Biden agency vacancies to drag on White House priorities WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a year, the Food and Drug Administration lacked a permanent head when the agency was central in the battle against COVID-19 . AP NEWS

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Hong Kong to test entire population of 7.5M people 3 times in March: Latest COVID updates Hong Kong has reported about 5,000 new daily infections since Feb. 15, imperiling its healthcare system. More updates. YahooNews

Hong Kong, struggling with its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began, will test every one of its 7.5 million people for the coronavirus three times next month, the city’s leader said Tuesday.

EU advises further relaxing travel rules for foreigners BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union member countries agreed Tuesday that they should further facilitate tourist travel into the 27-nation bloc for people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus or have recovered from COVID-19. AP NEWS

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The European Council is recommending that EU nations next month lift all testing and quarantine requirements for people who received vaccines authorized in the EU or approved by the World Health Organization. ...

A mild U.S. flu season is waning, but is it really over? Here's the question experts are asking themselves about the 2021-2022 flu season: "Is this it, or is there more to come?" Patrick Skerrett STAT

NEW YORK — This winter’s mild flu season is fading to a trickle of cases in much of the U.S., but health officials aren’t ready to say it’s over.

Since the beginning of the year, positive flu test results and doctor’s office visits for flu-like illness are down. But second waves of influenza are not unusual, and some experts said it’s possible a late winter or spring surge could be coming.

Association of COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome With Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Family Members After ICU Discharge (JAMA)

In a prospective cohort study of 517 family members of ICU patients, PTSD-related symptoms at 90 days after ICU discharge were significantly more common in family members of patients with COVID-19 ARDS compared with non–COVID-19 ARDS (35% vs 19%). In a multivariable analysis adjusting for age, sex, and level of social support, COVID-19 ARDS was independently associated with PTSD-related symptoms in family members (odds ratio, 2.05). 

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More contagious version of omicron spreads in U.S., fueling worries The omicron BA..2 variant spreads about 30% more easily and has caused surges in other countries. Its steady increase in the U.S. raises questions about the wisdom of rolling back COVID restrictions. NPR.org

As the omicron surge continues to decline in the U.S., infectious disease experts are keeping a close eye on an even more contagious version of the variant that could once again foil the nation's hopes of getting back to normal.

Boris Johnson scraps remaining COVID restrictions in England LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scrapping the last domestic coronavirus restrictions in England, including the requirement for people with COVID-19 to self-isolate, even as he acknowledged Monday the potential for new and more deadly variants of the virus. AP NEWS

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Australia welcomes back tourists with toy koalas, Tim Tams CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — International tourists and business travelers began arriving in Australia with few restrictions on Monday, bringing together families in tearful reunions after separations of two years or longer forced by some of the most draconian pandemic measures of any democracy in the world. AP NEWS

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