Weekly Update: January 2 – 8, 2023 – Salud a nuestro alcance

It’s our 50th Weekly Update, and we want to know what YOU think! What do you like? How could we make it better? Help us support your work by completing this very brief, 2 minute survey. Thank you!
Throughout the pandemic, wastewater surveillance has allowed us to see rises and falls in the concentration of the virus that causes COVID-19 in wastewater samples from across the U.S. Wastewater surveillance also offers a more accurate picture of COVID-19 prevalence than, for example, relying on self-reporting of positive at-home tests. Right now, concentrations of the virus that causes COVID-19 are higher than at any other point in the pandemic other than last winter’s Omicron wave, and levels in the Northeast are particularly high. Check out this wastewater monitoring dashboard to explore virus concentration in wastewater samples from your community or region.
Do the updated boosters work against new COVID-19 variants like BQ.1 and XBB? The short answer is YES! A new study found that after receiving a bivalent booster, participants had more neutralizing antibody activity (part of the body’s defense system that attacks viruses like those that cause COVID-19) against Omicron subvariants than those who received a monovalent booster. Just another reason to stay up-to-date with vaccination against COVID-19.

Download video in English and Spanish.

Download audio in English and Spanish.

Opportunities

Check out Migrant Clinicians Network’s upcoming webinar, “Data, Social Determinants of Health, and Migration,” on January 17 at 1 PM ET to learn how to use data related to social determinants of health in equitable decision making that could impact vulnerable populations. The webinar will be in English with interpretation in Spanish available.

One of our PPP partners, Love and Hope Rescue Mission, is hosting a community giveaway, including toys, clothing, food, and household goods, this Saturday, January 7, from 10 AM to 2 PM at 901 Governors Place in Bear, DE. Help spread the word by sharing this post.
View data on influenza in Delaware here.

You may spot some familiar faces in these photos from the Lower Shore Vulnerable Population Task Force’s holiday One Stop Shop! At the event, CDM, as a representative of Marylanders for Food and Farm Worker Protection, presented the Somerset County Health Department’s Migrant Health Program with the inaugural Excellence in Worker Health Award.
View data on influenza in Maryland here.

Did you know that health insurance can cost less than $10 a month? The enrollment deadline is January 15, and Virginians who live on the Eastern Shore can contact their local community health center for enrollment assistance. Share these bilingual graphics (English & Spanish) from Eastern Shore Rural Health System to spread the word!
View data on influenza in Virginia here.

North Carolinians who are 80 years of age and older are currently being hospitalized with COVID-19 at higher levels than before vaccines were available. Just 1 in 3 North Carolinians who are older than 65 have gotten an updated booster, so help an older adult find an updated booster here.
View data on influenza in North Carolina here.

Check out this testimony (in Spanish) from someone who completed PASOs’ community health worker training. Register for their next training cohort by January 13.
View data on influenza in South Carolina here.

Have you chatted with Peachy yet? Peachy is a chatbot created by the Georgia Department of Public Health (GPH) who can offer information about COVID-19 and other health topics in English and Spanish. Visit GPH’s homepage and click “Chat with Peachy” in the bottom right corner.
View data on influenza in Georgia here.

Data Sources:

The New York Times. (2020). Coronavirus (Covid-19) Data in the United States. Retrieved [1/3/2023], from https://github.com/nytimes/covid-19-data.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). COVID Data Tracker: COVID-19 Integrated County View. Retrieved [1/3/2023], from https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view.