By Dave Russell
COVID-19 is not down for the count, but it has taken a good beating lately.
The pandemic that swept the world beginning March 2020 has infected about 760 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. With a population of about 7.8 billion, about one in 10 humans have suffered the illness. The WHO reports 6,873,477 deaths, or about one in 1,115.
About 150,000 cases were reported nationwide for the week ending March 15. Cases have slumped from about 500,000 on Jan. 1, and are a far cry from the Jan. 19, 2022 report of about 5.5 million cases.
Deaths in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest since the pandemic began. About 1,700 deaths were reported for the week ending March 15, the lowest total since 1,119 in the first weeks of COVID-19 in March 2020. Overall the U.S. leads the world in COVID deaths with about 102.5 million. China follows at about 99 million.
State and county
For the week ending March 11, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 4,104 cases in the state, the lowest total since 3,104 on April 2, 2022. The state’s seven-day average sits at 668, a 39 percent drop in two weeks. Since the pandemic began, 3,477,321 cases have been reported in the Tar Heel State. At least one in 353 residents has died from COVID, a total of 29,712 deaths.
Over the last year, Jackson County has seen 2,529 cases, according to DHHS. After reporting 16 new cases the week of Nov. 19, the county’s tally rose and fell again. A spike of 70 cases were reported the week of Jan. 14, following the holidays with large gatherings. Numbers have fallen since. The New York Times reports cases have fallen 37 percent in Jackson over the last two weeks. The county’s seven-day average was three as of Friday, a far cry from its 86 at the peak of the Omicron wave in Feb. 2021.
Changes after May 11
The public health emergency declared when COVID hit expires on May 11. Nothing will change in the vaccine arena. While the federally purchased vaccines last, they will remain free to everyone, regardless of insurance coverage.
Over-the-counter test kits might cost more for insured people. After May 11, those with traditional Medicare no longer get free tests. Some insurers might voluntarily cover them.
For folks on Medicaid, test kits will be free through September 2024.
Treatments purchased by the federal government will remain free, but those with public coverage might face new cost-sharing for medical COVID treatments. Medicare beneficiaries could pay out of pocket for certain COVID pharmaceutical treatments after May 11.
The XBB.1.5 subvariant owns the lion’s share of the state COVID market. It has risen steadily, from about 9 percent of cases on Jan. 1 and now accounting for 89 percent of the cases in North Carolina. The next closest competitor is BQ.1.1 at 6 percent.
Long COVID rate slowing
There is good news about long COVID, the name for maladies lingering after a patient has completed the acute phase of the disease. A study by the Washington Post found that Americans infected with the Omicron variant were less likely to develop symptoms of long COVID than those who had it earlier in the pandemic.
“An analysis of about 5 million U.S. COVID patients, shows that one in 16 people with Omicron received medical care for symptoms associated with long COVID within several months of being infected,” the Post report said. “Patients exposed to the coronavirus during the first wave of pandemic illness – from early 2020 to late spring 2021 – were most prone to develop long COVID, with one in 12 suffering persistent symptoms.”
Respiratory worries fade
On the influenza front, the news is also good, as the 2022-23 flu season appears milder than the previous two years.
The CDC estimates the flu vaccine performed very well during the 2022-23 flu season, which has pretty much dissipated. The vaccine was over 40 percent effective, keeping sick adults from a trip to a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital, health officials said.
In November it appeared the world would soon struggle to breathe as COVID, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) filled hospitals and closed schools. Medical experts called for doom and gloom across the country, but flu numbers fell after the November scare.
Vaccinations played a role.
The CDC found that the flu shot was 44 percent effective in preventing flu visits to emergency rooms and urgent care clinics, and 39 percent effective for those age 65 and older.
The vaccine was 68 percent effective in preventing illnesses in kids severe enough to require hospitalization.
