While COVID-19 seems to be out of sight, its reality is now well-rooted into our daily lives. But, it’s not the only illness we had to keep an eye on in 2022.
CONNECTICUT, USA — For many people across the country, 2022 was the year we began moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic, which began in March 2020, entered its third year, and after a prolonged event of testing, vaccines, mandates, and masks – COVID-19 fatigue was settling in.
But, the country didn’t move on from COVID-19; instead, moving on with it.
Much like in the years before COVID-19 hit, other illnesses also caught the attention of the public and here at home in Connecticut. In 2022, COVID-19 was no longer alone in the effort to infect the population. It may have seemed like everyone was sicker than they had been in the prior two years, COVID-19-positive or not.
Omicron
By the beginning of 2022, as the pandemic entered its third year come March 2022, Americans were understandably COVID-19 fatigued and relieved that the virus was seemingly getting milder on average.
Vaccines, boosters, and the evolution of medication to help treat more severe cases of illness certainly played a part.
Hartford had dropped its indoor mask mandate on February 1, and then New Haven followed suit a month later.
But, with the Omicron strain, it was so contagious that the sheer number of cases canceled out its decreased severity.
At the beginning of 2022, Connecticut still averaged about 30-40 deaths a day from COVID-19, numbers that harken back to the first COVID-19 winter we had in 2020.
The wave seemingly died down by March and April, however, the damage was done and now Connecticut is on track for over 2,500 COVID-19-related deaths this year.
It would once again make it one of the top five most common causes of death.
The population learned in 2022 that life expectancy in the United States dropped for the second year in a row, after decades of improvements.
While COVID-19 played its part in the decrease, so did opioid abuse.
Opioid Battle
While the fight against opioids continues not only in Connecticut but across the country, one battle was won.
On March 3, Connecticut announced a $100 million settlement with opioid-maker Purdue Pharma.
Connecticut had a special obligation to be aggressive as Purdue Pharma’s corporate offices are in Stamford, Attorney General William Tong said.
Tong pointed out that the office of the Attorney General has been working on a settlement since 2007 under Richard Blumenthal and George Jepsen, former attorneys general. At that time, Tong said, Purdue Pharma could have stepped up and done the right thing, but instead, “they poured gasoline and blamed the victims and the doctors.”
The settlement is in civil court and does not protect the Sackler family from future criminal charges.
More settlement agreements came later in the year, including ones with CVS and Walgreens. Native American tribes also won a settlement with Johnson & Johnson, along with other drug distributors, when it comes to the opioid epidemic in the country.
MPox
By early July, Connecticut was focusing on its first case of a new virus beginning to spread around the country.
Mpox was originally known as monkeypox before the World Health Organization changed its name.
To date, there have been more than 80,000 cases identified in dozens of countries that had not previously reported the smallpox-related disease. Until May, mpox, a disease that is thought to originate in animals, was not known to trigger large outbreaks beyond central and west Africa.
Outside of Africa, nearly all cases have been in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men. Scientists believe mpox triggered outbreaks in Western countries after spreading via sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain. Vaccination efforts in rich countries, along with targeted control interventions, have mostly brought the disease under control after it peaked in the summer.
In Africa, the disease mainly affects people in contact with infected animals, such as rodents and squirrels. The majority of mpox-related deaths have been in Africa, where there have been almost no vaccines available.
U.S. health officials have warned it may be impossible to eliminate the disease there, warning it could be a continuing threat mainly for gay and bisexual men for years to come.
The illness did not kill anyone in Connecticut, and the state only saw about 150 known cases.
In early December, the U.S. plans to end the mpox public health emergency.
But, while the heightened alert over mpox seemed to ramp down, another virus began spreading everywhere.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, otherwise known as RSV, hit babies especially hard.
In October, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center said it was already over capacity while Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital was filling up fast.
With RSV, COVID-19 not going away, and an expected worse-than-average flu season, medical professionals say it’ll be a busy winter after having their hands already full for most of the year.
Medical Breakthroughs
Despite the consistently bad news regarding contagious viruses in the country and state, there has been good news in 2022 through medical breakthroughs.
The easily-adaptable mRNA technology behind the original COVID-19 vaccinations led to a quick development and rollout of bivalent booster shots. Those shots better target the omicron variants of COVID-19.
Work is also progressing on a potential universal flu vaccine. The vaccine itself would target 20 strains of influenza. The mRNA technology is also behind those vaccines.
And, in November, there was a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research. A drug was discovered that appeared to slow Alzheimer’s symptom progression by over 25%, which was welcomed news.
Tim Lammers is an anchor at FOX61 News. He can be reached at Tlammers@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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By early july, connecticut was focusing on its first case of a new virus…
[bitcentral: “new haven pridefest monkeypox vaccines-sotvo” from 9/17/22 from :06 to :12 “I don’t want to get monkeypox. The symptoms and stuff don’t sound like fun, so I just want to keep myself safe.”]
And thanks to public awareness and a vaccination campaign–
M-pox, as it’s now known–
Didn’t kill anyone in connecticut–
And our state had only about 150 cases…
[take any transition we have]
R-s-v, on the other hand, was everywhere…
The respiratory virus hits babies especially hard…
And by october, connecticut childrens’ medical center said it was already over capacity– and yale new haven children’s hospital was filling fast…
Add in covid and what’s expected to be a worse than average flu season– and health care providers have had their hands full for most of the year…
[take any transition we have]
But 20-22 also was a year of some great medical breakthroughs…
That easily adaptable m-r-n-a technology behind the original covid vaccines led to quick development and rollout of bivalent boosters that better target the omicron variants…
Work is also progressing on a potential universal flu vaccine, that targets 20 strains… m-r-n-a is behind that, too…
And just last month, a breakthrough in alzheimer’s research– a drug that appears to slow symptom progression by over 25 percent…
[zoom interview “120522 vandyck”, 3:12-3:17]
“this is the holy grail. This is the thing that we’ve been, you know, looking for, for all this time.”
I’m tim lammers, fox 61 news…
