Another huge increase in #COVID19 particles detected in wastewater. This shows that the virus is widely circulating again
Hospitalizations are also up. Though at least for now, not two weeks in a row of sharp increases. This could be in part because of better immunity relative to last year. Or, because wastewater is an early indicator, we just haven't seen the hospital wave yet
The other huge increase is that the new #XBB variant is beginning to show up in a big way now
Importantly, because XBB is still part of the #omicron family, the latest booster is still highly effective. The bivalent booster is targeted specifically at omicron. However, just 20% of people with the vaccine have the latest booster
Community levels across the state are back to red. Please take precautions out there. Even if you are young and healthy, you could get other people sick. And of course there are risks of long Covid to consider as well
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Kind of a similar report to last week. There is still a lot of Covid-19 virus that's spreading across NC. That means you very likely have or will come in contact with the virus. Taking extra precautions right now is a good idea
People are not getting as sick as before. This is due to vaccinations and immunity from previous infection. This is good, but "not as sick" does not mean "won't affect you." Getting any respiratory illness is still something that will set you back a week or more. It's not fun
The great news is that new vaccines are approved and being shipped out. Check with your doctor or with CVS or Walgreens. They will have the new vaccine very soon (if not already) npr.org/sections/shots…
This morning, @NCStateAuditor Beth Wood released an audit of the @NCMedBoard. But auditors say they were denied access to nearly all of the records they were seeking, leaving them unable to say whether or not the board is protecting patient safety.
The objective was to audit how well the board conducts investigations into doctors, and what kinds of punishments it hands out
But auditors say they were largely blocked. The board says these investigations are confidential, in part because they contain patient information.
Auditors say they are bound by the same confidentiality and that they are entitled to review them
News: We maybe knew this was coming, but @BCBSNC officially appeals the @NCTreasurer decision to change the state health plan's third party administrator to @Aetna
Covid-19 hospitalizations are back on the rise, but for many young/healthy people, the risks now are lower than even just one year ago. That has lowered overall vigilance, and shifted the burden even more to high-risk people. wunc.org/health/2023-01…
As Mary D'Rozario (aka @loafingcactus) points out, this is tough: "You're around people who are emotionally engaged with you — friends, family. And you expect this level of care, but you're not necessarily getting it," she says.
But D'Rozario resists the urge to direct her frustration at individuals. Instead, she says public health leaders need to give better information, and spaces in society need to shift the paradigm.
The standoff over the State Health Plan is over. Treasurer Folwell relented, and will reimburse hospitals at essentially the same rates as this year. This means all 110 NC hospitals will remain in-network for the SHP
Folwell relented because hospitals had shown they were unlikely to back down. That could have meant significantly higher bills for state employees, including teachers. Treasurer's office said they heard from mothers expecting babies and couldn't let them face out of network bills
But @NCTreasurer was not happy and accused hospitals of billing secrecy:
“By spending millions of dollars to oppose us and by using cartel-like tactics, these organizations were able to convince most hospitals to boycott the State Health Plan,” said Treasurer Folwell.