WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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NORTHEAST UP 11% IN INFECTIONS IN WEEK. NEW YORK STATE HOSPITALIZATIONS UP.

ARS-CoV-2 is having a mixed impact across the globe.

The WHO is tracking more than 100 subvariants of Omicron, and each country has a different makeup of “subvariant soup,” but two are winning the race: XBB and BQ.1.1.

Couple this with changing behaviors and different immune histories (which wave hit and when; booster uptake), and country-to-country comparisons are getting harder than ever.

But I’m up for a challenge. Here is a snapshot of the current landscape, which is changing quickly.

International trends

In Western Europe, behavior drove the current wave. Thankfully, cases have peaked as it looks like the virus ran out of social networks to follow, but Omicron subvariants (and specifically BQ.1.1) are brewing below the surface. Whether cases continue to descend, plateau, or begin to increase is directly dependent on the number of “susceptible” people the virus can find—the million dollar question.

All eyes are still on Germany, as hospitalizations “for COVID-19” are the highest they have ever been. (Take this with a grain of salt, though, as hospitalizations in Germany have historically been low. So admissions are high, but not outrageous compared to other countries.) The current surge is largely attributed to Oktoberfest as a superspreader event and the fact that Germany’s fall booster rate among 60+ year olds is one of the lowest in Europe thus far.

(Jean Fisch Twitter)

Also concerning is the quickly rising number of ICU patients in Germany and the fact that 30% of ICU patients are on a ventilator, which is high. In addition, some German hospitals have called for help as a majority of their staff are out sick. In all, excess deaths in Germany are high and increasing.

Moving to Southeast Asia, an Omicron subvariant—XBB—is causing a substantial infection wave (as opposed to behavior). Specifically, Singapore is getting hit hard with a high rate of reinfections due to waning immunity. However, only 15 people total are in the ICU (out of 6 million people). This amazing progress is attributed to:

1. A highly vaccinated and boosted population, and
2. A massive BA.2 wave (as opposed to a BA.1 wave, like in the U.S.). This may help as BA.2 is more closely related to XBB than BA.1.

The Singapore Ministry of Health predicts they will peak in mid-November at around 15,000 cases per day—an infection peak much larger than their BA.5 wave but smaller than their first Omicron wave. Their death rate is already far below Germany’s and the U.S.’s, regardless of high case rates. I expect it to remain there.

Then there are places like Japan, Australia, and South Korea that have similar growth rates of BQ.1.1 and XBB. These places will be particularly interesting to watch and see which subvariants win the battle. Or, for the first time in this pandemic, we may witness co-circulation—two subvariants of equal strength circulating at the same time.Time will tell.

United States

It’s incredibly difficult to predict what will happen in the U.S. given that we have such a different immune landscape than other countries. We only have 14.8 million Americans boosted with the fall vaccine—far below what’s needed to divert 100,000 deaths this winter. According to recent models, we are still on track for a fall/winter wave.

The CDC now updates COVID-19 data weekly, so we are getting bursts of information rather than a continuous story line.

From last Friday’s new CDC data update, Northeast has the highest proportion of BQ.1.1, which jumped from less than 1% to 11% of cases. Increasing subvariants are causing an uptick in wastewater. In fact, the Northeast is experiencing the highest concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater since last winter.

Wastewater trends during pandemic. Yellow=Northeast; Pink= South; Green= West; Purple=Midwest. Source: Biobot Analytics

New York, specifically, has the highest proportion of BQ.1.1—an estimated 25% of cases—in the country. Perhaps more concerning is that it is causing an uptick in hospitalizations. (Keep in mind that reported cases remain flat; these no longer accurately reflect transmission due to at home antigen testing.)

DAILY HOSPITALIZATION SUMMARY New York State (Source here)

There is very preliminary data (n=1) showing BQ.1.1’s cellular mechanisms are getting close to Delta in regards to disease severity. We need more data, but not a great thing to see.

Bottom line

Cross-country comparisons are less straightforward than ever. However, subvariants are growing, and metrics around the globe are starting to reflect it. COVID-19 transmission is rising in the Northeast United States, which means it’s time to start riding the wave. If you were waiting to get your booster shot, now’s the time to schedule an appointment.

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REPS. JONES, DEGETTE LEAD CALL TO DEFEND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE FROM GOP-LED ATTEMPTS TO BLOCK ACCESS TO MEDICATION ABORTION

Text of Resolution (PDF)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Mondaire Jones (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO), along with 28 of their colleagues, introduced a resolution urging Congress to protect access to reproductive health care by reaffirming the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority to preempt state law and ensure access to reproductive health care products.

This resolution reaffirms the FDA’s preemptive authority over state laws that seek to regulate approved drugs and biologics, as established in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act. Anti-abortion states seeking to limit or prohibit access to medication abortion and other reproductive health products are breaking the law and must be stopped in their tracks by Congress and the FDA in order to protect vital reproductive health care services across the country.

“Congress must act immediately to prevent states from banning medication abortions,” said Rep. Jones. “Our most fundamental rights are under attack by this rogue Supreme Court majority, and we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect these rights and defend every American’s access to life-saving medical care. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and safeguard reproductive health services at the state level — before it is too late.”

“Every woman in this country, no matter where she lives or how much money she makes, should have the freedom to make her own health care decisions – including whether to use birth control or seek abortion care,” said Rep. DeGette. “We are not going to sit back and allow states to put their own radical agendas between patients and the care they need. By reaffirming FDA’s power to regulate health care products in this country, we are sending states a clear message that Congress will not tolerate any attempt to limit women’s access to reproductive care.”

Since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Republican-led state legislatures have launched attacks on reproductive freedom, attempting to criminalize the delivery of medication abortion by mail and imposing strict regulations to discourage doctors from prescribing this option. Medication abortion is a safe, effective, and widely used method to terminate a pregnancy that has been approved by the FDA for more than 20 years; this method is newly under threat by ultra-conservative, anti-abortion legislation at the state level in every corner of the United States.

The resolution is co-sponsored by Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), André Carson (D-IN), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), Dina Titus (D-NV), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chuy García (D-IL), John Larson (D-CT), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Marie Newman (D-IL), Mark Takano (D-CA), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Troy Carter (D-LA), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).

The resolution is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the National Women’s Law Center, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Power to Decide, the EMAA Project, and Physicians for Reproductive Health. 

“We are in the midst of a public health crisis that is becoming more dire by the day,” said Katherine Gillespie, Acting Director of Federal Policy & Advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Abortion services are now illegal in eight states, and the number of states enforcing radical bans and denying people life-saving care is growing rapidly. We appreciate Congress’ efforts to reaffirm FDA’s authority to preempt state laws restricting or banning medication abortion in an effort to help mitigate this crisis.”

“Decades of research and use show just how safe and effective medication abortion care is,” said Kirsten Moore, Director of the EMAA Project. “Banning the use of an FDA-approved medication is unprecedented and further cuts off access to care, especially for those who live in rural areas or who may be unable to get to a clinic in-person. This resolution affirms the FDA’s science-based decision making and makes it clear that playing politics with people’s health care is cruel.” 

“This resolution sends a clear and forceful reminder that medication abortion is safe and effective health care and that FDA’s authority takes precedence over restrictive state laws attempting to block access,” said Power to Decide CEO Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH. “Power to Decide thanks Rep. Jones and all of the legislative champions for defending abortion access in this crucial moment.”

Full text of the resolution can be found here. 

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Candidate Forum Update: NYS SD 37 Added  Recording links for CD 16 & 17 Forums NYS Bond Proposal Info The General Election is Tuesday, November 8, 2022 Early voting will be October 29-November 6.  Check here for dates, hours, and locations.  Get personalized voting information on your districts and candidates at Vote411.org. Upcoming and Recent Candidate Forums Missed the forums for U.S. Congressional Districts 16 & 17? Click links below to view.  Courtesy of LWV Westchester. U.S. Congressional District 16 Jamaal Bowman vs. Miriam Flisser U.S. Congressional District 17 Sean Maloney vs. Mike Lawler Upcoming forums: NYS Assembly District 88 Virtual Candidate Forum October 25, 2022 / 7:00pm Sponsored by the Leagues of New Rochelle, Scarsdale, and White Plains, and Disability Rights New York, who will be providing American Sign Language interpreters and closed captioning in several languages. Candidates are Thomas H. Fix Jr. (R,C) and Amy Paulin (D) Submit your questions by October 23, 2022 here Register for the forum here  NYS Senate District 37 Virtual Candidate Forum October 26, 2022 / 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Leagues of Larchmont/Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Northeast Westchester, Rye, Rye Brook & Port Chester, Scarsdale, and White Plains, and Disability Rights New York, who will be providing American Sign Language interpreters and closed captioning in several languages. Candidates are:  Shelley B. Mayer (D, WF) and Frank F. Murtha (R)  Submit your questions by October 24  here Register for the forum here Questions about the Forums?  email president.lwvwp@gmail.com NEW YORK STATE BALLOT PROPOSAL PROP 1: NEW YORK’S CLEAN WATER, CLEAN AIR, AND GREEN JOBS BOND ACT LWVNY, a member of the NYS Bond Act Coalition, issued this statement: “During this election, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to vote on Proposal #1 – the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022. This ballot measure will provide funding to safeguard drinking water, update New York’s infrastructure, conserve wildlife habitats, and strengthen New York’s economy. The League urges you to flip your ballot over and vote YES on Proposal #1: the Environmental Bond Act!”Learn more here.

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