Officials Lament Barriers to Monkeypox Treatments, Prevention Blame limited supplies and excessive red tape Michael DePeau-Wilson medpagetoday

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Masks need to be mandated in most indoor settings to prevent really grim winter - Baker Professor Michael Baker is calling for much wider mask mandates, saying the roll-out of free masks, while positive, will make a "fairly small" difference to the Covid-19 outbreak. RNZ

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PAHO: "Member countries had administered 1.6 billion COVID-19 vaccines" To date, more than 1.6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in PAHO member countries. Caribbean News Editor Caribbean News Now!

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Speaking during PAHO’s digital COVID-19 media briefing, Dr Etienne said 17 member countries – including Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, have passed the target of vaccinating 70 per cent of their populations.

The BA.5 Wave Is What COVID Normal Looks Like The endless churn of variants may not stop anytime soon, unless we do something about it. Katherine J. Wu The Atlantic

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FDA authorizes Novavax Covid vaccine, in hopes the traditional shot will convince holdouts The agency hopes the availability of a more traditional vaccine might help convince those skeptical of the Covid shots using new mRNA technology to get inoculated. Matthew Herper STAT

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Top GOP senator slams HHS for ‘disturbing’ response to monkeypox North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr (R) on Thursday slammed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for its response to the monkeypox outbreak so far, bemoaning that the agency was “fa… jchoi The Hill

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Spanish response to Covid poverty was too little, too late, report says Human Rights Watch says pandemic exacerbated weaknesses in country’s social security system the Guardian

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Why the Omicron offshoot BA.5 is a big deal Once again, Covid-19 seems to be everywhere. If you feel caught off-guard, you aren't alone. Brenda Goodman, CNN CNN

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Should you wait for an Omicron vaccine—or get your next booster now? With Omicron subvariant BA.5 on the rise, many Americans are debating how best to protect themselves. Here's what experts say. Fortune

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Explainer: What is the COVID BA.5 variant and why is it reinfecting so many people? BA.5, part of the Omicron family, is the latest coronavirus variant to cause widespread waves of infection globally. Jennifer Rigby,Julie Steenhuysen Reuters

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