1 00:00:01,133 --> 00:00:03,166 GEOFF BENNETT: Three years into the pandemic, 2 00:00:03,166 --> 00:00:07,333 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all declining, but questions remain about new 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,266 variants and whether some people may need a spring booster shot. 4 00:00:11,266 --> 00:00:15,466 William Brangham is here with an update on the state of COVID in the U.S. 5 00:00:15,466 --> 00:00:20,400 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Geoff, it's worth noting good news when it occurs. And, on COVID, 6 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:25,400 there is some. The U.S. avoided the worst of a winter surge, and weekly recorded deaths from 7 00:00:27,366 --> 00:00:29,933 this virus are the lowest they have been since the early weeks of the pandemic. 8 00:00:29,933 --> 00:00:34,933 But it is not all good news. More than 1,700 Americans still died last 9 00:00:36,900 --> 00:00:40,033 week because of COVID. And, for the elderly, immunocompromised and those still struggling 10 00:00:42,033 --> 00:00:45,600 with the little-understood long COVID, this pandemic is hardly in the rearview mirror. 11 00:00:47,666 --> 00:00:50,766 For another check-in on COVID, we're joined again by epidemiologist Katelyn 12 00:00:50,766 --> 00:00:54,866 Jetelina. She's at the University of Texas. And she writes the very 13 00:00:54,866 --> 00:00:58,266 informative Substack called Your Local Epidemiologist. 14 00:00:58,266 --> 00:01:01,066 Katelyn, great to have you back on the "NewsHour." 15 00:01:01,066 --> 00:01:06,066 What is your take on where we are in the trajectory of this pandemic? Deaths are down, 16 00:01:07,966 --> 00:01:11,033 as I mentioned, but there is this XBB variant that is -- subvariant, 17 00:01:11,033 --> 00:01:13,966 that is now dominant in this country. Where are we? 18 00:01:13,966 --> 00:01:15,766 KATELYN JETELINA, University of Texas Health Science Center: You know, 19 00:01:15,766 --> 00:01:16,966 it's a really good question. 20 00:01:19,500 --> 00:01:22,633 I think we're somewhere in between a full-blown emergency, like we saw in the beginning of 2020, 21 00:01:24,666 --> 00:01:28,400 and somewhere before an endemic. We're just not at a state where we know what 22 00:01:30,366 --> 00:01:32,500 this virus is going to do. And this virus is not being very predictable. 23 00:01:33,933 --> 00:01:37,800 Like you said, all metrics are nosediving right now. And that's 24 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,766 good news. We expect that to happen with spring because of warmer weather, 25 00:01:41,766 --> 00:01:46,733 less holiday gatherings. But COVID continues to do its COVID thing and continues to mutate. 26 00:01:48,666 --> 00:01:53,300 It's what viruses do to survive. And we're paying specific attention to XBB offshoots, 27 00:01:55,400 --> 00:02:00,300 one in India and one in the U.K. That is causing a little disruption and some smaller waves. 28 00:02:02,300 --> 00:02:05,733 And so this does have the potential to disrupt a quiet spring in the U.S., 29 00:02:05,733 --> 00:02:10,733 but it's still too early to know for sure, given our complex immunity landscape. 30 00:02:12,166 --> 00:02:14,233 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Speaking of that immunity landscape, 31 00:02:14,233 --> 00:02:18,033 it's been about six to seven months since the bivalent boosters became available, 32 00:02:18,033 --> 00:02:23,033 which is plenty of time for a lot of people to have lost some of their protection. 33 00:02:24,900 --> 00:02:28,400 You wrote about this today. Is there good evidence for a spring booster? 34 00:02:30,366 --> 00:02:33,500 KATELYN JETELINA: I think it depends on what you define as good evidence. 35 00:02:36,100 --> 00:02:39,433 It's really difficult for us to know how much each booster helps or does not help and incrementally, 36 00:02:42,533 --> 00:02:47,533 and get a grip on it prospectively. And so what we know for sure is that protection is 37 00:02:49,833 --> 00:02:54,800 robust for younger and healthier people, keeping them out of the hospital, which is great news. 38 00:02:56,733 --> 00:03:00,300 The concern is for immunocompromised and older adults with comorbidities. And this 39 00:03:02,133 --> 00:03:05,333 is because their immune systems are just not as strong. And it's being -- they're 40 00:03:05,333 --> 00:03:09,233 being pulled in multiple directions. And so this is a group where we really 41 00:03:09,233 --> 00:03:13,733 want to avoid infection in order to prevent hospitalization and death. 42 00:03:13,733 --> 00:03:16,733 And we know these antibodies, like you say, 43 00:03:16,733 --> 00:03:21,400 that prevent infection wane pretty quickly and only last about six months. 44 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,700 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And elderly Americans, 65 and older, 45 00:03:24,700 --> 00:03:28,966 those are increasingly the people who are still dying of COVID. Isn't that right? 46 00:03:28,966 --> 00:03:31,300 KATELYN JETELINA: That is correct. 47 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:36,300 I think the last statistics was about 90 percent of deaths are among those over 65 years old; 48 00:03:38,733 --> 00:03:43,500 96 percent of hospitalizations are among old adults, older adults, 49 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:48,500 with at least one comorbidity, and because, again, their immune systems are just taxed. 50 00:03:50,466 --> 00:03:54,366 I think the good news is that very few people are in the hospital today who are 51 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,700 up to date on vaccines. So, the vaccines are working. The essential question is, 52 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:03,633 is this going to change in time? And what do we do proactively? 53 00:04:03,633 --> 00:04:06,166 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I want to touch on long COVID, 54 00:04:06,166 --> 00:04:10,200 this still mysterious ailment that so many people are suffering from. 55 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,666 What are we learning about who is getting it and why? 56 00:04:13,666 --> 00:04:18,666 KATELYN JETELINA: You're right. There's millions of Americans right now debilitated, 57 00:04:20,133 --> 00:04:22,500 out of work, suffering, with very few treatment options. 58 00:04:22,500 --> 00:04:27,500 We are starting to get a better grip on what causes COVID. It seems to be several factors, 59 00:04:28,666 --> 00:04:31,500 like, for example, a lingering virus or 60 00:04:34,066 --> 00:04:37,333 people harbor the virus in their tissue, which can create damage. I know that other people get long 61 00:04:39,233 --> 00:04:43,566 COVID driven by the immune system. Autoantibodies just start attacking the body itself. 62 00:04:45,466 --> 00:04:50,100 And then there's also just immune dysregulation, that, even if someone clears the virus, 63 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,700 the immune system is off-balance, and so other dormant viruses reactivate and drive chronic 64 00:04:57,666 --> 00:05:02,033 symptoms. So, long COVID, we're learning, is really an umbrella term for several causes. 65 00:05:02,033 --> 00:05:07,033 And this is important to know because it'll allow us to understand how we can target treatments. 66 00:05:08,466 --> 00:05:10,833 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And, lastly, in the few seconds we have left, 67 00:05:10,833 --> 00:05:14,733 on those treatments, there are some that show some promise on long COVID? 68 00:05:14,733 --> 00:05:16,966 KATELYN JETELINA: There are. 69 00:05:16,966 --> 00:05:19,433 There's about 300 clinical trials right now, 70 00:05:19,433 --> 00:05:24,433 and the results are starting to trickle in. For example, we see metformin, which is a 71 00:05:26,866 --> 00:05:29,600 very cheap drug. It reduces long COVID about 40 percent. Paxlovid reduces it a bit as well, 72 00:05:31,500 --> 00:05:35,300 maybe about 25 percent. So there is good news on the horizon. But we need more answers. 73 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:38,500 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Katelyn Jetelina, thank you so much for being here. 74 00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:40,033 KATELYN JETELINA: Thanks for having me.