Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Sept 11, 2024 1:43:56 GMT
The summer COVID-19 surge may be dipping — just like life expectancy - Published Sept 10, 2024
By Ryan Fonseca
Early signs California’s COVID-19 surge is peaking
As we approach the end of summer (someone please tell that to this heat wave), let’s check back on the state of COVID-19 in the Golden State.
After months of rising cases, hospitalizations and wastewater levels, there are some early signs the coronavirus surge has peaked and is starting to recede.
“Although it’ll take a few more weeks of measurement to confirm the trajectory, health officials hope the release of updated vaccines will help further dent the wave,” Times reporter Rong-Gong Lin II wrote this week.
Many Californians can now get the new 2024-25 COVID vaccine at retail pharmacies, Kaiser Permanente and other health facilities. Health officials are advising people to get their shot soon so it reaches peak protection in time for late fall through early winter, when infections tend to ramp up again.
What does the data show?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorized viral activity in California’s wastewater as “high” for the last week of August, down from the “very high” status held since July. CDC officials note that the virus is “likely declining” in the state.
But Lin noted that “not all metrics are moving in the rosy direction.”
For example, 13% of statewide coronavirus tests with an officially recorded result came back positive last week (ending Sept. 2), which exceeds the peaks set last winter and summer.
COVID-19 deaths have also increased in the state and nation — up from earlier this summer, though not as sharply as 2023’s midyear peak.
And health officials are weary that the Labor Day holiday distorted reporting data and may spark a rebound. It’s unclear how many people actually have COVID-19 since many are not bothering to test anymore (because people simply don’t care like they used to).
COVID’s lasting effects are continuing to be studied.
While the chance of contracting long COVID has decreased slightly since the introduction of vaccines, it still poses a significant risk.
The CDC’s list of symptoms ranges from respiratory issues to digestive troubles to neurological effects, including:
significant fatigue in daily life
brain fog
heart palpitations
trouble sleeping
difficulty breathing
depression
anxiety
headaches
diarrhea
changes in smell and/or taste
COVID-19 has also reduced life expectancy in California and across much of the nation. Babies born in the state in 2021 are expected to live 78.3 years on average, according to CDC data. That’s down two years and six months from Californians’ life expectancy in 2019.
The decline was sharper for men than women. CDC researchers put the average female life expectancy in California at 81.4 years, while males get 75.3 years.
Compare that to the respective averages in 2019: 83.3 for females and 78.4 for males.
The reason for the decline is “mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries (mainly drug overdose deaths),” according to the CDC.
Still, people in the Golden State live longer on average than the majority of U.S. residents, ranking 10th last year out of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. And preliminary data for 2022 show the national average life expectancy increased from 2021.
The CDC also calculated remaining life expectancy by state for those who were 65 in 2021. For Californians, the overall average is 19.3 years, with 17.8 years for males and 20.7 for females. California ranked 8th overall by that metric.
By Ryan Fonseca
Early signs California’s COVID-19 surge is peaking
As we approach the end of summer (someone please tell that to this heat wave), let’s check back on the state of COVID-19 in the Golden State.
After months of rising cases, hospitalizations and wastewater levels, there are some early signs the coronavirus surge has peaked and is starting to recede.
“Although it’ll take a few more weeks of measurement to confirm the trajectory, health officials hope the release of updated vaccines will help further dent the wave,” Times reporter Rong-Gong Lin II wrote this week.
Many Californians can now get the new 2024-25 COVID vaccine at retail pharmacies, Kaiser Permanente and other health facilities. Health officials are advising people to get their shot soon so it reaches peak protection in time for late fall through early winter, when infections tend to ramp up again.
What does the data show?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorized viral activity in California’s wastewater as “high” for the last week of August, down from the “very high” status held since July. CDC officials note that the virus is “likely declining” in the state.
But Lin noted that “not all metrics are moving in the rosy direction.”
For example, 13% of statewide coronavirus tests with an officially recorded result came back positive last week (ending Sept. 2), which exceeds the peaks set last winter and summer.
COVID-19 deaths have also increased in the state and nation — up from earlier this summer, though not as sharply as 2023’s midyear peak.
And health officials are weary that the Labor Day holiday distorted reporting data and may spark a rebound. It’s unclear how many people actually have COVID-19 since many are not bothering to test anymore (because people simply don’t care like they used to).
COVID’s lasting effects are continuing to be studied.
While the chance of contracting long COVID has decreased slightly since the introduction of vaccines, it still poses a significant risk.
The CDC’s list of symptoms ranges from respiratory issues to digestive troubles to neurological effects, including:
significant fatigue in daily life
brain fog
heart palpitations
trouble sleeping
difficulty breathing
depression
anxiety
headaches
diarrhea
changes in smell and/or taste
COVID-19 has also reduced life expectancy in California and across much of the nation. Babies born in the state in 2021 are expected to live 78.3 years on average, according to CDC data. That’s down two years and six months from Californians’ life expectancy in 2019.
The decline was sharper for men than women. CDC researchers put the average female life expectancy in California at 81.4 years, while males get 75.3 years.
Compare that to the respective averages in 2019: 83.3 for females and 78.4 for males.
The reason for the decline is “mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries (mainly drug overdose deaths),” according to the CDC.
Still, people in the Golden State live longer on average than the majority of U.S. residents, ranking 10th last year out of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. And preliminary data for 2022 show the national average life expectancy increased from 2021.
The CDC also calculated remaining life expectancy by state for those who were 65 in 2021. For Californians, the overall average is 19.3 years, with 17.8 years for males and 20.7 for females. California ranked 8th overall by that metric.