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Other omicron subvariants that have piqued the interest — and concerns — of scientists read like a viral alphabet soup: BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BF.7. Ever since the omicron variant emerged, it's been omicron all the way down, with omicron subvariants splitting off into their own subvariants. Barouch's study was small, including just 35 people who'd had either the Covid vaccine or an omicron infection. Most, regardless of prior infection, had at least three doses of Covid vaccine. The World Health Organization is tracking more than 300 omicron subvariants worldwide, Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said during a media briefing Wednesday.

☆ Fact Check-Monkeypox, polio and new COVID variants are not ‘planned’ as ‘scare tactics’ to affect the U.S. midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Monkeypox and polio outbreaks, or new COVID-19 variants, have not been “planned” or orchestrated as “scare tactics” to manipulate the Nov. 8 midterm elections in the United States. As laid out in a Reuters explainer (here), experts agree that the major driver behind both vaccine-derived and wild polio outbreaks remains an under-vaccinated population. “Monkeypox is nothing more than a scare tactic to make you stay home and not vote in the November elections. Experts contacted by Reuters dismissed claims that these disease outbreaks are connected to election cycles and said they would not disrupt the upcoming electoral process. There is no evidence that monkeypox and polio outbreaks or new COVID-19 variants have been orchestrated as “scare tactics” to manipulate the U.S. midterm elections.

☆ Flu Hospitalizations More Common Among Black, Hispanic and American Indian People
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Black, Hispanic and American Indian adults in the U.S. are hospitalized for influenza at higher rates and tend to have lower flu vaccine uptake, federal data showed, as health officials urge people to get their flu shot. From 2009 to 2022, flu hospitalization rates were some 80% higher among Black adults, 30% higher among American Indian adults and 20% higher among Hispanic adults, compared with white adults, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

☆ People of color face higher risk of flu hospitalization as U.S. faces potentially severe season, CDC says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

People of color are hospitalized with the flu at far higher rates than white Americans, according to a large multi-year study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalizations were 80% higher among Black adults than white adults, 30% higher among Native Americans, and 20% higher among Hispanics, according to CDC data. Vaccination rates were lower among people of color than white adults. During last year's flu season, vaccination coverage among white adults was 54% compared with 38% among Hispanics, 41% among Native Americans and 42% among Black adults. "Don't wait — get your new flu shot and your new Covid shot today.

☆ Many Americans Ignore Covid Boosters as Winter, Variants Loom
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Stephanie Armour | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fewer than 5% of Americans got an updated Covid-19 shot in the month after the new bivalent boosters rolled out, a comparatively slow start as the Biden administration encourages more Americans to get the vaccine this month. Health authorities have said they are counting on the new Omicron-targeting boosters to protect people during the cold-weather months from hospitalizations and deaths. Yet 7.6 million people in the U.S. got the shots in the four weeks after they were cleared for use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

☆ Dr. Fauci: These 2 new fast-spreading omicron Covid subvariants are ‘pretty troublesome'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As winter inches closer, Dr. Fauci is sounding the alarm about a pair of "pretty troublesome" Covid variants. There's no guarantee that the two strains will eventually overtake BA.5 as the dominant variant in the country. But if they do spread rapidly, they could threaten to reverse a nationwide decline in Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths, leading Fauci to urge Americans against letting their guard down. Scientists from Peking University in China published a study earlier this month that found BQ.1.1's ability to evade antibodies was "far exceeding" that of BA.5. The CDC recommends masking indoors if you're in a county with a substantial or high-level spread of Covid.

☆ Less-Crowded Covid Wards Can Keep Boosting Insurers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( David Wainer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

While a distressingly high number of Americans are still being hospitalized daily for Covid-19, the number has dropped off significantly in recent months. That has helped drive a 28% increase in profits for the nation’s largest health insurer in the third quarter, and there are other factors boosting growth too. From a financial standpoint, fewer hospitalizations have benefited margins for UnitedHealth Group . The healthcare and insurance giant raised its profit outlook for the year Friday after posting a 12% increase in third-quarter revenue and handily beating analysts’ consensus estimates. Its shares rose moderately Friday during a very weak session for stocks overall.

☆ Surge in cases of RSV, a virus that can severely sicken infants, is filling hospital beds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Aria Bendix | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

He tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a common virus that causes lung infections. Aesop was moved to a pediatric ICU on Tuesday after his heart and breathing rates soared. Many RSV patients in Massachusetts are being transferred to nearby states, she added. At Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago, hospital and ICU beds have been full for over a month. He said the volume of RSV patients is "two to three times what we've ever experienced."

☆ Surge in RSV, virus that can severely sicken infants, fills hospital beds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

He tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a common virus that causes lung infections. Aesop was moved to a pediatric ICU on Tuesday after his heart and breathing rates soared. Many RSV patients in Massachusetts are being transferred to nearby states, she added. At Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, hospital and ICU beds have been full for over a month. He said the volume of RSV patients is "two to three times what we’ve ever experienced."

☆ Dr. Scott Gottlieb breaks down three categories of new Covid variants
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDr. Scott Gottlieb breaks down three categories of new Covid variantsDr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner and CNBC contributor, joins CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to discuss Covid-19 and potential variants that could cause cases and hospitalizations to rise.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized updated Covid booster shots that target the omicron variant of the virus for young children. The decision will now go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which could issue its final recommendation on the updated shots within hours. Only about 31% of children ages 5 to 11 have received two doses of any Covid vaccine, according to CDC data. Experts say it's important for people to receive the updated shots because the nation could face yet another potential wave of Covid infections this winter. The boosters are important because data has shown that any Covid vaccine greatly decreases the risk of severe outcomes from the virus, said O’Leary.

The nation's third-largest freight rail workers union rejected a temporary agreement brokered by the Biden administration to avert a potentially crippling nationwide railroad strike, raising the possibility the one could occur next month. In a statement Monday, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union (BMWED) said 56% of its more than 11,000 workers had voted against the tentative agreement. In a brief statement, the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents the nation’s freight railroads in national collective bargaining negotiations, said it was "disappointed" with the decision. Rejecting the tentative agreement sets in motion a "status quo" period where the union will resume negotiations with large freight carriers. According to the Associated Press, the union will delay any strike until five days after Congress reconvenes in mid-November to allow time for additional negotiations.

Flu cases are already rising in parts of the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The convergence of viruses is hitting health care systems as they're forced to reckon with staffing shortages that worsened during the pandemic. Staffing deficits mean there is little wiggle room to accommodate any additional surges of patients, whether they're sick with Covid, flu or other illness. But as the cold weather sets in and people increasingly gather indoors, Covid cases are expected to rise. The vast majority of Covid cases circulating now are an omicron subvariant, BA.5.

A vegan falafel product sold at Aldi supermarkets in 38 states has been recalled after it was linked to 20 cases of E. coli — five of which resulted in hospitalizations. Cuisine Innovations Unlimited announced the voluntary recall of its Earth Grown Vegan Traditional Falafel and Garlic & Herb Falafel products in a release posted Friday afternoon on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website. The type of E. coli suspected in the contamination, known as Shiga toxin-producing, primarily impacts elderly individuals, children, and people with weakened immune systems, according to the release. In a release on its website, Aldi said it had pulled the product from its shelves. Last year, Cuisine Innovations recalled a crabcake product after finding it contained undeclared egg yolks.

☆ Covid-19 boosters could prevent about 90,000 US deaths this winter, but only if more people get them, analysis suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Covid-19 vaccinations could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars this winter. A new analysis suggests that if more people in the United States get their booster by the end of the year, about 90,000 Covid-19 deaths could be prevented this fall and winter. But if booster vaccinations continue at their current pace, the nation could see a peak of more than 1,000 Covid-19 deaths per day this winter, according to the study, published Wednesday by The Commonwealth Fund. There are now more than 400 daily Covid-19 deaths, on average, in the United States. Federal health officials have said that Americans may need to get a single updated Covid-19 vaccination every year.

☆ Then-AG Bill Barr in 2020 told Trump that 'people are tired' of the 'drama,' new book says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Attorney General Bill Barr tried to get President Trump to scale back his personal attacks on others, a new book says. "People are tired of the fucking drama," Barr told Trump in 2020, according to a Washington Post excerpt of "Confidence Man." "People are tired of the fucking drama," Barr told Trump in 2020, according to a Washington Post excerpt of the forthcoming book "Confidence Man," by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. As he refused to acknowledge the severity of the pandemic, Trump simultaneously pushed baseless allegations of voter fraud throughout 2020, weeks and months before Election Day that undermined trust in the voting process among Republicans . After losing the election in November, Trump refused to concede and disrupted the longstanding US tradition of a peaceful transfer of power.

☆ Rising Covid-19 cases in the UK may be a warning for the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —There are signs that the United Kingdom could be heading into a fall Covid-19 wave, and experts say the United States may not be far behind. A recent increase in Covid-19 cases in England doesn’t seem to be driven by a new coronavirus variant, at least for now, although several are gaining strength in the US and across the pond. Spector runs the Zoe Health Study, which uses an app to let people in the UK and US report their daily symptoms. After seeing a downward trend for the past few weeks, the Zoe study saw a 30% increase in reported Covid-19 cases within the past week. In the US, some models have predicted that Covid-19 cases will begin to rise again in October and continue to increase into the winter.

☆ The average student loan borrower will see their monthly bill drop by up to $300 a month when payments restart, says the Education Department
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Biden is forgiving up to $20,000 in student loans for federal borrowers making under $125,000. A Department of Education official said borrowers who see relief, monthly payments will shrink. That means, according to Powell, monthly payments will be recalculated based on a borrower's remaining balance. "We estimate the average borrower on a standard repayment plan will see their monthly payments drop by around $200 to $300 a month," Powell said. As part of the president's debt cancelation, student loan payments were paused for "one final time" through the end of 2022.

☆ Is Biden correct that the pandemic is over? Not exactly.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Denis Nash | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

During a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday, President Joe Biden said the SARS CoV-2 pandemic was over. If Biden was referring to the emergency phase of the pandemic being over, his statement is in some ways correct — at least for now. If Biden was referring to the emergency phase of the pandemic being over, his statement is in some ways correct — at least for now. The U.K.’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has had a model long Covid surveillance system in place since February 2021. Displaying long Covid metrics and related trends on the Covid Data Tracker would be helpful.

☆ Less than 2% of U.S. adults have gotten updated Covid booster shots
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

At least 4.4 million people have received an updated Covid booster since the start of the month, according to data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC signed off on updated versions of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s booster shots on Sept. 1, and pharmacies and other vaccination sites began administering the new shots around Labor Day weekend. As of Tuesday, the U.S. had shipped more than 25 million bivalent booster doses to tens of thousands of sites. Some pharmacies reported shortages of Moderna's updated booster earlier this week. Biden administration officials have pointed to the updated boosters, however, as a critical step to pushing the U.S. out of the pandemic.

☆ Why TikTok, the FDA moved quickly to squash #NyquilChicken trend: 'It’s not worth putting yourself and others at risk'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A concerning new trend cropped up on the internet in recent weeks, encouraging people to cook chicken in NyQuil, to induce hallucinations. The videos show people pouring more than half of a bottle of the over-the-counter medication into a pan of raw chicken. It's not worth putting yourself and others at risk," TikTok wrote on the resources page. Both TikTok and the FDA moved quickly to put a stop to the trendThe Food and Drug Administration also weighed in, alerting parents of their children's potential vulnerability to the 'NyQuil Chicken' challenge and other social media trends. "These video challenges, which often target youths, can harm people — and even cause death," the FDA wrote in a statement.

☆ Wildfire Smoke Is Erasing Progress on Clean Air
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Smoke from wildfires has worsened over the past decade, potentially reversing decades of improvements in Western air quality made under the Clean Air Act, according to research published Thursday from Stanford University. The new analysis reveals a picture of daily exposure to wildfire smoke in better geographic detail than ever before. Where Wildfire Smoke Pollution Increased Over the Past Decade 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ micrograms of PM2.5 Seattle Spokane WASH. Portland MAINE Missoula MONT. FLA. Micrograms of PM2.5 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ Note: Map shows increase in average wildfire smoke from 2006-2010 to 2016-2020. The research isolated wildfire smoke from background pollution from other sources, which has actually decreased in recent decades.

If carbon monoxide levels got too high, the generator was designed to automatically sense the danger and trigger a shut-off switch. In February, the CPSC announced that it intended to propose new mandatory regulations in its 2023 fiscal year to force stricter generator safety upgrades. Carbon monoxide deaths caused by generators predictably follow nearly every major power outage caused by extreme weather, which scientists say is becoming more common with climate change. The Louisiana Department of Health reported that at least six people, including Johnson’s family, died of carbon monoxide poisoning after Hurricane Ida. Harding, the generator industry representative, emphasized that generators should only be operated outside with the exhaust pointed away from windows and doors.

There’s no palpable hunger for a shutdown so close to the Nov. 8 midterm elections, so Congress must pass a bill by midnight Sept. 30 to avert a lapse in funding. “The cleaner the bill is, the more likely” it is to pass quickly, said Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D. He wants tens of billions for Covid, and he says the pandemic is over,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician. Cases, hospitalizations, deaths, mental health aspects of Covid, long Covid. But conservatives are rebelling, saying Congress should push the issue into 2023 in the hope that the GOP will seize the majority and write legislation to its liking.

☆ Covid will be a leading cause of death in the U.S. indefinitely, whether or not the pandemic is 'over'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Aria Bendix | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

But disease experts said debating whether the pandemic is over overshadows a more important concern: the reality that Covid will remain a leading cause of death in the U.S. indefinitely. Since April, Covid deaths have stayed relatively flat, at a weekly average of around 300 to 500 per day. Predicting Covid's future death tollThe Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, or IHME, a research organization at the University of Washington that regularly models Covid deaths, predicts a decline in Covid deaths over the next two months. Covid death numbers could also fall if hospitals stop routinely testing people for the virus. Murray estimated that half of annual Covid deaths may fall into that category.

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