Vecka 22: NB.1.8.1

Plötsligt händer det: en ny variant av covid-19 uppenbarar sig. Time skriver:

 Public-health experts have warned for months that the COVID-19 virus isn’t gone—and, far from waning, SARS-CoV-2 has mutated yet again into a new variant. Called NB.1.8.1, it's causing a spike in infections in China. A few cases also recently appeared in the U.S. when people arriving at airports tested positive, according to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The World Health Organization has also designated it as a “variant under monitoring.”

Where did NB.1.8.1 come from?

Data from GISAID, a global database of genetic sequences of major disease-causing viruses, show the first known cases of NB.1.8.1 toward the end of April, appearing in travelers from China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

NB.1.8.1 is now the dominant COVID-19 strain in China, where it is contributing to spikes in emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Where is the new COVID-19 variant in the U.S.?

The CDC operates a program at several airports in the U.S. where health officials randomly test travelers who agree to be swabbed. The new variant was picked up by this program beginning in late March. Cases have now been reported in a handful of states, including California, Hawaii, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington. So far, only a few cases have been detected in the U.S. so it doesn't yet register on the CDC's COVID-19 data tracking site of variants.

Will the latest COVID-19 vaccine protect me?

NB.1.8.1 is still part of the Omicron family, which means that current vaccines and immunity 

The new variant is also on drug companies' radars. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s expert vaccine committee met May 22 to discuss whether or not to update the vaccine for the fall and winter respiratory disease season and heard about data from vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna about experimental vaccines targeting LP.8.1, which currently accounts for more than 70% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. (LP.8.1 is related to NB.1.8.1 and to the strain currently targeted by vaccines, JN.1.) These experimental vaccines appear to provide slightly stronger protection against both variants.

Ultimately, the committee voted to recommend continuing with a JN.1 vaccine—but did not specify whether the updated shot should target LP.8.1.

Är det sommar? Höst? Vinter? Vår? Denna maj månad har visat sig från alla tänkbara och otänkbara sidor.

 Inte sällan har man tvingats ta med sig vinterjackan när man åker för att titta på fotboll när och fjärran.

 Men på bilden här intill är Jenny ovanligt lättklädd när hon barfota testar vattentemperaturen intill Revhaken.

 (Spoiler alert: Ej badbart.)

 Dessutom attackerades tre av fyra familjemedlemmar av en lynnig vårförkylning som Jonatan tog med sig hem från skolan.

 Det hindrade oss dock inte att ta emot dotter och barnbarn för en trevlig fredagseftermiddag i Åhus.

 Den här vackra solnedgången bjöd majkvällen på. Men varmt? Nja, inte särskilt.

 Men om Aftonbladet ska fram, så ska sommaren bjuda på

REKORD-

VÄRME.

 Jag minns att det fanns en tid då man jublade över den typen av budskap. Numera inte lika självklart.

Men inget ont... Det förhållandevis svala majvädret har gjort att våra syrener blommat hur länge som helst. Årets första bilder på dem tog jag redan 9 maj. Mer än tre veckor har gått och visst börjar de falna, men det är inte otänkbart att fortfarande vi har blommande syrener vid skolavslutningen.

Så här såg det ut 9 maj.