New ‘Pirola’ Covid variant is rapidly spreading across the US – latest

As Covid deaths and hospitalizations rise, experts are stressing the importance of testing yourself if you’ve been exposed to—or are showing symptoms of—Covid-19.

However, some worry that without access to free at-home testing, it might be challenging to contain future waves.

“One of the things we could have thought about from a federal point of view is continuing to make testing materials widely and freely available,” William Schaffner, MD, a professor in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told The Independent.

Dr Schaffner said he’s planning to need to test for Covid regularly in the coming days. “I expect to expend a fair amount of money,” he said. “If people don’t have the resources, they won’t do that.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring a new coronavirus variant that could potentially lead to a rise in Covid-19 cases.

The BA.X strain which is also known as BA.2.86, was placed under the health body’s monitoring list on Thursday due to the “large number of mutations it carries”.

Only three cases of the new strain have been detected in Denmark and Israel and later another was found in the US.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:

A new symptom of long Covid has been revealed by scientists at the University of Leeds.

Though most people who contract Covid recover within a few days or weeks of experiencing initial symptoms, some people can experience longer, more persistent symptoms – termed long Covid or post Covid-19 syndrome by the NHS.

A virulent new Covid-19 strain has been detected in wastewater testing in Ohio, the third state to report the vaccine-resistant variant.

Experts are keeping a close eye on the BA.2.86 variant due to its potential to infect people who have previously had Covid or received vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a risk assessment released on Wednesday.

The CDC said it was too early to determine whether BA.2 86, also known as the “Pirola” variant, may cause more severe illness than previous strains, but was concerned due to the large number of genetic mutations compared to previous ones.

Further testing is required to confirm whether the variant is Pirola, the CDC said.

The discovery came as new Covid hospitalisations leapt by 21.6 per cent this week, with an estimated 2,000 Americans requiring specialist care per day, according to figures released by the CDC this week.

The public health agency is projecting hospitalisations to accelerate markedly in the coming weeks, and has replaced a previous forecast that admissions would remain stable.

Lionsgate has told nearly half of its employees to wear masks in the workplace as Covid cases rise in the United States.

The entertainment production company, which has a London-based film division, recently told staff at their flagship quarters in Santa Monica, California that those on the third and fifth floors of the five-storey building must use medical-grade protection.

Updated Covid vaccines are expected to become available in the US next month as alarm grows over a new variant dubbed Eris.

The CDC recommends keeping up to date with Covid vaccines and booster shots as a yearly measure to go along with flu immunisation. The elderly and immunocompromised are especially encouraged to get the shot in order to lessen their chances of developing more severe symptoms.

A Vermont man was sentenced to two years in prison for using more than $650,000 in pandemic aid for personal expenses, including opening an Alpaca farm.

Dana McIntyre, 59, received government funding in March 2020 through the Payment Protection Program for his former pizza shop in Massachusetts. Prosecutors said he claimed he had 50 employees to receive $666,000 when he really had less than 10.

He then used the money to buy a farm in Vermont and eight alpacas.

Cognitive problems linked to long Covid may be caused by blood clots, according to a new study.

A study published in Nature Medicine looked at more than 1,800 adults who were hospitalized with Covid and found raised levels of two proteins – fibrinogen and D-dimer – were more common in people with long Covid symptoms that had affected their brains. Both proteins are a sign of blood clots in the body.

As mask recommendations rise as a result of the increase in cases, the CDC is reminding people how to care for masks.

Guidance from the agency advises people to throw away disposable masks after they’re worn once.

Cloth masks should be washed “at least once a day or as soon as they become wet or dirty.” When a cloth mask does become wet or dirty it should be sealed in a plastic bag until you’re able to wash it to prevent mold.

Cloth masks that are dry and clean should be stored in a breathable bag to be kept clean in-between washes.

For respirators, individuals should check with the manufacturer to see how long they can be worn before needing to be disposed of. Any disposable mask or respirator that gets wet or dirty should be thrown out immediately. The agency stressed not to wear a wet or dirty mask.