Federal Mask Mandate on Public Transportation Suspended

Just hours after the judge’s ruling, several U.S. airlines announced that masks would be optional on their aircraft. Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and United Airlines all announced on Monday that masks are now not required on board their planes.

Alaska Airlines went on to say that passengers that had been previously banned from their aircraft as a result of unruly behavior are still prohibited from traveling with them.

What to Know About the Latest Subvariant

While it has not grabbed the headlines of the original Omicron subvariant, the latest strain of the virus is now the overwhelming dominant variant in the U.S. Like its predecessor, the the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is following the same path by exploding on the coasts before moving into the middle of the nation.

This new version is up to 60% more contagious than the first Omicron variant. What is most concerning about this transmission is that the variant is able to easily infect individuals who have been fully vaccinated and boosted. Fortunately, those individuals typically only experience a mild case or are completely symptomatic.

Also promising is the fact that this strain is not yet putting medical systems under strain. Because the infections are generally less severe, there are fewer people in need of medical care.

New COVID-19 Breath Test Authorized

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week that it was granting an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a test that can effectively and efficiently detect the COVID-19 virus in breath particles. As the first of its type of testing, medical experts are hopeful that this EUA will provide a new tool in the arsenal of ways to detect the virus.

The InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer provides results in under three minutes. The machine used to test the breath particles is approximately the size of a standard piece of carry-on luggage and can only be administered by trained health care professionals in medical settings.

The procedure works by separating and identifying the compounds used to detect the presence of COVID-19 in an individual’s breath. The initial testing results demonstrated that the method was able to detect 91.2% of positive cases and 99.3% of negative results. These results were roughly the same when isolating the latest Omicron subvariant that is now the dominant strain in the U.S. The FDA cautions that the breathalyzer testing should be followed up with a PCR test for final confirmation.

According to InspectIR, they have the ability to produce approximately 100 instruments per week. Each machine has the capacity to run up to 160 samples per day, translating to an increased testing ability of about 64,000 tests on a monthly basis.

Philadelphia Brings Back Mask Mandate

Nobody would blame you for being confused about the confusing guidance regarding mask mandates. Just as the mandate on airplanes was temporarily suspended, Philadelphia became the first major city in the U.S. to bring back this requirement in all public places.

Starting on Monday, Philadelphians are required to wear facial coverings in all restaurants, schools, rental spaces, offices, and other indoor public spaces. City health officials say that the move is necessary to mitigate the dramatic rise in new confirmed cases at the hands of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant.

In response to the new mandate, the city of Philadelphia was sued by a group of business owners. The plaintiffs claim that the mandate is in violation of the state of Pennsylvania’s Constitution. The lawsuit also alleges that the city’s Health Commissioner went against their authority by issuing the emergency order while pointing out that the CDC does not have a mask mandate.

Are COVID-19 Cases Being Severely Undercounted?

COVID-19 cases are on the upswing and experts are expressing concern that the number of infections are being severely undercounted. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), only 7% of positive cases are being detected. This means that the actual number of cases could be as high as 14.5 times more than what is being reported.

While it has always been a fact that the actual infections were being undercounted, that reality is even more apparent now thanks to the growing proliferation of at-home testing kits. The National Institute of Health (NIH) said that the number of home tests is now more than the tests being performed in laboratories. Because most individuals do not report the positive results of home tests, it is easy to see why the numbers are so off.

In addition, although the new subvariant is more contagious than previous strains, it also comes with fewer symptoms. This means that people are more likely to blow off the minor symptoms as allergies or a small cold, avoiding testing altogether.

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