Thread by @EthnicMediaSvc

🔊Heads up, at 11am PST we'll look at the new BA.2 #Covid variant, which now accounts for more than 50% of new infections in New York/New England, and almost 35% in California. Join us here @EthnicMediaSvc or via FB fb.me/e/1qjhPsdw7 @LcacNews @StanfordChild

Welcome to today's briefing, "The BA.2 #Variant Gains Ground: Are We Heading Back to the Future?"
You can follow the discussion on Twitter @EthnicMediaSvc or via FB Live fb.me/e/1qjhPsdw7

A question from our moderator @sunita37 on how the BA.2 #variant emerged. "BA.2 is similar to #omicron that shares a common ancestor with #omicron but it is an ancestor that we do not know," says @DrBenNeuman

Likely it came from a person who was not vaccinated, adds @DrBenNeuman. "I like the progress on #vaccines, but there is a lot of work still to do."

Can we expect new variants? "Yes, absolutely," says @DrBenNeuman. "It is certain. For a while the virus was getting faster. Early variants ran fast and far.

As we built up immunity, it became imposible for virurses to grow. #Delta has gone extinct worldwide. Only the 'tortoises' still exist, and they can still infect people with existing immunity."

Omicron is not our friend. It is something we need to get rid of as quickly as possible.

A lot of the concerns about vaccines -- that they don't work for certain variants -- biology has simplified the picture because now there are only #Omicron like viruses. So we can make only Omicron like vaccines.

Dr. Fauci said the US is not likely to be hit as hard as the UK and Europe. Is that true? "Yes, but I don't think it's because we did anything right," says @DrBenNeuman. The challenge is complacency.

Existing immunity is temporary. There is no way to tell if someone is going to be protected from this or future variants.

The virus is changing because we are putting it in a bad spot. "We are definitely not done yet."

Who remains most at risk from hospitalization and death? "Our case load has not risen dramatically yet," says Dr. Dali Fan of UC Davis.

Vaccinated vs unvaccinated - obviously the former are more protected. If your booster dose is further away, immunity might have waned. And general vulnerability - if cases in the community are higher, our vulnerability is higher.

BA.2 is now the dominant strain here, Dr. Fan adds.

There has been a decline in patients we are seeing, says Manisha Newaskar with @StanfordChild, but what is coming is "unknown, and we need to be prepared for that."

In previous surges, it was clear that children who are unvaccinated are at higher risk for being hospitalized. "Vaccination does protect you from severe infection," says Newaskar. It is "key."

Children with underlying conditions are the ones I am worried about, Newaskar says. "I think this is becoming sort of endemic now, and it is certainly not over. Our job is to protect ourselves and our community by doing the right thing, which is getting vaxxed."

Latinos are 40% of the CA population, but they are 47% of hospitalizations and 43% of deaths. Will the BA.2 variant further skew these #'s?

"The Latino pop has borne the brunt of this #pandemic," says Daniel Turner-LLoveras of @LcacNews. Only 64% of Latinos have received one dose, he adds, compared to 74% of whites.

Turner-Lloveras adds this data is incomplete and the figures are likely higher.

Latinos are overrepresented in frontline occupations, more likely to live on overcrowded housing, and a lack of access to #healthcare, which has been an ongoing problem.

Many undocumented immigrants remain unaware of the availability of free testing, says Turner-Lloveras.

@LcacNews has offered migrants in ICE detention the ability to ask questions about the #vaccine, and what we saw was that the #s are not complete when looking at vax rates in ICE detention, but refusal rates are upwards of 30-40%

What can we do about this, says Turner-Lloveras. One of the problems was these people had no one to ask. There was a near total lack of access to information and "trusted messengers."

Through our program we created a bridge to connect detainees with trusted messengers. And 60-70% of the time, people who initially don't trust the vaccine eventually realize vaccines are in their best interest.

Learn more about the Latino Coalition Against COVID 19 here lcac19.org

And check out our project, COVID Myth Busters on myths about Covid in Latino and Indigenous communities: ethnicmediaservices.org/covid-mythbust…

Dr. Fan does recommend that those over 50 do get a booster shot to help slow the spread of the BA.2 variant.

Risk factors increase with age, says Turner-Lloveras. "Even if you are not as worried about this variant, people are dying every day. If we have an intervention that will decrease the risk, I think it is in your best interest to receive the vaccine."

Will we need to take boosters every yr, asks @sunita37. "One way or another, we have got to a state where most people have some immunity. The problem is with the word 'immunity.' In the scientific context, it means you have a fighting chance, and nothing more," says @DrBenNeuman

I think when people do cost-benefit analysis, they take the virus as it is now and underestimate what the virus can be, says @DrBenNeuman

I look at the current outbreak as something that is burning at a steady level, and this worries me. Some people may see only a small fire, I see barrels of gun powder and fire wood and think, this can easily get out of hand, says @DrBenNeuman

Keep fighting, keep trying, don't make the same mistakes. We can make new ones, but let them be of action, not inaction, says @DrBenNeuman

The BIG QUESTION: should we reinstate #maskmandates? "I have 2 boys and they are relieved that things are coming back to normal," says Dr. Newaskar. "But kids have learned - as we all have - that we need to be flexible."

There may be new waves coming, and this new normalcy may change. These waves will come and go, and we are not at a point where we can say it's done. Now it seems like we are ok, but things can change and we have to be flexible.

I deal with very sick kids. My patients have conditions that make them more susceptible, so I tell families it is ok to be extra cautious. If you feel more susceptible, you should still wear the mask & take precautions.

What has the infection rate been in detention centers run by ICE, asks Sandy Close of EMS? "I wish we had the data," says Turner-Llovaras. "The data is missing."

When it comes to data in ICE detention, the data is not available. And there is no 3rd party checking to see if ICE data that is available is correct, he adds.

Right now I can't give an answer to that question, but it reflects most likely what happens in nearby prisons. "Any enclosed place with no windows is the perfect place for the virus to spread."

This new variant probably started in an unvaccinated person, notes @PilarMarrero. "The first cases of BA.2 and #Omicron came from Central and S. Africa when there was low vax rates in these places," says @DrBenNeuman. But the "beast is loose," and we have to deal with it.

The vaccinations we have now are working well against these new variants, says Dr. Newaskar. "The important thing is get vaccinated."

This slide from Dr. Dali Fan of UC Davis shows that getting another #booster will greatly decrease the risk of dying or being severely infected.

What can we project to happen in counties and states with lower vaccine rates and no masking mandates? "Right now the case load is low in general, so the lower % of vaccination is not as big of a problem.

But if case loads surge, these regions will be hit hardest. This is a window of opp to get people vaccinated to prevent the next big hit," says Dr. Dali Fan.

Throughout Miami and in S. Fla, there seem to be fewer places to get vaccinated. Are resources running thin here? "With cuts to funding, there will not be enough vaccines for everyone," says Turner-Lloveras. "We can't predict what future variants will be like...

People are burnt out, they don't want to hear any more about #Covid. So people are not pursuing new boosters. We need clear messaging and increase funding so those who want the vaccine will have access."

Vaccination rates data from @KFF. "These numbers are not where they should be," says Turner-Lloveras.

The problems are that while we have many interventions, says @DrBenNeuman, every one of them has failed for those who are already seriously ill and hospitalized.

I am hoping vaccines come out for the under-5 age group soon. Pfizer and Moderna will be filing for emergency use authorization. As younger children get vaxxed, it will come as a "huge relief," says Dr. Newaskar.

For parents on the fence about vaccines for their children, having discussions has helped. For some parents, nothing seems to change their minds. But education is key. It is our duty as health professionals to sit with that middle group

and show them that vaccines are safe.

"Get vaccinated, and pay attention to secondary damage. This virus is going to be with us, but in addition to vaccinations, take care of your mental and general health," says Dr. Fan

Latinos will see an unjust situation get worse, and legal status should never be used to exclude immigrants from services. We need health equity first and put our funding where it matters most, says Turner-Llovera.

The idea that children or anyone would have an immune system strong enough to deal with Covid but that will break from a vaccine is the "weirdest thing" I have heard from a science perspective, says @DrBenNeuman

@DrBenNeuman If you have any doubts, come and talk to doctors you trust, and get some guidance from them, says Dr. Newaskar.

@DrBenNeuman Thanks to all our speakers. Visit ethnicmediaservices.org for follow-up reporting on this and past briefings.

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