Coronavirus recap--Oct. 7, 2022

Thursday
Two new subvariants of COVID-19 are beginning to spread across America, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, but are spreading faster across New York.

The BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariant — both closely related to the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron — accounted for 26.2% of New York cases from Oct. 9 to Oct. 22, and 42.5% of new cases from Oct. 23 to Oct. 30, reports the state Health Department.

Nationally, the CDC reports those two subvariants were 27% of new cases in the week ending Oct. 29, up from 16.5% the week before that.

Preliminary data suggest the latest bivalent vaccine and booster, designed to target the BA.5 subvariant, the BQ subvariants’ predecessor, is more effective in preventing the spread of BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, reports the White House, citing preliminary data. Other research suggests that BQ.1.1, in particular, is good at getting around previous vaccines.

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reports that BQ.1.1 could fuel a winter surge in coronavirus cases.

Friday
Cortland county remained at a low risk of coronavirus spread, the federal government reported Thursday, as the risk in Chenango and Madison counties was lowered to that level.

The risk level remained high in Tioga and Broome counties, medium in Cayuga and Onondaga and low in Tompkins.

Cortland County had 59 new cases of COVID-19 between Oct. 26 and Wednesday, giving it a rate of 124.00 cases per 100,000 people, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

It had a “low” risk, under CDC guidelines. Under metrics and guidance from the CDC — which take into account the number of new cases in a week, the number of hospitalizations and hospital capacity:

• In counties with a “high risk,” wearing a mask in indoor public places is still recommended.
• In counties with a “medium risk,” people with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask. People at a high risk for severe illness should consult their healthcare provider about the need for a mask or other precautions.
• In counties with a “low risk,” no additional precautions beyond staying up to date with vaccines and getting tested if one has symptoms are recommended.
  
  The rates and risk, from the CDC:
  Cortland: 124.00 — low
  Tompkins: 92.97 — low
  Cayuga: 100.55 — medium
  Onondaga: 93.59 — medium
  Broome: 134.39 — high
  Chenango: 101.68 — low
  Tioga: 134.85 — high
  Madison: 80.35 — low