Monkeypox opener: WHO is reconsidering whether to declare monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. Over 6,000 cases have been identified in 58 countries.
"They're the Houdini of covid. They're the escape artists." Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 now account for over 70 percent of covid samples in the US; BA.5 is pulling ahead of BA.4. Both do better at evading immune system defenses than any other variant so far. In other words, the opening description from an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco is quite accurate. Singapore is just one country in which BA.5 has grown into the second highest case peak after the original Omicron BA.1. Hospitalizations are still rising as well.
Symptoms of BA.4 and BA.5 are similar to those of BA.1: cough, runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, headaches, and muscle pains. Loss of the sense of smell or taste happens much less often. BA.5 is very much an upper respiratory infection including sinus congestion. A BA.5 sore throat can be as sore as that accompanying strep throat. I haven't had strep throat in many decades, but I remember how painful it seemed to my kids when they were little.
In response to a spike in new cases of covid, Cyprus has reinstated a mask mandate for indoor public spaces. Beijing has instituted a vaccine passport to be required to enter libraries, museums, and other public places. Older people are being encouraged to get vaccinated. As of early May, 82 percent of people over the age of 60 had gotten two doses of vaccine, while only 51 percent of people over 80 had. The mRNA vaccines being used in the US are not approved for use in China.
A Pew Research Center survey of 10,282 adults showed the public is losing trust in government leaders and public health experts. There is also a wide partisan gap. Fifty-two percent of respondents said that public health officials had done an excellent or good job. This 52 percent was composed of 72 percent of the respondents identifying as Democrats and 29 percent of those identifying as Republican. Public confidence in medical centers and hospitals remains high. In general respondents were less worried about catching covid or unintentionally spreading it, and most thought the worst of the pandemic was over. Only 25 percent saw the coronavirus as a significant threat to their personal health.
I'll be taking a three-hour needle felting class via Zoom tomorrow afternoon, so if the blog post is that sparse, maybe I'll include a photo of the sheep we are supposed to be making. I've done some needle felting before but feel especially weak on making the metal armature over which the wool is positioned. I'll be paying extra attention to that part of the class.
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