December 21, 2023
Welcoming the return of the sun.
The shortest day has arrived and we welcome the return of the sun. Whew, we made it. It’s been chilly and dark here in the Northwest. Foggy times in the mornings and evenings, making for spooky walks. A brief respite from the rain allows us to see the sun low in the southern sky. Soon it will be coming north again. As this New York Times article points out, the solstice is our friend, when we compare it to other planets’. (Click on the link- it should allow you to read the article for free! I hope it works.)
We’ve seen confused plants out on our walks recently, a cherry tree in bloom, a rhody with blossoms, a daphne. My dahlias and roses still have buds. And now come the camellias just in time for some cheer. I am encouraged by the solstice.
I am discouraged by news of a rapidly growing new COVID 19 variant called JN.1. It is a descendent of omicron variant BA.2.86, part of the XBB group. It has an additional spike protein which helps it bypass prior immunity. It is spreading fast in all regions of the world, assisted by holiday travel and waning immunity. There’s been a 51% increase in hospitalized COVID US patients in the past 4 weeks. Probably due to the spread of this new variant and the fact relatively few people have received the latest vaccine booster.
With SARS-CoV-2, variants happen. We expect them now. When the virus is being rapidly reproduced in an infected cell, errors occur, a common byproduct. Most will not make a difference but others will make the virus easier to transmit. That’s what happened with JN.1 and all of our other named variants. The CDC and other entities are continuing genomic surveillance of the virus looking for these changes. They are monitoring wastewater which can show new variants and increase in infections. They also monitor other data closely to see if any of the variants cause people to get sicker. So far so good with JN.1.
The CDC says that right now 99% of all variants are from the XBB variant of the omicron variant. The earlier XBB.1.5 variant, a precursor of JN.1, is the target of the latest vaccine booster. Early laboratory data suggests that the vaccine helps block JN.1 viruses from entering cells, so it is protective.
The symptoms with this variant so far are similar to others. But how severe the symptoms get usually depends more on a person’s immunity and overall health rather than which variant causes the infection. That’s why getting the booster as our immunity wanes and the variant changes can be helpful.
However, the CDC is worried that not enough people are immunized. In the US only 17% of all eligible have received the COVID booster, and only 43% over 65, the most vulnerable. They want more people to get vaccinated for COVID, flu, and RSV, which are all increasing right now. Hospitalizations for the flu have increased 200% and RSV 60%. It’s not too late to get your flu shot.
Vaccine fatigue has set in. People think the vaccines aren’t helping anymore since almost everyone has had COVID. Also pressure to attend gatherings, even when someone feels ill, has increased. People are using more over the counter cold medicines to try to mask their symptoms.
Be careful out there! Best to stay home when you’re sick. Ventilation, masking, hand washing, and vaccines are your friends.
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available. Thanks for reading.
Share this post if you know of others who may be interested. All links are listed at the bottom of this post.
A gentle reminder that I am now writing more regularly because I’ve committed to doing so by turning on Paid Subscriptions. Read about it here in this post: A Special Message. Most of my writing will remain free. Pay only if you wish to and are able to. The cost is $5/month, $50/year, $100 Founding Member, bonus is ability to post and other content. Think of it as tipping for a busker. Thanks to all who have paid already!
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/science/winter-solstice-december-21.html?mwgrp=c-dbar&unlocked_article_code=1.H00.2nfL.L4XbnaqJdRMO&smid=url-share
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/covid-admissions-jump-51-in-4-weeks-5-hospital-trends-to-know.html
https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/variants-happen.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/genomic-surveillance.html
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-summary
https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/01/well/flu-shot-timing.html
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/pressure-to-attend-gatherings-leading-to-overuse-of-cold-medicines.html
https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2023/han00503.asp