MEDPAGE TODAY – Omicron is now in at least 17 states, and the CDC director said that number is likely to rise. Over the weekend, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Louisiana, and Georgia all reported their first cases. (Forbes)
Seventeen people aboard a cruise ship now docked in New Orleans tested positive for COVID, including one with the Omicron variant. (Washington Post)
While the Omicron variant is not the common cold, a pre-print found the two viruses may share some of the same genetic material.
NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, MD, called an early report from the South African Medical Research Council on Omicron’s severity “encouraging,” but also cautioned that “it’s too early to make any definitive statements.” (CNBC)
FDA expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) of the monoclonal antibody cocktail bamlanivimab-etesevimab to include even younger pediatric patients, including newborns, at high risk of progression to severe COVID.
Gilead recalled two lots of COVID-19 treatment remdesivir (Veklury) due to contamination with glass particles.
Former White House physician Sean Conley, DO, is facing fresh scrutiny over what he knew about former President Trump’s COVID diagnosis and when he knew it. (CNN)
Meanwhile, President Biden tested negative for COVID. His raspy voice is not due to flu or strep, says current White House physician, Kevin O’Connor, MD. (NBC News)
As of Monday at 8 a.m. EST, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll is 49,086,840 cases and 788,364 deaths, increases of 852,094 cases and 11,717 deaths versus a week ago.
The latest symptoms of long COVID include internal tremors and vibrations, according to a preprint in medRxiv.
Another unfortunate side effect of COVID? More amputations. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Meanwhile, a Virginia teacher’s systemic reaction to the COVID vaccine uncovered an undiagnosed breast cancer. (10 WAVY)
A nurse in South Carolina was charged with producing fake vaccine cards. (The Hill) … READ MORE.
