COVID-19 October 2023 Update: Strains, Prevalence, Mortality, Vaccination Rates, and New Vaccine Details

At some points during the pandemic, you could ask nearly anyone on the streets about the 'latest strain' and other COVID details, and they could tell you all about it. These days, though, it seems like many of us have stopped stalking the particulars of the COVID pandemic. Unfortunately, the pandemic wages on, and I wanted to offer a brief update on where COVID is today and how that compares to other points during the pandemic.

For this post, I anticipate both laypeople and healthcare providers will be reading, so I did my best to cater to all:

Healthcare providers: I underlined the key terms and then summarized the key points at the end in full doctorspeak.

Non-healthcare providers: I started each point by defining the key terms for that section. By the end of reading this post, you will be able to understand the doctorspeak without any issues. Nice job!

Let's get started!

COVID Strains

• A strain is a "flavor" of a given virus. Different strains of a virus have unique characteristics, such as how easily they spread and how severe the illness they cause.

The most prominent COVID strains circulating today are the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. These subvariants are very contagious but tend to cause less severe illness than previous variants.

Prevalence

• The prevalence of COVID-19 is the percentage of the population currently infected with the virus.

According to the World Health Organization, the global prevalence of COVID-19 is currently at an estimated 1%. In other words, about 1 in every 100 people worldwide is infected with the virus now.

Incidence

• The incidence of COVID-19 is the number of new cases diagnosed in a given period.

The global incidence of COVID-19 is currently on the rise. Over the past week, over 1 million new cases were diagnosed daily.

Mortality Rate

• The mortality rate of COVID-19 is the percentage of people who die from the virus.

The mortality rate of the current strains of COVID-19 is lower than the mortality rate of previous strains. This reduced mortality is likely due to a combination of factors, including vaccination, immunity from prior infection, and better treatments.

However, the mortality rate of COVID-19 is still significant. In the United States, for example, the mortality rate of COVID-19 is currently around 1%. Put differently, about 1 in every 100 people infected with COVID-19 will die from the virus.

Vaccination Rates

The global vaccination rate for COVID-19 is currently at about 68%. In other words, about 68% of the world's population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In the United States, the vaccination rate for COVID-19 is currently at about 79%. Another way to say this is that about 79% of the US population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

New COVID 2023-24 Vaccine

• Bivalent vaccine: A bivalent vaccine is a vaccine that protects against two different strains of a virus.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a new COVID-19 vaccine for the 2023-24 season. The new vaccine is bivalent, which means that it protects against two different strains of the virus: the original strain and the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.

Where is COVID Now vs. Other Points During the Pandemic?

The current mortality, prevalence, and incidence of COVID-19 are all lower than at the worst points during the pandemic. However, they are still higher than 1 and 2 months ago.

Mortality

The current mortality rate of COVID-19 is around 1%. This is lower than the mortality rate of previous strains of COVID-19, such as the Delta variant (which had a mortality rate of about 2%). However, it is still higher than the mortality rate of the original strain of COVID-19, which had a mortality rate of around 0.5%.

Prevalence

The current prevalence of COVID-19 is around 1%. This is lower than the prevalence of COVID-19 at the worst points during the pandemic, when it was about 10%. However, it is higher than the prevalence of COVID-19 1 and 2 months ago, around 0.6%.

Incidence

The current incidence of COVID-19 is around 1 million new cases per day. This is lower than the incidence of COVID-19 at the worst points during the pandemic, when it was over 5 million new cases per day. However, it is higher than the incidence of COVID-19 1 and 2 months ago, when it was around 800,000 new cases per day.

Overall, the current mortality, prevalence, and incidence of COVID-19 are lower than they were at the worst points during the pandemic. However, they are still higher than 1 and 2 months ago, a reminder that the pandemic is not over. It is essential to continue to take precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

What Does This All of This Mean?

Now that you understand these terms let's summarize this with some doctorspeak.

The takeaways from all of this are:

• We are still in a pandemic: better than it was back in 2020 but worse than even one month ago.

• The Omicron strains BA.4 and BA.5 evade some of the protection offered by previous COVID-19 vaccines. However, vaccination and boosting are still the best ways to protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.

• The new COVID 2023-24 vaccine is more effective against the latest Omicron subvariants than previous vaccines. All eligible individuals need to get vaccinated and boosted with the new vaccine as soon as it is available.

• We should all know the risk factors for severe COVID-19, such as older age, underlying medical conditions, and immunosuppression. People with these characteristics and their loved ones should discuss getting vaccinated and boosted with their healthcare provider.

• Remember that several effective antiviral medications are now available that can reduce the severity of COVID-19 illness and hospitalization. Contact your healthcare provider to discuss whether this is appropriate for you or a loved one with COVID-19.