{"id":130467,"date":"2024-11-27T00:50:04","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T17:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=130467"},"modified":"2024-11-27T00:50:04","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T17:50:04","slug":"covid-remarkably-scarce-in-boston-area-ahead-of-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=130467","title":{"rendered":"COVID remarkably scarce in Boston area ahead of Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">\u201cI\u2019m actually very pleasantly surprised to see that low level,\u201d said Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center and an associate professor of medicine at Boston University.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">Waste water testing, which identifies viral particles in sewage, is among the most effective early warning systems for COVID surges. In the seven-day period ending Nov. 21, the average count of COVID virus particles in waste water in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mwra.com\/biobot\/biobotdata.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the northern section<\/a> of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which includes Boston and its northern and western suburbs, was about 63 percent lower than in the same period last year. The count was 51 percent lower than last November in the suburbs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mwra.com\/biobot\/biobotdata.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to the south of the city,<\/a> including those as far west as Framingham.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"html_block | undefined container flex justify_center&#10;        hasRail row\">\n<div class=\"width_full\">\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/11\/26\/metro\/covid-levels-boston-wastewater-massachusetts-coronavirus\/visualisation\/20478226\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/20478226\/thumbnail\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"chart visualization\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">Other indicators corroborate what the waste water tests show. Massachusetts reported 12 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/covid-19-reporting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">confirmed deaths<\/a> attributed to the virus from November 10 to 16, the fewest at this time of year since COVID emerged. Hospital admissions for COVID statewide this November are likewise <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/respiratory-illness-reporting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a fraction<\/a> of those reported around the same time from 2020 to 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">The data in the Boston region mirrors trends nationwide. Emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths attributable to COVID are all lower in the United States than at the same time last year, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#datatracker-home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">Experts emphasized that COVID is still too new to draw hard conclusions over what current data might mean.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">\u201cCOVID doesn\u2019t follow a strict seasonal pattern the way that many infectious diseases do,\u201d said Matthew Fox, a professor of epidemiology and global healthy at Boston University. \u201cIt\u2019s still on the newish side.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">Several factors are likely behind COVID\u2019s slower spread so far this month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/07\/16\/nation\/covid-levels-surge-in-half-of-us-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">summer surge<\/a> in infections bestowed immunity that is still fairly strong in those who caught the virus. The variants currently circulating also aren\u2019t particularly different from those that have been infecting people for months, said Assoumou, making them less effective at evading people\u2019s immune systems. And after four years of vaccinations and COVID infections, the public is generally well protected from serious illness and death.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">While it\u2019s too soon to say whether the current COVID levels portend a less severe winter season, experts said they\u2019re a good sign.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">\u201cI would not be surprised if we see a spike after Thanksgiving and over the winter again, but I think it\u2019s going to be smaller,\u201d said Dr. Jacob Lemieux, a Mass General Brigham infectious disease expert.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">The holiday season brings more indoor gatherings, more visits with relatives, and more students moving back and forth between school and home. It all contributes to the spread of respiratory viruses, including flu and RSV.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"html_block | undefined container flex justify_center&#10;        hasRail row\">\n<div class=\"width_full\">\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/11\/26\/metro\/covid-levels-boston-wastewater-massachusetts-coronavirus\/visualisation\/20491425\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/20491425\/thumbnail\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"chart visualization\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">\u201cThere is likely to be a mixing of people from areas with higher COVID-19 levels and that may impact Massachusetts levels in the next few weeks,\u201d Dr. Catherine M. Brown, an epidemiologist with the state\u2019s Department of Public Health said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">The lower COVID levels have been a sliver of relief for the state\u2019s hospitals, which are already struggling with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/11\/25\/metro\/steward-carney-nashoba-valley-emergency-department-crowding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high patient volumes<\/a> in their emergency departments. Doctors and hospital administrators are concerned about how much busier they\u2019ll be when respiratory viruses begin to spread more widely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">Health officials urged people to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/10\/24\/metro\/cdc-2nd-round-covid-shots-adults-over-65\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stay up to date<\/a> with vaccinations as the winter months approach.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">\u201cThis is the time to get vaccinated for both COVID-19 and the flu, as well as for RSV if eligible,\u201d the Boston Public Health Commission said in a statement Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">A COVID infection typically confers about three months of strong immunity to the virus, Assoumou said. After that, there\u2019s value to getting an updated vaccine shot, particularly for people at higher risk of serious illness from COVID.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">\u201cIt\u2019d be really helpful to get that extra boost to make sure you\u2019re carried over for the entire season,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph | gutter_20_0\"><span class=\"html-render\">She also emphasized that treatments for COVID, including Paxlovid, are effective and can help manage COVID infections.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr class=\"tagline_hr | border_foreground border_half gutter_20_28--mobile&#10;               margin_none text_align_left width_100px\"\/>\n<p class=\"tagline | font_primary inline_block  margin_top_32\">Jason Laughlin can be reached at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/11\/26\/metro\/covid-levels-boston-wastewater-massachusetts-coronavirus\/mailto:jason.laughlin@globe.com\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:inherit;letter-spacing:.5px\" rel=\"noopener\">jason.laughlin@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/jasmlaughlin\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:inherit;letter-spacing:.5px\" rel=\"noopener\">@jasmlaughlin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\nvar oneTrustActive = true;\nvar oneTrustConsentObj;\ntry {\n oneTrustConsentObj = JSON.parse(window.localStorage.getItem('consent_one_trust_bgmp') || '{}');\n} catch (err) {\n oneTrustConsentObj = {};\n}\n\/\/ Default to granted consent\nvar consent=\"grant\"\n\/\/ FB script decleration\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {\n  if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s);\n}\n(window,document,'script', 'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\nif (oneTrustActive && oneTrustConsentObj && oneTrustConsentObj.C0004 === false) {\n  consent=\"revoke\";\n}\n\/\/ We need to call consent before we run init and track\nfbq('consent', consent);\nfbq('set', 'autoConfig', 'false', '884869448226452');\nfbq('set', 'autoConfig', 'false', '493062270895851');\nfbq('init', '884869448226452');\nfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2024\/11\/26\/metro\/covid-levels-boston-wastewater-massachusetts-coronavirus\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI\u2019m actually very pleasantly surprised to see that low level,\u201d said Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center and an associate professor of medicine at Boston &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=130467\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=130467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130467\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=130467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=130467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=130467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}