Key Points:
- In today’s Recommendations for Industry, we discuss the ongoing need for symptom monitoring. Read more below.
- The CDC will extend its mask-use on public transportation order until April 18, 2022. It does not seem that the U.S. will be ending testing rules for international travelers coming into the states (The Points Guy). In Europe, the UK is ending its last COVID-19 international travel rules (SCMP). As individuals continue to travel internationally, The Washington Post put together a “how to” for using vaccine passports as rules/’passports’ vary across different places (Washington Post).
- A recent study from South Korea found that “99.1% of close contacts of Omicron-infected patients diagnosed” by the 10th day; in fact, the average time of exposure to diagnosis was about 3.7 days. This further supports the 10-day quarantine. (CIDRAP)
- Fauci hopes that the “the world will not forget lessons from a ‘catastrophic experience’” (CNBC). COVID-19 outbreaks continue to increase within China, South Korea, and other areas within Asia (CIDRAP).
- Pfizer’s CEO acknowledged that it’s likely that a 4th dose of COVID-19 may be needed for whatever variant arises; he acknowledged that three doses, at this time, is “actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths.” However, the company is currently working on an all-variant shot (CIDRAP / CNN).
- How are the COVID-19 tests that we’ve been using being validated and tested for their abilities to work? Over 200 researchers based in Atlanta, working alongside the National institutes of health and the FDA, “have worked late nights and early mornings to accelerate the development of new tests and ensure that existing products can detect an alphabet of new variants, including Omicron.” Read more about the scientists seeking to keep us safe from New York Times (NYT).
Influenza:
- Within the US, please consider getting your flu shot. Influenza activity is increasing in most of the country, with positive levels seen “in states in the central and south-central regions.”
- Within the US & globally, although flu incidence is dropping, there is worry of potential increases as mask mandates against COVID-19 are relaxed.
Food Safety & Public Health:
- COVID-19 restrictions, especially in Latin America and Southeast Asia has seemingly led to hundreds of thousands of people not getting dengue. After controlling for a variety of factors, researchers believe that “the severe disruption in the movement of people” via stay-at-home orders likely helped lower the number of infected individuals as those who did get infected stayed home and “weren’t going out where new mosquitoes could bite them and then pass the virus on to other people” (NYT).
- A new malaria treatment for children has received its first approval in Australia (NYT).
- Avian flu is sweeping across the US (and globally). In Illinois, Kansas, and Wisconsin, millions of birds have had to be culled. So far, in the U.S., we have culled 6.7 million birds (chicken and turkey), which is “the biggest U.S. outbreak of the diseases in poultry since 2015” (CIDRAP/Reuters).
Recommendations for Industry
Symptom Monitoring Key to Limiting Workplace Transmissible Disease
As is being reported in the news, Europe is seeing some new increase in COVID-19 cases, as Omicron BA2 circulates. While the US may also see a small increase or a flattening of the current decrease in levels, the BA2 subvariant, though more transmissible than BA1, has not been shown to be any more serious, generally resulting in mild cases. Additionally, those who have had BA1 are likely immunized against BA2.
The CDC is also now basing community levels on hospital bed utilization, hospital admissions, and total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area, rather than simply assessing case counts. As the CDC maps (above; from the CDC site) show, these rates have significantly decreased over the last week in the US. Because of the low hospitalization rates related to Omicron, we would not expect levels to change even if BA2 becomes more virulent in the US.
On the other hand, we are seeing an increase in influenza rates in some parts of the US. From this, as well as any BA2 potential, TAG recommends that all businesses maintain the symptom monitoring, as established during COVID-19, and let workers know that it’s not too late to get their flu vaccine (or COVID-19 vaccine if they haven’t!). Symptom monitoring and reminding workers to stay out when ill are two of the most important strategies in managing workplace infectious disease, including COVID-19, influenza and other person-to-person diseases.
In Case You Missed It:
- In last Thursday’s Recommendations for Industry, we discussed a return to normal. Read more here.
- In a recent paper published in JAMA Neurology, CIDRAP cites that in patients over 60 years old who had developed severe illness, “cognitive impairment” post-COVID was common, a year later. The study cohort were those “released from hospitals in Wuhan, China.”
- Although The Americas only have <13% of the world’s population, the Americas “reported 63 percent of the world’s new known coronavirus cases in the first two months of 2022.” Of the 6 million people reported to have died from COVID, 2.6 million have come from the Americas with Peru leading in those numbers (NYT).
- This is the fifth week of global COVID-19 case decline. Cases not only declined by 5% but deaths also failed and declined by 8%. Despite the decrease in cases, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, China are seeing new record high cases. Almost 98% of cases are still the Omicron Variant; of those, 34% are the BA.2 Omicron subvariant (CIDRAP).
- Pangolins in Vietnam have been found to have a SARS-CoV-2-related coronavirus (CIDRAP).
- Austria is lifting its universal COVID-19 vaccine mandate (WSJ).
Food Safety & Public Health:
- According to the New York Times, “The Biden administration intends to contribute $150 million over the next three years to a global effort aimed at producing a vaccine within 100 days of the arrival of a new biological threat.”
- Abbott has expanded its recall for infant formula that was manufactured at one plant. From the FDA, “Abbott is voluntarily recalling one lot of Similac PM 60/40 (Lot # 27032K80 (can) / Lot # 27032K800 (case)) manufactured in Sturgis, Michigan. This is in addition to lots of Similac®, Alimentum® and EleCare® powder formula that were voluntarily recalled on Feb. 17. The action comes after learning of the death of an infant who tested positive for Cronobacter sakazakii and who we were informed had consumed Similac PM 60/40 from this lot. This case is under investigation, and at this time the cause of the infant’s Cronobacter sakazakii infection has not been determined. We want to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family.”
- To add to this, the Salmonella case is likely not part of the outbreak (Food Safety News).
- Pittsburgh Penguins at the PPG Paints Arena, in collaboration with Aramark and Cargill, are bringing the “first temperature-controlled food lockers” to the arena. As part of a self-service concept, the lockers will have “dual hot and ambient temperature compartments” (Business Wire).
- Stutzman Farms Issues a Voluntary Recall for Einkorn Products for Undeclared Wheat Allergen (FDA).
- Want to learn more about Cold Plasma Technology, listen to Episode 14 of IFT’s Sci Dish with Dr. Brendan A. Niemira (from USDA) (IFT).
