What should Mass. make of Europe's new COVID wave?

Also: The common form of memory loss most American don't know about [View in browser](    [❤️]( March 21, 2022 Hello CommonHealth reader, A little over a week ago, I saw a [tweet]( with words none of us want to read: “The next wave in Europe has begun.” Unlike the United States, COVID numbers in many Western European countries — Germany, Austria, France, the United Kingdom and elsewhere — have stopped falling and started [rising quickly](. The uptick has been primarily driven by the BA.2 subvariant, a sort of cousin of omicron that seems to be even more contagious than its relative (which was already exceptionally contagious in the first place). This is surely not a good thing for Europe, and I started making calls to find out exactly what it might mean for those of us in Massachusetts and other parts of the U.S. “I threw my crystal ball out the window with omicron. So, I really hesitate to predict much at this point,” said Bronwyn MacInnis, director of pathogen genomic surveillance at the Broad Institute. But she told me that Europe has, in the past, been a harbinger of what’s in store for Massachusetts. “If COVID history has taught us anything, we should be looking to the UK and Europe as a signal of what to expect locally,” she said. “We're typically about two or three weeks behind.” It’s hard to untangle exactly what’s causing the spike in Europe but it seems to be related to several factors, including people relaxing COVID precautions, the rise of BA.2 and waning immunity from vaccines and boosters. MacInnis did say that if there’s any silver lining to the incredible number of people who got infected during the omicron wave in Massachusetts, it’s that its immunity might protect us. Plus, our high vaccination rates help. But, she warned, “what we're seeing is that this virus and these variants are able to really suss out the weak links.” For some, the possibility of an uptick in cases is motivation to squeeze every possible social activity into the next few weeks. For others, it’s a reason to sit tight and forgo any sudden changes. I found that divide even among experts. Richard Ellison, an infectious disease expert at UMass Memorial Health, said he thinks “it’s a very good time to be cautious right now." Meanwhile, Boston University epidemiology professor Robert Horsburgh said, “I'm not going to start putting my mask back on because of what's happening in Europe because I'm not in Europe.” Still, among all the experts I spoke with there's a sense that the wave in Europe is reason for vigilance. They all said they’ll be watching local case levels and wastewater numbers very closely over the next few weeks. Gabrielle Emanuel Health reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads ['Crucial' weeks ahead for COVID in Mass. as experts track Europe's BA.2 spike]( "If COVID history has taught us anything, we should be looking to the UK and Europe as a signal of what to expect locally,” said Bronwyn MacInnis, of the Broad Institute. "We're typically about two or three weeks behind.” [Read more.]( ['Crucial' weeks ahead for COVID in Mass. as experts track Europe's BA.2 spike]( "If COVID history has taught us anything, we should be looking to the UK and Europe as a signal of what to expect locally,” said Bronwyn MacInnis, of the Broad Institute. "We're typically about two or three weeks behind.” [Read more.]( [This form of memory loss is common — but most Americans don't know about it]( Mild cognitive impairment, a common brain condition, can be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease. But most people don't know the symptoms. And some may mistake it for normal aging. 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[Read more.]( [School mental health program eases transition from hospital to classroom]( Psychiatric hospitalizations have increased across the U.S. for teens struggling with suicidal ideation and other mental health challenges. But after they leave the hospital, teens face what’s often a daunting prospect: going back to school. [Read more.]( [School mental health program eases transition from hospital to classroom]( Psychiatric hospitalizations have increased across the U.S. for teens struggling with suicidal ideation and other mental health challenges. But after they leave the hospital, teens face what’s often a daunting prospect: going back to school. [Read more.]( [Russia's war with Ukraine is devastating for Ukraine's war on TB]( The country has a high rate of tuberculosis. Doctors had been making progress, but then came the pandemic and now the war. The worry now is increased spread of this contagious and deadly disease. [Read more.]( [Russia's war with Ukraine is devastating for Ukraine's war on TB]( The country has a high rate of tuberculosis. Doctors had been making progress, but then came the pandemic and now the war. The worry now is increased spread of this contagious and deadly disease. [Read more.]( [Training for doctors hasn't changed much since 1889. It's time for an update]( On Match Day 2022, let's consider how we can give doctors more global experience as they train, writes Gauthier Willemse. [Read more.]( [Training for doctors hasn't changed much since 1889. It's time for an update]( On Match Day 2022, let's consider how we can give doctors more global experience as they train, writes Gauthier Willemse. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 For years, Ukraine has been known as a destination for parents who can’t have a baby themselves and are looking for a surrogate mother. It has some of the most lenient surrogacy laws and, thus, is among world’s largest surrogacy hubs. Russia's invasion has disrupted all that. Hundreds of pregnant women are stuck in limbo — and so are their babies' biological parents who are in places like the U.S., China and South Africa. There’s been a flood of articles about the [impossible situation]( these people find themselves in. There are stories of soon-to-be parents [heading into a war zone]( to meet their child for the first time. One piece depicts a [nursery in a basement bomb-shelter]( with babies waiting to somehow be connected to their parents. And [critical surrogacy documents]( being left behind, as people flee bombs and missiles. I’ve read these stories with a sense of horror and dismay. One that really stuck with me is a surrogate mother who is pregnant with twins. She fled her hometown but is afraid to leave seek refuge outside the country. Due to the more restrictive surrogacy laws in much of Europe, she worries she may be [required to become the twins’ legal guardian]( if she leaves Ukraine. 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[Read more.]( Did you know...a vampire squid is neither vampire nor squid? It's more closely related to an octopus. Scientists think of them as ['living fossils']( they are quite similar to creatures that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.