The news media is now shining a big spotlight on the latest COVID variant, which is “highly mutated.”
A second American tested positive for the new highly-mutated BA.2.86 Covid variant that has been causing global alarm over its rapid transmission.The positive case was detected in an asymptomatic patient in Virginia who was tested August 10 after returning to the US from Japan.Scientists identified the case in a database that contains test samples from a small number of travelers entering the US. Independent experts told DailyMail.com they believe the new strain is spreading more widely and in more US states.The new variant, also spotted in Michigan last week, is causing concern because it stems from an ‘earlier branch’ of the coronavirus, so it differs from the variants targeted by current vaccines.
Infections disease geeks have tagged this variant “Pirola,” which is a plant lacking a permanent woody stem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report an uptick in recent hospitalizations related to COVID-19.
Dr. Stephen Blatt, who tracks COVID-19 numbers for TriHealth, said for the first time in a long time, his team is seeing patients in the ICU.“A couple people in the ICU, which is really unusual. We haven’t seen ICU patients in a couple of months,” said Dr. Blatt, medical director of TriHealth infectious diseases.Pirola or BA.2.86 is different than previous COVID-19 variants. The CDC describes it as a new lineage.“BA.2.86 is the one that’s just been identified. Only one case in the U.S. so far, but it has a lot of variations in its mutations. Like 36 different mutations, which is dramatically different from the omicron variants we’ve seen, which are maybe one or two mutations different than the previous variants,” Dr. Blatt said.
I am going to go with the same advice I gave at the start of the very first wave of the covid pandemic:
- Stop smoking.
- Take vitamins, drink plenty of water, and start a sensible exercise regimen.
- Consider your home and office environment: Are there ways to improve the air quality that are easy to implement that makes it easier for you to breathe (e.g., air filter, humidifiers).
However, a few deep blue institutions are already hitting the panic button and grabbing masks.
A major movie studio is bringing back the mask mandate.
Mask mandates are making a return to Lionsgate’s Santa Monica, California, office, according to a memo sent to employees on Monday.In the email provided to Fox News Digital, Sommer McElroy, Response Manager for Lionsgate/Starz, stated that “effective immediately” masks will be required on certain floors in their Santa Monica offices “until further notice.” According to Deadline Hollywood, this encompasses “nearly half of the company’s employees at its flagship office at 2700 Colorado Ave. in Santa Monica.””Employees must wear a medical grade face covering (surgical mask, KN95 or N95) when indoors except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace,” McElroy said.
A college in Atlanta is reinstating its mask mandates for all its students and employees on campus.
Morris Brown College (MBC), a private historically black liberal arts school, announced Sunday on Instagram the mask mandate would be implemented as a precautionary measure, even though the school’s administration had not reported any positive cases among its students.
Expect the masking trend to spend, with consequences worse than the actual infection with Pirola.
At least there are some winners with this news:
Covid vaccine makers’ shares rose Monday as new variants of the virus emerge in the U.S. ahead of the rollout of updated shots this fall.Shares of Novavax closed more than 13% higher. Moderna’s stock closed more than 9% higher. Shares of BioNTech, which jointly develops Covid vaccines with Pfizer, closed more than 6% higher. Meanwhile, Pfizer’s stock ended around 1% higher.It’s been a rocky few months for those stocks as sales of Covid shots and treatments plummet in the U.S.: Shares of all four companies are down more than 20% for the year. But Wall Street’s enthusiasm for Covid vaccine makers is getting a fresh boost with the upcoming launch of brand-new shots this fall and the emergence of new variants of the virus.
However, given my track record, I would assert my guidance is better.
I suspect more widespread mask mandates are doomed to complete and utter failure.
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