PACIFIC COUNTY — Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have risen in recent weeks in Pacific County, but are still at a level well below past surges and waves that were seen in the pandemic’s heyday.

A new round of fall boosters are also expected to be rolled out in the next couple of months, and will be geared toward predominant Omicron subvariants that are being monitored by health officials.

Connor Montgomery, Pacific County Public Health and Human Services epidemiologist, said the timetable for the new booster was somewhat delayed after the emergence of new subvariants, some of which carry a large number of mutations and look notably different from the original version of Omicron and XBB.1.5, the former dominant strain that had been the original target of new booster shots from Pfizer and Moderna.

“Previously, what we were thinking is the vaccine was going to be for XBB.1.5, and they were hoping that was going to be ready essentially in mid-September, late-September,” Montgomery said. “However, once we started seeing the shift toward this newer one, I believe what they started doing was they actually were creating the newest booster to target this upcoming variant that they think is going to be pretty significant through the next few months.”

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‘I don’t think it’s too bad right now, at least compared to nationally, but we are seeing a little bit of a rise.’

Connor Montgomery, Pacific County Public Health and Human Services epidemiologist

The vaccine advisory board for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to meet in a couple of weeks, on Sept. 12, to vote on whether to recommend the new boosters, and the Food and Drug Administration is expected to clear the vaccine ahead of that meeting. Montgomery anticipated that the vaccine would probably take 2-3 weeks to arrive in Pacific County and begin being offered to the public once it has been approved, based on previous timelines.

The boosters should arrive in time ahead of the anticipated seasonal peak in November or December, which is when respiratory illnesses in general are most active. Montgomery recommends people get their booster when it becomes available if it’s been at least half a year since receiving your last shot.

“The general consensus is about six months. We find that vaccine effectiveness typically starts to wane in that period, and, like we’ve seen right now, there’s typically some sublineage changes out of the current variant,” Montgomery said, although he noted that certain people who are immunocompromised may be operating on a quicker timeline.

Information about how and where to get vaccinated can be found at pacificcountycovid19.com/get-vaccinated.

Masking up?With the Eris subvariant, Montgomery said one encouraging piece of news is that it doesn’t seem to be appreciably worse than XBB.1.5, according to initial reports. But as has been seen nationally, cases and hospitalizations have been rising in the county and the state — albeit not at the same level as some parts of the country, most notably the South where the rise in cases has forced some school districts to temporarily shutter in-person classes.

Hospitalizations in Pacific County have essentially doubled in the last two weeks, but Montgomery stressed that the current rate is still just a small fraction of other notable peaks, such as the Omicron and Delta waves. During those surges, the hospitalization rate reached around 20-28 per 100,000 people, while the current rate increased to 3 per 100,000.

“We’re slightly on that rise, and it is quote-unquote ‘significant’ if you plot this over the last month or so — and it’s really not even too bad, honestly,” he said. “I don’t think it’s too bad right now, at least compared to nationally, but we are seeing a little bit of a rise.”

With the buzz about the new subvariants growing, Montgomery said decisions on whether to take renewed precautions — whether it be wearing a mask at the grocery store or doctor’s office, or avoiding large indoor gatherings — should be made at an individual level.

Hospitals and healthcare facilities may also choose to require visitors to mask up again, too, he said, mentioning a recent meeting that the county had with local hospitals to gauge what they’ve been seeing at their facilities.