COVID-19 seems to be taking a role as influenza’s more deadly big brother – a constantly mutating threat that is not going away. It has, however, reached a bit of a plateau with a slight upward trajectory. At least for now.
The seven-day average for cases in the U.S. reached 108,149 on May 22, peaked at 129,529 on July 14 and sat at 117,564 on Aug. 4.
North Carolina mirrors the trend, having reached a seven-day average of 4,174 on May 25. Following a dip to 1,947 on June 23, the average has increased to 4,750 as of Aug. 7.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assign a community risk level for every county. The number of counties with a “high risk of illness and strain on the health care system” in North Carolina is 67 out of 100. Last week, 61 counties were red on the map, indicating high community spread.
Jackson County’s seven-day average jumped from five to 17 in late April and has bounced up and down since, hitting five on July 2 and bouncing up to 12 as of Aug. 7.
About 1/4 of people tested for COVID-19 test positive in the county, suggesting the actual case count is higher.
The county has had 10,675 cases as of Aug. 7.
“Cases rose again this past week,” said Anna Lippard of the Jackson County Department of Public Heath. “Also, our latest wastewater results showed a positive percent change of less than 100 percent. The increasing rate of change was strongly influenced by the high viral level measured in the most recent sample which was the highest level detected in the past four months.”
The JCDPH strongly recommends residents wearing a mask indoors when around other people and for everyone 6 months and older to get vaccinated. The JCDPH has home tests available for those who need them, Lippard said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking variant BA.4.6, labeling it a “variant of concern.”
Last week, the CDC included BA.4.6 in its weekly accounting of COVID cases. The new subvariant has circulated for several weeks. The CDC designates strains as “variants of concern” if they display greater transmissibility, reduced effectiveness of treatment, increased severity or decreased neutralization by antibodies.
BA.4.6 made up 4.1 percent of COVID cases in the country for the week ending July 30. The new variant is more prevalent in the midwest, but the mid-Atlantic region and the South are seeing rates above the national average. At this point, health officials do not know whether BA.4.6 is better at evading immunity than BA.4 or BA.5.
BA.5, the most pervasive version of the virus thus far, is still dominant in the U.S., making up 85.5 percent of COVID cases as of July 30.
The new round of variants – BA.4.6, BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.75, etc. – are all offshoots of the Omicron strain. The original Omicron wave sent case numbers skyrocketing in early 2022, and while the new variants have not caused that kind of increase, COVID numbers are approaching that of the Delta wave of autumn 2021.
BA.2.75 never “took off” like authorities thought it might. Said to be much more transmissible than the original Omicron virus, it peaked in early July with cases primarily in India. It had been discovered in 23 states in the U.S.
Monkeypox continues to spread and make headlines.
World Health Organization data from a study of 3,900 people with monkeypox indicate about 90 percent contracted the disease via a sexual encounter.
Monkeypox causes lesions on the skin or mucous membranes, the moist lining inside body cavities.
When the lesions rub on another person’s skin or mucous membranes, the virus can be transmitted, especially if the uninfected skin is damaged or broken.
As of Monday, there were 60 confirmed monkeypox cases in Mecklenburg County, up from 53 three days prior, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Jackson County has not reported any cases, but Haywood and Buncombe counties have, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
