BA.4/BA.5 seem to have peaked in SA, same with BA.2.12.1 in upper state NY. Phew.
Also tangentially related: reject covid, return to monke?
Monkeypox outbreaks were detected in Europe and perhaps Canada, with one case in the US. All among MSM, gay, and bisexual men. Strongly hints at a previously unreported mode of transmission (sexual contact). Or, more sinisterly, a virus slowly evolving to fill the niche smallpox left behind.
The good news are: this is the less deadly monkeypox strain (~ 1% CFR) and we have both an approved antiviral and an approved vaccine against it, both with significant numbers of doses stockpiled (because of smallpox, but the vaccinia virus used in the vaccine is actually closer to the monkeypox virus and grants long-lasting sterilizing immunity).
