Covid-19 antibody levels jump among elderly after autumn booster The 35-49 age group now has the lowest estimated level of antibodies. Ian Jones, PA AOL

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Some 96.3% of people aged 80 and over in England were likely to have antibodies at the start of December 2022, up from 89.2% in early September.

For 75 to 79-year-olds, the proportion stands at 95.8%, up from 87.4%.   ...

The figures are “likely a result of the vaccination booster campaign”, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which has published the data.

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Covid-19 killed fewer people in the US in 2022, but early data suggests it was still a leading cause of death | CNN Covid-19 has killed more than 1 million people in the United States since the start of the pandemic, and life expectancy has been cut by nearly 2.5 years since 2020. Deidre McPhillips CNN

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Despite the lower death toll, however, Covid-19 will likely remain the third leading cause of death in the US in 2022 for the third year in a row.

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In China, doctors say they are discouraged from citing COVID on death certificates During a busy shift at the height of Beijing's COVID wave, a physician at a private hospital saw a printed notice in the emergency department: doctors should “try not to” write COVID-induced respiratory failure on death certificates. Martin Quin Pollard,Engen Tham Reuters

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Long Covid can be debilitating, even for healthy kids | CNN Jessica Rosario loved watching her 15-year-old, Eliana, play flute with the rest of the marching band during Open Door Christian School football games. But after the homecoming game in 2021, she got an alarming call from the Ohio school's band director. Jen Christensen CNN

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Large new review underscores the risks of Covid-19 during pregnancy | CNN Pregnant women and their developing babies are at higher risk for severe outcomes if they get Covid-19, and now a large, international review is helping to underscore how devastating those risks can be. Brenda Goodman CNN

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WHO appeals to China to release more COVID-19 information BEIJING (AP) — The World Health Organization has appealed to China to keep releasing information about its wave of COVID-19 infections after the government announced nearly 60,000 deaths since early December following weeks of complaints it was failing to tell the world what was happening. AP NEWS

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Holidays didn't lead to feared bump in flu cases, CDC says NEW YORK (AP) — New U.S. government data suggests holiday gatherings didn't spark surges in respiratory diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that visits to doctors' offices for the flu-like illnesses fell for the sixth straight week. AP NEWS

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Of course, the situation is uneven across the country, and some places have more illnesses than others. But some doctors say patient traffic is easing.

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How Accurate Are At-Home COVID Tests With The XBB Subvariant? Experts have a few theories on why some people may be getting false negatives when they believe they have COVID. YahooNews

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There aren’t any studies or pre-print reports currently available on how effective rapid tests are with XBB, but scientists predict that at-home tests will continue to work well with the latest crop of variants. 

‘I was wrong’: how Covid conspiracies became a gateway to extreme views Some Covid deniers have regrets, but others have joined more extremist hate movements the Guardian

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