Subvariants of the COVID omicron strain are making people sick in Stanislaus County
Subvariants of the COVID-19 omicron strain are spreading in Stanislaus County, which is likely to signal a return to some precautions as people live with the reality of coronavirus illness.
Kamlesh Kaur, a spokesperson for county public health, said the omicron BA.1 and BA.1.1 subvariants have been detected in the county. The so-called omicron “stealth” subvariant (BA.2) has shown up in wastewater surveillance since late April, but no BA.2 cases have been reported.
“Our case rate has steadily increased since April,” Kaur said by email Wednesday.
The county’s daily case rate for COVID-19 infections was 8.26 per 100,000 population Tuesday, more than double the rate a month ago.
About 15 local patients were hospitalized with COVID infections this week. Hospital intensive care units are again taking care of COVID-infected patients. Four were in ICUs as of Wednesday, Kaur said.
The cases and hospitalizations are still at low levels compared to when the highly contagious omicron strain was spreading rapidly in January and February. The subvariants that evolved are more contagious than omicron.
County public health staff said residents should think about taking precautions as infection levels increase in this county and other parts of Northern California.
The subvariants of omicron are believed to cause less serious illness than the delta and original strains of COVID-19, which resulted in deadly surges and overwhelmed hospitals in 2020 and 2021. Though they’re considered less severe, omicron and its subvariants may lead to serious complications and hospitalization in older adults and the medically vulnerable.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less severe illness from omicron and its subvariants are indicated in preliminary data, but some people may be hospitalized with severe disease and “could die from the infection with this variant.”
Since Dec. 1, county public health has recorded 270 deaths from COVID-19. Only one death was tallied in the surveillance report for April 10 to April 23.
Since the county dropped an emergency declaration in March, plexiglass separators have come down in coffeehouses and most residents show their faces in public.
Kaur said Wednesday that wearing a mask is strongly recommended for community members, “especially in places where it’s hard to stay apart and for individuals with higher risk of severe disease.”
The county recommends that people stay updated with COVID vaccines as the best way to prevent severe illness and hospitalization or death. A booster shot is recommended six months after completing the Pfizer and Moderna vaccination and two months after the Johnson & Johnson.
In March, the FDA authorized a second booster shot for immunocompromised individuals and adults over 50 years old — four months after the first booster.
County public health is tracking new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, deaths and test positivity, as it has for more than two years, Kaur said.
In Stanislaus County, the rate of positive tests for COVID rose from 1.8% in April to 4.4% this week.
Infections increase in regions of the state
Statewide test positivity has risen from 1.2% to 4.1%, and what’s considered a “high” transmission level was recorded in Sacramento, Yolo and Bay Area counties in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update Tuesday.
Counties are considered in high transmission when they have recorded more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents over the past week. Stanislaus was below that level this week, though the rate is increasing.
The CDC update said the Stanislaus County weekly case rate was 64 per 100,000. The COVID-19 hospital admission rate was 2.3 per 100,000 residents and 1.8% of inpatient beds held patients with confirmed COVID-19.
California’s daily case rate has increased from about five per 100,000, in mid-March, to 16 per 100,000 as of a Tuesday data update from the California Department of Public Health. Statewide test positivity has risen from 1.2% to 4.1%.
Schools in Sacramento County are seeing a resurgence of outbreaks and case clusters for the first time since returning from winter recess during the omicron surge.
Health officials say increased virus activity is due in large part to two contagious subvariants of omicron, known as BA.2 and BA.2.12.1, gaining prevalence across the U.S.
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 12:05 PM.
