What is rebound COVID?
After instances of what's been termed as "rebound COVID" affected both President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden recently, many are asking what exactly is rebound COVID?
A preprint study (meaning it hasn't been published in a peer-reviewed journal yet) found that nearly a third of people with COVID experienced rebound symptoms and 12% tested positive again, regardless of whether they'd taken the antiviral Paxlovid, reports NBC News. It also found that 27% of people with COVID saw a rebound in their symptoms after they had initially improved.
“It happens all the time. People who are untreated with Covid who then feel better can get symptoms afterward,” said the study's co-author.
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Back in May, the Centers for Disease Control issued a health alert informing physicians about Paxlovid rebounds, it also said that “a brief return of symptoms may be part of the natural history of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in some persons, independent of treatment with Paxlovid and regardless of vaccination status," according to NBC News.
Read the official health advisory from the CDC on "rebound COVID" after Paxlovid treatment.
Read more on "rebound COVID" from NBC News here.
Local
Contra Costa County rescinds COVID vaccine mandate for medical personnel
An order requiring first responders and other emergency personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or test regularly for the virus was rescinded this week in Contra Costa County. The order applied to cops, firefighters and others who typically respond to facilities where COVID outbreaks are more common.
The order had been in effect since August of last year.
"While the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters remain excellent tools for substantially reducing the risk of severe disease and death, as a result of the mutations, the protection against infection and transmission offered by the current COVID-19 vaccines has diminished," said a county health officer.
Disease fatigue? Here's how to handle all the news and assess risk for COVID, Monkeypox and Polio
Heatlh-related anxiety is a real thing, especially when it comes to managing the overflow of information related to COVID, Monkeypos and Polio. Our partners at CNBC have put together a guide to how manage it all and keep it in perspective.
According to UC Davis health expert Angela Drake, the best solution may be to focus just on the things you have control over. "Really try to build a sense of 'there are things I can do to control my health issues' and 'there are things I can do to control my risk factors.'"
More practical tips here from CNBC plus how to best assess your risk for COVID, Monkeypox or Polio.
What is the current COVID variant of concern?
The California Department of Public Health maintains a chart that shows sequenced positive tests in which the specific COVID variant is identified. The predominant COVID variant as of Aug. 1, 2022 continues to be Omicron. Note: Not all COVID-19 tests are genetically sequenced and the information gathered is based on a sampling.
See the full CDPH chart and date here.
The Centers for Disease Control monitor variant proportions which can be viewed here on their website. According to their latest data (through Aug. 20, 2022), the subvariant Omicron BA.5 accounts for 88.9% of all Omicron variants in circulation in the U.S.
View the complete CDC data here.
Current COVID community levels for Bay Area counties
- Alameda County: LOW
- Contra Costa County: LOW
- Marin County: MEDIUM
- Napa County: MEDIUM
- San Francisco County: LOW
- San Mateo County: LOW
- Santa Clara County: MEDIUM
- Santa Cruz County: MEDIUM
- Solano County: MEDIUM
- Sonoma County: MEDIUM
