There are growing signs of an uptick in COVID-19 in California thanks to the new FLiRT subvariants.
It is far too early to know whether FLiRT will be a major game-changer in the COVID situation, and so far the impacts have been minimal.
But health officials are taking note and urging Californians — especially those at risk — to prepare.
Here’s a look at what we know and how you can protect yourself.
What are FLiRT subvariants?
The FLiRT subvariants – officially known as KP.2, KP.3 and KP.1.1 – have overtaken the dominant winter variant, JN.1. For the two-week period that ended Saturday, they are estimated to account for a total of 50.4% of the country’s coronavirus infections, up from 20% a month earlier.
Despite their increased transmissibility, the new mutations do not appear to lead to more severe disease. And the vaccine should continue to work well, given that the new subvariants differ only slightly from the winter version.
“It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a new dominant variant in the United States,” Dr. David Bronstein, an infectious disease specialist at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, told the Times earlier this month. “With each of these variants taking over from the previous one, we see increased transmissibility – it’s easier to spread from person to person. So that’s really FLiRT’s problem.
What do officials see?
Doctors say they are not seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people seriously ill and that COVID levels still remain relatively low. But there are signs of a rise in infections that could lead to an earlier-than-expected start to the summer coronavirus season.
“Concentrations of COVID-19 in wastewater suggest an increase in several areas of California since early May. Test positivity for COVID-19 has been slowly increasing since May,” the state Department of Public Health said in a statement to The Times on Friday.
During the seven-day period that ended Monday, about 3.8% of COVID-19 tests in California came back positive; at the end of April, this share was 1.9%. (Last summer’s peak positive test rate was 12.8%, as of late August.)
In San Francisco, infectious disease doctors are noticing more people hospitalized with pneumonia caused by COVID.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has also started to see a very slight increase in cases in recent days. And Kaiser Permanente Southern California is reporting a slight increase in outpatient COVID-19 cases.
How can I protect myself?
Vaccines
Doctors have urged people to consider updating their vaccinations, especially if they are at higher risk of serious complications from COVID-19.
In California, only 36% of people ages 65 and older have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine, first available in September. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged everyone 6 months and older to receive a dose of the updated vaccine. A second dose is also recommended for people aged 65 and over, provided at least four months have passed since their last injection.
It is especially important that older people receive at least one updated dose. Of the patients he has seen recently who had severe COVID, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, not all had received an updated vaccine since September and were older or immunocompromised.
Behavior
Avoid sick people. Some sick people may pass off their symptoms as a “cold” when it could be the start of a COVID-19 illness.
Essay
Test if you are sick and test daily. It may take longer after the onset of illness for a rapid COVID-19 test to come back positive. Consider taking a rapid COVID test once a day for three to five consecutive days after cough and cold symptoms appear, said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. This can help the sick person take steps to self-isolate later and limit the spread of the illness to others.
Planning
Plan to ask for Paxlovid if you get sick. Paxlovid is an antiviral medicine that, when taken by people at risk of severe COVID-19 with mild to moderate illness, reduces the risk of hospitalization and death.
Masks are much less common these days, but can still be a practical tool for preventing infections. Wearing a mask on a crowded flight where people are coughing in close proximity can help reduce the risk of infection.
How can I protect my family and friends?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently relaxed COVID isolation guidelines, as the health impacts of COVID-19 are lower than they once were, due to the availability of vaccines, anti-COVID drugs such as Paxlovid and increased population immunity.
There are fewer people hospitalized and dying, and fewer cases of complications such as multi-inflammatory syndrome in children.
Still, doctors say it remains prudent to take common-sense steps to avoid getting sick and spreading illness to others, given that COVID continues to cause significant health problems that remain worse than influenza. Nationally, since the beginning of October, more than 43,000 people have died from COVID; In contrast, influenza caused approximately 25,000 deaths during the same period.
Although the prevalence of long COVID has decreased, long COVID can still pose a risk any time someone contracts COVID.
Here’s a guide on what to do if you contract COVID-19:
Stay home and away from others while you are sick, plus one day after you recover
The CDC says people should stay home and away from other members of their household until at least 24 hours after their respiratory viral symptoms have generally improved and they have not had a fever (and no do not use fever medication). Previously, the CDC suggested people with COVID isolate themselves for at least five days and take extra precautions for a few more days.
When deciding when symptoms improve overall, what’s most important is “the overall sense of feeling better and the ability to return to activities,” says the CDC. A persistent cough by itself can last beyond the time a person is contagious, the CDC said.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also recommends testing yourself using a rapid test and obtaining a negative result before leaving isolation.
The agency also suggests staying away from older adults and immunocompromised people for 10 days after you start feeling sick.
Take extra precautions after recovery in case you are still contagious
People who have recovered from COVID-19 may still be contagious for a few days after recovery. The CDC suggests taking extra precautions for five days after leaving home and resuming time spent with others to keep them safe. They understand:
- Wear a well-fitted mask;
- Continued testing for COVID-19. If it’s positive, it’s likely you’re even more likely to infect others;
- Keep your distance from others;
- Increase air circulation by opening windows, turning on air purifiers, and gathering outdoors when meeting people;
- And stick to enhanced hygiene: washing and sanitizing your hands often, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, and covering coughs and sneezes.
Masking for 10 days to protect others
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says people with COVID-19 should wear a well-fitted mask for 10 days after they start feeling sick, even if signs of illness improve, to reduce the risk of other people becoming infected. Masks can be removed early if you get two consecutive negative test results at least one day apart, the agency says.
Be aware of the COVID rebound
COVID rebound can occur when people with COVID-19 feel better, but then begin to feel sick two to eight days after recovery. Some people may also test positive again. Rebounding COVID can make you contagious again, capable of infecting those you interact with.
Rebound may occur whether or not you take Paxlovid.
Officials say if you feel sick again after recovering from COVID, start following the same instructions again to stay home and away from other people during the first phase of the illness.
If you test positive but you have no symptoms
The CDC says if you’ve never had symptoms, but your test is positive, take extra precautions for the next five days, such as wearing a mask, testing, increasing air circulation, keeping your distance and wash your hands often.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recommends wearing a well-fitted mask for 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19, and also avoiding contact with high-risk individuals for 10 days after becoming infected. feel sick, like the elderly and immunocompromised. people. You can remove your mask early if you have two consecutive negative tests at least one day apart.
LA County health officials recommend that close contacts of people with COVID-19 wear a well-fitted mask when around others for 10 days after their last exposure. They suggest getting tested three to five days after your last exposure.