Posted on 07/18/24
| News Source: Pikesville Patch
Baltimore, MD - July 18, 2024 - President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday amid a national uptick in emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Hospitalizations in Maryland have remained low, but virus activity is very high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With fresh cases bubbling up, particularly the southwestern U.S., health officials are recommending that all Americans get a new vaccination this fall.
CDC wastewater monitoring shows “very high” coronavirus levels in seven states and “high” rates in another 19. Maryland’s very high rate of transmission is based on tests conducted at nine wastewater treatment sites.
“Outpatient visits to emergency departments have increased a lot over the last week or two,” Sean O’Donnell of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services told WTOP. “So far, our inpatients has not gone up significantly, but it is starting to creep up now, too.”
The Mid-Atlantic region saw a 7.4 percent test positivity rate through July 6, according to CDC data. That is a 1.7 percent increase in the number of COVID cases in Maryland and neighboring states from the previous week, with 906 tests administered.
Nationwide, emergency room visits related to COVID-19 are up 23.5 percent for the week ending July 6 compared to the previous week. The test positivity rate during the same period was 11 percent, up from 8.6 percent the week before.
The wastewater tests show high positive rates for Virginia and Pennsylvania, low in New Jersey and West Virginia, and moderate in Delaware.
The White House said Wednesday that Biden has mild symptoms and is isolating in his home but still performing the full duties of the office. Officials didn’t say what strain of COVID the president has, but most hew cases nationwide are caused by the “FLiRT” variant, the CDC said. Biden is being treated with Paxlovid, the medication used to treat COVID-19.
Although it appears illnesses associated with FLiRT aren’t as serious as those caused by other variants, some symptoms set it apart. They include:
Because of his age, Biden, 81, is among the people most at risk for severe illnesses, along with immunocompromised and people with severe medical conditions. He is taking Paxlovid, officials have sad.
“We continue to see more mild disease, but that’s likely not because the virus is milder, but because our immunity is so much stronger now. After years of vaccinations and infections, most of the population is better able to fight off an infection without as much concern for severe disease,” Andy Pekosz, a professor in microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University, told a school publication.
Avoiding crowded indoor areas, wearing a mask, and avoiding those who are sick with COVID are all ways to prevent catching the new FLiRT variant, health officials have said.