Good Afternoon SARS2PAians!!

I hope your stuff stayed in place with all that wind out there!

There's no new wastewater data today.

Lineage News

JN.1.x.y continues to dominate the national leaderboard.

There are a few variants to watch for future activity, including KQ.1, KP.2, KP.1.1 and KR.1, all grandchildren of JN.1.: https://ibb.co/j800SF3

JN.1.16 is also proving pretty darn fast. Pennsylvania already has had samples of JN.1.16 submitted.: https://ibb.co/qdDB3qF

Some of them have already gotten "above the fold" nationally. KP.2 and KP.1.1 are already in the top half of variants. JN.1.11.1 is still around at sizeable levels.: https://ibb.co/zSnSp9N

XDP is a recombination of JN.1.4 and FL.15 (descendant of XBB.1.9.1).

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CDC

In spite of lower infection numbers, there seems to have been a lot of emergency cases filtering through the medical system since last update.

New Hospital Admits substantially increased in Central PA from Lycoming Co. aaaaall the way over to Venango Co., and also from York on the southern border to Fulton Co.: https://ibb.co/FqJQtfS

Staffed inpatient beds steady through the State except for Lawrence and around McKean Cos.: https://ibb.co/ZGzv578

ICU bed use increased significantly in Lawrence, in Vanango aaaaaalll on up to the northern border and over to Tioga, and around Luzerne Co.: https://ibb.co/7N3Tzq5

CDC At-a-Glance has test positivity, hospital admits, ED visits and deaths trending stradily downward so far though.: https://ibb.co/x3MtrNP

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Non-SARS2 stuff

SARS2 has actually been downgraded on WastewaterSCAN to "medium" spread!: https://ibb.co/Cz4PQmk

NonSARS2 pathogens are still just demolishing us.

Most respiratory stuff is still high except COVID/SARS2. RSV, FluA, FluB, are all HIGH still. Parainfluenza is now HIGH.

The gastro stuff, Norovirus and Rotavirus, is still crazy HIGH. Noro is still rising in Chester Co.

:ms_arrow_right: Noro is very resistant to heat and hand sanitizer! You MUST wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds to reduce your chances of spreading noro! :catjam:

That's all I have for this week, PA. Keep close watch of that air quality and wash hands so we can have an AWESOME and healthy Spring! 💐💐💐

#covid #Covid19 #SARS2PA #CDC #CovidIsNotOver #Pennsylvania #PA #JN1 #FluA #FluB #Influenza #Norovirus #Noro #Rotavirus

#JN1Sixteen #JN116
#KP1One #KP11
#KP2
#KP2One #KP21

#WearAMask #CleanTheAir #VaccinesSaveLives #WashHands #Wastewater #StayHomeIfSick #SourceControl #USESourceControl #COVIDSourceControl

Update for 3/8/2024!

Good Morning SARS2PAiains!!

I hope you're ready for that time change on Sunday! 🕐🕐🕐

This is a wonderfully short update. I mean, it doesn't look short, but it kinda is. 🤪

There's no new CDC stuff.

There are no new wastewater updates and we are continuing to approach lower levels of previous years as spring gets closer.: https://ibb.co/QfPr8NJ

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Lineage News

There's no new immediate variant news as JN.1 is still the only thing all over the place so far.

There are some new varaints being watched as JN.1 (and specifically JN.1.11) seems really capable of producing descendants that worry virologists:

❗️JN.1.16: Concerningly infectious even over very wide areas in China; Lots of this currently being uploaded from what I gather in USA too, already in 9 states.

❗KP.1.1 (which is JN.1.11.1.1.1): this has a potential nuts-level of growth rate going by genetics alone.

❗KP.2 (which is JN.1.11.1.2): seems closely related to JN.1.16 that I was, in my very very unprofessional opinion, concerned about last update.

❗KP.2.1: widespread already in East Asia.

KP.x.y has an extraordinary growth rate only considering mutations but we'll see how any of this checks out in actual biological results.

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NON SARS PATHOGENS

There is still a very high amount of total pathogens all around.: https://ibb.co/3sxWQ3C

Respiratory pathogens are still high according to WastewaterSCAN:

❗SARS2

❗RSV

❗Flu A

❗Flu B

❗Parainfluenza, which has been upgraded to HIGH since last update.

Gastro stuff is still very high too!:

❗Norovirus

❗Rotavirus

Noro is thankfully declining at UPark but still in the very high range.: https://ibb.co/CMSGsjg

If we keep using common sense ways to control it, it prevents DAYS of learning/financial loss and potential hospital visits for dehydration. And...it's just gross to deal with. 🤢

Fpr respiratory illnesses, wear a quality respirator, be aware of social contacts, mask/respirator up in crowds and in low ventilation areas (low ceilings, restrooms, elevators, etc.), keep the air clean, get those COVID and flu shots, and STAY HOME if you are sick!

For the gastro stuff, don't prepare food when sick. Don't depend on gloves for sanitizing either! Wash fruits and veg before you eat them.

Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.

❗Hand sanitizer and heat does not work well against Norovirus because the individual virions are very very tough to kill. You MUST wash hands with soap and water.

For all pathogens, cover coughs and sneezes in the elbow crease and not your hands.

We're almost there! :canparrot:

It's Goose flyover season! :cangoose:

We're gonna have a great Spring, and simple, common sense consideration and source control is how we get there! 💐💐💐

#covid #Covid19 #SARS2PA #CDC #CovidIsNotOver #Pennsylvania #PA #JN1 #FluA #FluB #Influenza #Norovirus #Noro #Rotavirus

#JN1Sixteen #JN116
#KP1One #KP11
#KP2
#KP2One #KP21

#WearAMask #CleanTheAir #VaccinesSaveLives #WashHands #Wastewater #StayHomeIfSick #SourceControl #USESourceControl #COVIDSourceControl

Update for 3/1/2024!

Good Morning SARS2PAians! ❄️

Welcome to March, after Leap Day 🐇🐏🐸!

There's no new CDC stuff today.

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VOCs

Nothing currently new with VOCs, JN.1 all over the place nationally: https://ibb.co/GncBGTR

and in PA of course.: https://ibb.co/yS1wq0c

Scientists are still watching JN.1.11, and even though it's sort of fizzled out itself, its children are now moving progressively faster as it develops.

Faster than its parent, JN.1.11.1 is moving along and is being found in most new sampling.

Along with it, JN.1.11.1.1, which is shortened to KP.1, has great potential to make a dent in its grandparent's leaderboard status.

I'm also seeing a LOT of JN.1.16 both here in Canada by the latest sequencing experts. I'm just going to make a mental note of JN.1.16 because it and also JN.1.11.1 are both moving sorta quickly through Canada and are also found in the NY/NJ area.: https://ibb.co/R3Tmstt

None of these are "major eathshaking variants" but to have something faster NOW will bump numbers back up for Spring and we DO NOT want that!

Nothing all that significant in PA yet. No JN.1.16, JN.1.11, JN.1.11.1, or KP.1.

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Wastewater

Nationally, SARS2 material found in wastewater is DROPPING again!: https://ibb.co/3RM4DDk

This is great. We are starting to approach the lower levels of previous years.: https://ibb.co/pbHnDDJ

Regionally, all regions are down except for the Midwest which is bumping upwards.: https://ibb.co/MhJmxX4

In PA, all 5 sheds that report to Biobot are droping significantly!!: https://ibb.co/tPhVHWJ

And so are the Harrisburg and UPark areas which report to WastewaterSCAN. This is great for still having winter weather. We're handling it. We're doing something right!: https://ibb.co/5cWQDHh

The State PA Wastewater Dashboard now has many sheds, especially in the East, in the blue, SARS concentration lessening.: https://ibb.co/Wx2Pf2J

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Non-SARS2 Wastewater

OK, now for the not-so-great wastewater news: we're getting smashed by non-SARS pathogens like FluA, FluB, and Norovirus (which is the "24-hr stomach bug").

Numbers of FluA and FluB are rising significantly in all sheds that report to WastewaterSCAN.

FluA: https://ibb.co/Xkn6xYL
FluB: https://ibb.co/84wfBH9

Especially in UPark with FluB, yikes. Please wear a quality respirator to control this. Not doing so means more learning loss!

UPark is getting hit hard with Norovirus, which is already at HIGH levels and is going vertical there.: https://ibb.co/svpJB1t

C'mon, UPark, get a hold of this so your Spring won't be a mess! 💐

:ms_arrow_right: WASH hands, WASH food you eat and don't prepare food if you are sick to prevent the spread of Noro. It's just gross. Don't spread it!

It's still going to take a bit of work but if we do, we'll be more prepared for a healthier Spring.

And that in both scenarios: if we have a relatively calm COVID Spring with no new crazyfast variant (less likely), and also we won't be fighting pathogens on many different fronts if we DO have a crazyfast variant (more likely).

Stay healthy and have a great March! ❄️💐❄️

#covid #Covid19 #SARS2PA #CDC #CovidIsNotOver #Pennsylvania #PA #JN1 #JN1Eleven #JN1Eleven1 #JN1Sixteen #JN116 #KP1 #FluA #FluB #Influenza #Norovirus #Noro

#WearAMask #CleanTheAir #VaccinesSaveLives #Wastewater #StayHomeIfSick #SourceControl #USESourceControl #COVIDSourceControl