Rochelle Walensky, MD, director, U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, Kristie Clarke, MD, co-lead, COVID-19 Epidemiology & Surveillance Taskforce Seroprevalence Group; Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 26, 2022

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