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STATE OF AFFAIRS FEB 6–FROM YOUR LOCAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST– DR. KATELYN JETELIA
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State of Affairs: Feb 6
Still a lot of sickness out there, marking the longest respiratory season since the beginning of the pandemic.
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After a few weeks of nosediving, things are, unfortunately, stabilizing. Does it feel like this respiratory season is never-ending? That’s because this is the longest respiratory season since the beginning of the pandemic.
Here is your state of affairs.
Influenza-like illnesses: High and plateauing
The climate of respiratory health in the United States (coined “influenza-like illnesses” by CDC) remains above the epidemic threshold and has plateaued due to children returning to school after the holidays.
We are going into our 13th week of being above “epidemic” levels. Last year, our entire season was 11 weeks. (The year before was 7 weeks). It’s looking more and more like “pre-pandemic” times, where we had ~15-18 weeks of illness during the winter.
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Outpatient Respiratory Illness Visits (Source: CDC; Annotated by YLE)
Covid-19 still takes the cake for respiratory deaths. By how much? We don’t know yet. The data below are from death certificates, which are pretty accurate for Covid and RSV but not for flu. CDC annually adjusts flu deaths post-hoc to account for underreporting. We must wait to see how those calculations play out.
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Trends in Viral Respiratory Deaths in the United States (Source: CDC; Annotated by YLE)
Covid-19: High and… stabilizing?
Nationally, Covid-19 in wastewater is still “high.” Unfortunately, levels have stabilized in all regions except the South, where exponential growth started again. This could be a “noise” signal due to unstable reporting or a “real” signal due to, perhaps, it getting colder later in the South.
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Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 viral activity level on a national level (Source: CDC; Annotations by YLE)
Covid-19 hospitalizations are slowing down, too, after a few weeks of nosediving. Are Covid-19 hospitalizations higher than flu? Well… it depends on which CDC graph you look at, which is confusing. The top graph below shows Covid-19 hospitalizations winning while the bottom shows flu winning.
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(Top) Covid-19 and Influenza Hospitalization Rates (Source: CDC) (Bottom) Weekly Rates of Respiratory Virus-Associated Hospitalizations by Season (Source: CDC); Annotated by YLE
Why the different data stories? The sources are different. The top graph is from all hospitals mandated to report due to the pandemic, and the bottom is a few hospitals representing only 10% of the population from mostly urban areas. This is probably causing two things to happen:
- Vaccine effect. Urban places have more Covid-19 vaccinated than rural; thus Covid-19 hospitalizations are lower on the bottom graph than the top.
- Case definition differences may be happening. The data in the top graph is reported by hospitals, which may differ from the bottom graph, reported by a review of lab records.
I trust the top graph more. Unfortunately, this data story will stop in April because the reporting mandate is ending. Hospitals hate reporting this metric, but if you ask me, I don’t care. We need this data.
Flu: High and stabilizing
Influenza is still surging. Emergency department visits for flu increased due to one particular group: 5-17 year olds.
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Percent of Emergency Department Visits for Flu, by age. (Source CDC; Annotated by YLE)
RSV: Moderate but nosediving
RSV continues to go down and down. Good riddance.
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(Source: CDC)
Other things I’m paying attention to:
- New CDC data show that the 2023 fall Covid-19 vaccines provide 54% increased protection against infection. In other words, fall Covid vaccines were a good call. A few more thoughts of mine are here.
- Norovirus (think throwing up and diarrhea) has been a rollercoaster, but is now increasing quickly. Historically, this is about the time that norovirus takes off. Wash those hands.
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(Source: CDC)
Bottom line
We are still very much in the middle of the “feeling crappy” season. And, unfortunately, it’s already longer than last year’s. Hopefully we get a reprieve in the next month or two.
Love, YLE
“Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE)” is written by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, M.P.H. Ph.D.—an epidemiologist, wife. During the day, she is a senior scientific consultant to several organizations, including CDC. At night, she writes this newsletter. Her main goal is to “translate” the ever-evolving public health world so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support this effort, subscribe below:
SOCIAL MEDIA AND TEEN MENTAL HEALTH: YOUR LOCAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST EXPLAINS
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Social media and kids’ mental health- An update
The public health datastory behind the congressional hearing
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Public health touches all aspects of our lives, not just during a pandemic and not just with infectious diseases. Thanks to your feedback, this newsletter will continue with Covid-19 updates and address other public health topics, like mental health. To choose what topics land in your inbox, click HERE.
Strong bipartisan statements came out of a congressional hearing yesterday about the harms of social media use among children and teens. Parents of kids harmed by social media showed up in immense force.
“You have blood on your hands.”— Sen. Lindsey Graham to five social media CEOs.
“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through.”— Mark Zuckerberg to parents in the audience.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks directly to audience members of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the dangers of child sexual exploitation on social media. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Is social media dangerous for children and teens? And, if so, what are our options?
Here is the nuanced public health data that (hopefully) congressmen/women are using to (hopefully) make meaningful and needed change. But, as we know by now, policy isn’t always based on science.
Note: The below was published 8 months ago, and some things have changed since. We bolded the changes to bring you along for the ride. As a parent, I still root for Option #4.
Love, YLE
Mental health and social media among teens |
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Protecting youth from the potential negative mental health effects of social media is front and center in the mass media, in conversations around dinner tables, and in federal- and state-level bills. Is the teen mental health crisis a real thing? This post contains sensitive information, including a discussion of suicide. If you are in need of help, there is an abundance of resources on the National Suicide Prevention Hotline website, which includes an anonymous chat function and a direct line at 800-273-8255. Protecting youth from the potential negative mental health effects of social media is front and center in the mass media, in conversations around dinner tables, and in federal- and state-level bills. Is the teen mental health crisis a real thing?Yes. Rates of mental health problems have continually increased among young people over the past 15 years, regardless of how you measure it: In 2021, 42% of U.S. high school students reported “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” up from 28% in 2011. The increase was especially dramatic among girls.  According to diagnostic measures (structured interviews by a trained professional), depression has increased 7.7% in U.S. teens—and 12% among girls—between 2009 and 2019. According to U.S. death certificates, suicide rates among youth ages 10-14 increased 139% for girls and 70% for boys since 2012. However, this is a bit difficult to interpret given low the rates to begin with for girls.  (The trends are increasing fast among teens. But, for perspective, the rates of suicide are significantly higher in adults.)  Is this rise due to social media?Teens use social media. A lot. Almost one in five teens use YouTube “almost constantly.” Nearly half of teens use TikTok (48%) and Snapchat (44%) several times per day. And the total hours of use have increased in recent years among teens.  But using social media doesn’t necessarily equate to mental health problems. Correlation doesn’t always equal causation. And, to make things more complicated, there are harms and benefits of social media. Harms of social mediaWe have a lot of correlational evidence, and some—but not much—causal evidence of the harms of social media on teens’ mental health. Correlational studies ask teens how much time they’re spending on social media, and ask them about mental health. In general, these point to weak but statistically relevant correlations between social media use and lower teen well-being. In terms of causal evidence, we have a couple of studies:
What is clear is that we need more research with more rigorous designs. Benefits of social mediaCompeting with these harms are studies that show social media has benefits for mental health, too. Teens report that social media is important for:
These benefits can be especially important for those who may be socially vulnerable in their offline lives, like LGBTQ+ youth. What else could explain it?Assessing causality means understanding what other factors may also explain the rise of mental illness among teens. A few alternative explanations have been proposed:
Of course, many of these explanations may be intertwined with and amplified by social media, but the short answer is that we likely can’t blame social media alone. Mental health is complicated, and there is unlikely to be a single, simple explanation for a large-scale phenomenon like this one. So, what should we do about it?We’ve got a few options:
Bottom lineWe have some evidence that social media is playing a role in the teen mental health crisis, but that evidence is not definitive. And social media can play a positive role, too. It is highly unlikely that social media is the only cause of mental illness among children. We can certainly take steps to make social media a healthier place, but if we truly want to support teens’ mental health, this is only the start. Love, YLE and JN
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ALL NEW WHITE PLAINS WEEK THE FEBRUARY 2ND REPORT ON WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG
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JOHN BAILEY AND THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
THIS WEEK, EVERY WEEK ON WHITE PLAINS WEEK FOR 22 YEARS
TOM SOYK ON SPEED LIMITS
$1,000 DOLLARS AND UP CON ED BILLS AS CITIZENS WITH NATURAL GAS IN WHITE PLAINS ARE BEING HEATED OUT OF THEIR HOMES, LIVELIHOOD AND THE STATE DOES NOTHING, WHISTLES BY THE GRAVEYARD.
44% INCREASE SINCE DECEMBER. THE STORY OF THE STATE SELL OUT TO BIG POWER, LEADERS STAY SILENT ABOUT IT. NO MEDIA IS TALKING ABOUT, BUT WPW IS TELLING ABOUT IT~! SOMEBODY’S GOT TO DO IT.
DEVELOPMENT OF GOOD COUNSEL APARTMENTS COMES BACK TO THE COUNCIL
ATTORNEY WILLIAM NULL ON THE NEW SITE PLAN FOR 52 NORTH BROADWAY-WHAT’S AHEAD
WHITE PLAINS SALES TAXES ON TARGET FOR RECORD BUT DOWN 1/2%
WESTCHESTER COUNTY EVEN BUT BLOWS SALES TAX FORECAST AGAIN–FACES $24 MILLION DEFICIT. WHERE’S THE LIFT FROM INFLATION? WHERE IS IT? THE WESTCHESTER AND WHITE PLAINS ECONOMIES ARE FLAT
PART TWO OF JOHN BAILEY’S PREVIEW OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE DRAFT ONEWHITEPLAINS PLAN
THE STATE OF COVID DECLINING BUT VERY SLOWLY
THIS WEEK ON “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD” AT 7 SATURDAY NIGHT, CH 45 FIOS AND CH 76 OPTIMUM AND www.wpcommunitymedia.org
A REBROADCAST OF COMMISSIONER DAVID CHONG’S FENTANYL REPORT
IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY, WHY IT IS SO DANGEROUS. A TIMELY REVIEW IN LIGHT OF OREGON DECLARATION OF A 90 DAY EMERGENCY because of fentanyl deaths fro overdoses.
$1,093 to HEAT WITH NATURAL GAS FOR ONE MONTH? CON ED PRICES ARE INSANE. AND NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING TO STOP IT. E.
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WPCNR CITIZENETREPORT NEWS TIP, WITH NEWS AND COMMENT BY JOHN F. BAILEY:
IT WAS COLD IN WHITE PLAINS YESTERDAY MORNING 32 DEGREES.
I WAS WRITING MY SCRIPT FOR THE SHOW WHEN I GOT A DISTURBING CALL FROM ONE OF MY CITIZENETREPORTERS, THEY CALLED ME ABOUT THEIR CON ED BILL FOR JANUARY, THEIR NATURAL GAS HEATING BILL WAS OVER $1,000.
“IT’S KILLING ME, I DON’T KNOW HOW I’M GOING TO MAKE IT.”
I WAS SHOCKED.
I THINK IT’S TIME SOME ASSEMBLY PERSON, SOME STATE SENATOR, GOVERNOR HOCHUL SHOULD HIT THE ROOF ABOUT THIS COLOSSAL RIPOFF OF EVERY CITIZEN WHO USES ELECTRICITY IN NEW YORK STATE.
CALL THE NEW YORK INDEPENDENT SYSTEMS OPERATOR AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION AND YOUR ALBANY LEGISLATORS AND ASK THEM IF THEY EVEN KNOW WHAT THE NEW PRICE INCREASE IS DOING TO THE THOUSANDS IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY THEY JUST APPROVED.
THIS TIME I WANT A LEGISLATIVE HEARING WITH THE PSC AND NYISO WHY THE NYISO DECISION SETTING THE HIGHEST COST SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY AS THE PRICE FOR BUYING ELECTRICITY OFF THE GRID.
IN THIS CASE NATURAL GAS DETERMINES WHAT ALL BUYING ELECTRICITY THE GRID PAYS FOR ELECTRICITY HAS DONE. CAN THESE “LEADERS” IN ALBANY FIND OUT WHY DID THE NHYISO DO THAT AND WHY AREN’T THOSE LEGISLATORS AND OUR GOVERNOR HAULING THOSE TWO AGENCIES AND CON ED AND EVERY ELECTRIC SERVICE COMPANY IN ON THE CARPET AND FIX THIS BEFORE THE SUMMER WHEN THE BILLS WILL BE JUST AS HIGH.
GOVERNOR HOCHUL MADE A STATEMENT SAYING SHE WAS ASKING CON ED TO RE CONSIDER IT’S RATES TO GIVE NY CUSTOMERS A BREAK. THE LANDLORDS ARE HAVING BIG FUN PASSING THE INCREASE ON TO THEIR TENANTS.
PERHAPS THE GOVERNOR SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE PSC TO CUT IT. PERHAPS SHE SHOULD TELL THE NYISO TO CREATE A COMPETITIVE MARKET WITH COMPETITIVE PRICING NOW…BECAUSE PEOPLE CANT PAY $1,000 A MONTH JUST SO THE NATURAL GAS GANG CAN MAKE BILLIONS ON THE MEEK, THE HARD WORKING MAN AND WOMAN, THE PERSONS TRYING TO AFFORD TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES THAT HAS BEEN BY THIS NYISO POLICY RIGHT OUT OF THE ROBBER BARONS’ PLAYBOOK
THOSE DECISIONS ABSOLUTELY WRECKED THE SUCCESSFUL COMPETITOR OF OF CON ED, WESTCHESTER POWER AND THE BIG TIME POWER SUPPLIERS.
IF THERE WERE A REAL DICK TRACY WORKING ROBBERY OUT THE BUNKO DIVISION, I WOULD TELL HIM THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION AND NYISO APPROVED DECISION DOUBLED WESTCHESTER POWER’S FIXED RATE.
I NEVER HEARD A SIGH FROM OUR FECKLESS GOVERNOR ON ENERGY, OR OUR SAY NOTHING, DO NOTHING, READ NOTHING LEGISLATORS AND LEADERS.
THE CITIZEN WHO CALLED ME ABOUT $1,000 BILL SAID THE NEW GAS RATE WAS KILLING THEM. OF COURSE IT WAS A COLD WINTER.
BUT IT’S NOT DOWN IN TEENS AND ALREADY BUT THESE NEW RATES ARE AN ABSOLUTE GIFT TO HEAVY POLLUTING, WORLD DESTROYING, NATURAL GAS. HOW CAN THE GOVERNOR PERMIT THE PSC AND THE NYISO TO RUN A MONOPOLY IN RESTRAINT OF TRADE, RUNNING UP THE COST OF MAKING THE ELECTRICITY TO BEYOND ANY REALM OF AFFORDABILITY BY YOU AND ME. THEIR RATES GO UP AND DOWN ACCORDING TO OUR USAGE AND THEIR COSTS.
WELL IF YOU OWN A HOME IN WHITE PLAINS AND YOU HAVE GAS HEAT –FROM CON EDISON – YOU ARE GETTING KILLED BY ELECTRIC BILLS. YOU’RE SCARED TO DEATH ABOUT HOW MY CALLER CAN PAY THIS.
THE CON EDISON CUSTOMER WHO HAS NATURAL GAS HEAT, TOLD ME THEIR CON ED GAS BILL WAS 1,063 DOLLARS IN JANUARY, UP FROM $744 IN DECEMBER — ONE MONTH AGO –THAT IS A 44% INCREASE IN USAGE AND PRICE IN ONE MONTH.
LOOK OUT EVIL DOERS, YOU HAVE PULLED THIS OFF FOR THE LAST TIME.
DO THING LEGISLATORS AND LEADERS, AT LEAST OPEN YOUR MOUTHS.
YOU ALL TURNED YOUR BACK AND IGNORED THIS PRICE INCREASE AND BEFORE THAT YOU LET NYISO UNDER THE EXCUSE THAT THEY “HAD TO MAINTAIN AN ORDERLY SUPPLY” PRICE FIXED, AND THERE TOOK OUT THE MAIN SELLING POINT OF WESTCHESTER POWER–FIXED RATE LOWER THAN CON ED’S. EVERYBODY LOVED THIS. I DID.
NYISO’S DECISION RESULTED BECAUSE THE NYISO DIDN’T THINK THIS THROUGH. WHAT HAPPENED WAS NO ESCO WOULD BID ON THE NEW WESTCHESTER POWER CONTRACT. WESTCHESTER POWER HAD TO PAUSE AND CON ED TOOK OVER THE ELECTRIC SERVICE. WHEN WESTCHESTER FINALLY WAS ABLE TO GET A FIXED RATE (DOUBLE WHAT THEY HAD IN 2022) CON ED RAMMED IN THEIR PRICE REQUEST QUOTING NICE LOW RATES.
NYISO’S DECISION AFFECTED 29 TOWNS AND CITIES IN WESTCHESTER IN WESTCHESTER POWER.
NO ONE IN THIS COUNTY, ANY COUNTY OR IN NY GOVERNMENT SAID ANYTHING.
JUST PROFITS PROFITS PROFITS FOR BIG POWER AND THEIR STOCKHOLDERS.
WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE POWER POLICY SYSTEM TO LOWER COSTS, TEACH CUSTOMERS HOW TO SAVE ON CONSUMPTION AND INSTALL MORE SOLAR, WIND, WATER ENERGY TO SAVE THE STATE ECONOMY.
THANKS PUBLIC OFFICIALS.
YOU DIDN’T PAY ATTENTION.
White Plains CONSIDERS LOWERING speed limits to 25 MPH from 30 with some exceptions.
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WPCNR TRAFFIC TRIBUNE. From The City of White Plains. January 29, 2024:
Added to the agenda at the Special Meeting at City Hall Monday was an ordinance lowering the speed limit in White Plains with exceptions for key access and egress routes.
Here are the street-by-street details showing exceptions to the 25 MPH limit:
- Central Westchester Parkway: from Grant Avenue to the City Line, 45 MPH
- Mamaroneck Avenue from Bryant Avenue to the City Line, 40 MPH EXCEPT SCHOOL DAYS, when it is reduced to 25 MPH in school zones marked by flashing lights and 25 MPH flasing signs.
- Mamaroneck Avenue From Bryant Avenue both North and South Bound to BLOMINGDALE RD, 30MPH
- North Street, both North and Southbound between Ridgeway and White Plains Avenue, 40MPH, except school days when limit is 25 MPH marked by flashing lights and signs reading 25MPH.
- North Street, both North and Southbound between Ridgeway to and the City line, 40MPH
- Westchester Avenue (eastbound) between White Plains Avenue and the City line, 40 MPH
- Westchester Avenue (eastbound) between Paulding Street and the Bloomingdale Road ramp, 30MPH
- Bryant Avenue, between North Street and Westchester Avenue both eastbound and westbound, 35MPH. From North Street to Mamaroneck Avenue, 30MPH
- Westchester Avenue Frontage Road eastbound from Bloomingdale Road ramp to I-287 eastbound junction, 40MPH
- Bloomingdale Road, 30MPH
- Central Avenue, 30 MPH
- North Broadway, northbound and southbound between Barker Avenue and the Cityline, 30MPH.
- Old Mamaroneck Road , northbound and southbound, between Bryant Avenue and the City line. 30MPH
- Tarrytown Road. 30MPH
- White Plains Avenue, 40MPH
A letter included in the “backup material” detailed the speed limit is being lowered under the new New York State Legislation (A.1007, A/S.2021-A) which now allows cities to reduce city wide limits to 25 miles per hour in the amended Section 1643 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. The former traffic the default maximum speed through a city, town, or village was 30 MPH.
By giving municipalities local control to reduce speed limits, this legislation will improve public safety and prevent pedestrian fatalities.
The amendment to the city Traffic Ordinance is in accordance with recommendations of the Transportation Commission, Department of Parking/Traffic Division and is to become effective upon adoption by the Common Council.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH STARTS TODAY
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MEASLES
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I’m fully vaccinated against measles. What should I know?
Can I transmit the virus? Does vaccine protection wane? Does my child get antibodies?
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Measles continues to pepper the news:
- A new outbreak in Georgia
- Report last week of a 45-fold rise in measles in Europe
- CDC released a national alert for physicians to keep an eye out for cases
I am getting a lot of questions! Here’s what you need to know if you’re fully vaccinated.
Can I get measles if I’m fully vaccinated?
The MMR vaccine works incredibly well—you’re 35 times less likely to get measles than someone with no immunity.
But nothing is perfect. A breakthrough case is rare but possible (3 out of 100 fully vaccinated people will get infected). The disease does tend to be milder.
We don’t know why there are breakthrough cases, but there are two possibilities:
- Waning immunity (see more below); or
- Vaccine didn’t work in the first place for whatever reason. 5% of people do not get protection after the first dose, but 95% of those will be fully protected after a second dose.
If I am exposed, can I transmit measles?
Transmission after vaccination, especially if you’re asymptomatic, is rare:
- We see this in the lab data. A small study found no viral shedding among asymptomatic or mildly ill patients. But this is a very old study, and we need to replicate findings with more sensitive lab equipment.
- We see this in the epidemiological data. While there are several studies showing spread among vaccinated people, especially after intense or prolonged exposure, the epidemiological implications don’t seem to be dramatic. In other words, cases don’t transmit enough to sustain outbreaks.
In 2011, there was a well-documented outbreak in New York. This was the first documented measles outbreak where the index case had two doses of MMR. Out of 88 close contacts, 4 got infected and had symptoms. Those who got infected had more than 200 contacts, and none got measles. (Note: We would expect ~90% to get infected if this population didn’t have immunity.)
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Figure by YLE
Why does the measles vaccine work better than the Covid-19 vaccine?
These are very different viruses:
- Mutates differently. Measles is much more restricted in how it mutates compared to Covid-19. For example, new versions of measles don’t come out every few months to escape our immunity. The 1960 measles virus is largely the same today. (See this previous YLE post for more).
- Infects differently. Measles is a lot slower at infection. It requires going deep into the body to start replicating. Because of this, the measles vaccine is much better at stopping transmission, as our body has much more time to control measles infection. This is different from Covid-19, which replicates on the surface of the nasal cavity very quickly. It’s hard for our cells to reach it in time to prevent replication.
If we are protected from measles for life, why are there booster rumors?
I think this happening for a few reasons:
- MMR combines protection for three diseases into one shot: Measles, mumps, and rubella. Each of these wanes at different rates, which is confusing:
- Measles. Measles antibodies are incredibly durable (the most durable of the three) but wane over time. This isn’t too concerning because we have T cell protection, too. Studies that followed people for 17 years showed the vast majority (~91%) remained above the threshold needed for protection. What happens if they continue to wane? We are at the mercy of time, but currently, outbreaks continue to occur among unvaccinated people.
- Mumps antibodies are also durable but wane faster than measles. Approximately 25% lose protection within 8 years and 50% within 19 years of vaccination. This is why some consider a third dose of MMR before kids go to college.
- Rubella wanes, too, but you’re generally considered fully protected for life. Recent studies showed that the younger a person is, the quicker it wanes. This raises the question of whether women, especially those who get pregnant at an older age, need another booster.
- Other countries are discussing the possibility of a measles booster, for example for health care workers in Korea. Studies show a booster provides benefits, but they are short-lived.
- The guidance says if you were born before 1957, it is assumed you had measles and you’re fully protected. This group can probably skip getting MMR for measles protection unless other factors are at play (e.g., chemotherapy).
As vaccines have started eliminating diseases, people’s exposure to those diseases in the community has declined. This is good news, but it also means our immune systems have had less opportunity for boosting by asymptomatic infections (i.e., hybrid immunity). We don’t know the implications of this, but we are keeping a close eye on the data.
I hear measles infection-induced immunity is more durable than vaccine-induced immunity?
This is true. Infection-induced antibodies wane less quickly among adults and fetuses compared to vaccine-induced immunity.
The problem is that an infection comes with many more risks than a vaccine. If I were to bet on it, I would rather have the odds on the right than left.
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Are babies protected if their mom was fully vaccinated?
Anyone trying to conceive should have MMR titers checked, and if levels are low, MMR should be administered 28 or more days before conception.
The vast majority of moms transfer antibodies of all three—measles, mumps, and rubella—to fetuses. Once born, antibodies wane really quickly and are almost all gone at 6-12 months of age.
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So why do we wait until 12 months to get children vaccinated?
We try to get to the sweet spot by balancing a few factors: maternal antibodies waning, maturity of the immune system, and the most common age of infection. For example, maternal antibodies can greatly reduce the infants response to the MMR vaccine. So we want to be sure these wane before getting a child vaccinated.
That said, if there is a measles outbreak, protection is needed ASAP for young children. Early vaccination is one provisional measure we can take.
Bottom line
If you’re fully vaccinated, you can be confident in your protection. We continue to follow the data, but failure to vaccinate still plays the biggest role in measles in the United States compared to vaccine failures.
Love, YLE
FORMER LAW PARTNER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR LAUNDERING $400 MILLION OF ONECOIN FRAUD PROCEEDS
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Former Law Firm Partner Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Laundering $400 Million Of OneCoin Fraud Proceeds
WPCNR FBI WIRE From U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MARK SCOTT was sentenced to 10 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos for laundering approximately $400 million of proceeds from the massive international fraud scheme known as “OneCoin.” Today’s sentencing followed SCOTT’s conviction on all counts at trial on November 21, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Mark Scott, previously convicted at trial of laundering over $400 million of OneCoin proceeds for ‘Crypto Queen,’ Ruja Ignatova, used his law license as a means to participate in a massive money laundering scheme for a cryptocurrency that had no value since its inception. Scott, an equity partner at a prominent international law firm, had boasted of earning ‘50 by 50.’ Indeed, Scott accomplished his goal, but by fraud and deception, and will now spend a decade in prison and has been ordered to forfeit all of his illegal proceeds.”
According to the Indictment, documents filed in the case, and evidence introduced at trial:
OneCoin, which began operations in 2014 and was based in Sofia, Bulgaria, marketed and sold a fraudulent cryptocurrency by the same name through a global multi-level-marketing (“MLM”) network. OneCoin began operating in the U.S. in or around 2015. The OneCoin scheme was one of the largest fraud schemes ever perpetrated. Between the fourth quarter of 2014 and the fourth quarter of 2016 alone, the scheme took in more than $4 billion from at least 3.5 million victims.
OneCoin marketed its fake cryptocurrency through a global MLM network of OneCoin members. Unlike legitimate cryptocurrencies, OneCoin had no actual value and was conceived of as a fraud from day one. The misrepresentations made to OneCoin investors were legion, and the cryptocurrency was worthless. Among other things, OneCoin lied to its members about how its cryptocurrency was valued, claiming that the price of OneCoin was based on market supply and demand, when in fact OneCoin itself arbitrarily set the value of the coin without regard to market forces. The purported value of a OneCoin grew steadily from €0.50 to approximately €29.95 per coin, as of in or about January 2019. The purported price of OneCoins never decreased in value.
SCOTT, who was employed between June 2015 and September 2016 as an equity partner at Locke Lord LLP, a prominent international law firm, was first introduced to OneCoin’s co-founder, RUJA IGNATOVA, in September 2015. Beginning in early 2016, SCOTT formed a series of fake private equity investment funds in the British Virgin Islands known as the “Fenero Funds.” SCOTT then disguised incoming transfers of approximately $400 million into the Fenero Funds as investments from “wealthy European families,” when in fact the money represented proceeds of the OneCoin fraud scheme. SCOTT layered the money through various Fenero Fund bank accounts in the Cayman Islands and the Republic of Ireland. SCOTT subsequently transferred the funds back to IGNATOVA and other OneCoin associated entities, this time disguising the transfers as outbound investments from the Fenero Funds. As part of the scheme, SCOTT and his co-conspirators lied to banks and other financial institutions all over the world, including to banks in the U.S., to cause those institutions to make transfers of OneCoin proceeds and evade anti-money laundering procedures.
SCOTT, who boasted about earning “50 by 50,” was paid more than $50 million for his money laundering services. He used that money to purchase, among other things, a collection of luxury watches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, a Ferrari and several Porsches, a 57-foot Sunseeker yacht, and three multimillion-dollar seaside homes in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
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In addition to the prison term, SCOTT, 55, of Coral Gables, Florida, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. SCOTT was also ordered to forfeit a money judgment in the amount of $392,940,000, several bank accounts, a yacht, two Porsche automobiles, and four real-estate properties.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Folly, Juliana Murray, and Kevin Mead are in charge of the prosecution.
Contact
FBI FLASH! NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL PAYS OVER $801,000 TO SETTLE CLAIMS THAT PHYSICIAN PRACTICES IMPROPERLY BILLED GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS
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New York Presbyterian Hospital Pays Over $800,000 to Settle Claims that Physician Practices in Brooklyn Improperly Billed Government Health Care Programs
Government Alleged that Radiation Oncology Practices Failed to Properly Review Images Taken for Guided Radiation Therapy
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today that New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) has agreed to pay $801,000 to resolve claims that two radiology practices improperly billed Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE for images used in image guided radiation therapy treatments (IGRT) provided to cancer patients.
The settlement agreement, which resolved claims under the Federal False Claims Act, was approved on January 19, 2024 by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz, II.
“The defendants provided substandard care to cancer patients by not properly or timely reviewing medical imaging and then billed taxpayer funded healthcare programs for these shoddy services,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “My Office is committed to holding healthcare providers accountable for such conduct.”
Mr. Peace thanked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of Personnel Management, Defense Healthcare Agency, and the New York State Office of Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their work on this case.
Radiation Therapist Associates, P.C. (RTA) and Leading Edge Radiation Oncology Services, PLLC (LEROS), which are no longer operating, provided outpatient radiation oncology services to several Brooklyn communities. RTA was a physician practice located within Methodist Hospital and operated under a contract with a predecessor of NYPH. LEROS was operated by an overlapping group of physicians and was a joint venture between NYPH’s predecessor and LEROS.
IGRT is a type of cancer treatment that uses imaging technologies such as PET, MRI, and CT to deliver radiation more accurately and safely to cancer cells. It uses periodically taken images to guide the precise delivery of radiation.
The United States claimed that between 2012 and 2018, RTA and LEROS billed for images utilized in IGRT when such images were either not reviewed, or were not timely reviewed, and therefore were not reasonable and necessary. Further, the investigation found that initial consultation sessions at RTA were in some instances billed at a higher coding level than appropriate.
Under the terms of the agreement with the United States and the State of New York, NYPH will pay a total of $801,000, with $694,999.71 going to the United States and $106,000.29 to the State of New York. These funds will go to the Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE programs.
The settlement includes the resolution of a civil action brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the settlement if the government takes over the case and reaches a monetary agreement with the defendant. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no admission of or determination of liability.
The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Silverman of the Office’s Civil Division.
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CV-6356
United States ex rel. RAD Claim, LLC v. Radiation Therapist Associates, P.C. et al.,