September 11, 2023
Updates
The past 3 plus years, we’ve seen evolution in action. The original Sars-CoV-2 has mutated multiple times for a variety of reasons, mostly to improve its infectiousness, for its own survival. Now a new variant is circulating, named BA.2.86, called Pirola, which may overtake the one from the summer, EG.5 known as Eris. Both are descended from variant XBB.1.9.2 , which is itself descended from Omicron. The mutations helps them evade the immunity from previous infections or vaccines.
It’s why people are getting re-infected, even if they were immunized before. Scientists are not really sure what long-term effects re-infection can cause. Most people do fine, but some can get Long Covid. For some with Long Covid, their symptoms worsen. Others maybe at risk for complications like immune dysfunction or cardiovascular disease. Some may be hospitalized, especially if they are older than 65 or immunocompromised. Hospitals report that overall patients are not nearly as sick now then they were before the vaccines, when it was particularly deadly.
An updated vaccine can help. Today both Moderna’s and Pfizers were approved by the FDA after reviewing data from clinical trials. The Novavax booster’s approval is coming soon. Even though these vaccines were designed to fight Omicron variant XBB.1.9.2, data shows the vaccine works against both EG.5, also known as Eris, and the newer BA.2.86, named Pirola. They are both descended from Omicron variant XBB.1.9.2.
Tomorrow the CDC meets to decide on guidance. The FDA approved a single dose for people 5 years and older, at least 2 months since their last booster. It may be cleared by the CDC for children as young as 6 months. They may need another booster since they may never had one. The CDC is expected to recommend it along with a flu vaccine and the new RSV vaccine which is available for some.
That recommendation makes sense to me since fall and winter are traditionally cold and flu season. These vaccines along with the new RSV vaccine will prevent many infections this winter IF people get them. Concerning to me that only 20% of people received the vaccine updated last fall.
So besides getting the reformulated vaccine, how can we stay safe? Do we need to start masking again? The answer is maybe. It depends on if you’ll be in a confined and crowded indoor space. That could be stores, offices, or public transportation. Or if you are at a crowded outdoor venue, especially a sporting event or concert. And what your risk factors are.
Time matters, too. Ten minutes of exposure might be OK, longer probably not. Even if you are the only one masked, one-way masking still reduces your chance of infection especially wearing a good quality mask like an N95 or KN95. Back to the basics of sanitizing your hands and social distancing as needed. Added together, you can have a healthy winter.
My personal update is that I will be sending out a new plan for this newsletter in a few days. As some of you know, I have been working on another writing project. Mostly stories of my life. Focusing on the Past has been good but I’ve been missing the Now. I want to get back to it. Look for an update in your inbox soon.
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.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/well/live/covid-reinfection.html
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)00796-1
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02051-3
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/health/covid-vaccine-boosters-fda-pfizer-moderna.html
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-to-know-about-the-2023-covid-booster-shots.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/well/live/covid-vaccine-booster-fall.html
https://www.nytimes.com/article/covid-variant.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/03/health/covid-new-variant-pirola-early-lab-results/index.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/some-good-covid-news-new-vaccine-appears-to-work-well-against-pirola-subvariant/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/29/well/live/covid-masks-guidance.html