Airborne transmission of monkeypox 'has not been reported,' CDC says The spread of monkeypox through small virus particles that linger in the air "has not been reported," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in guidance posted Thursday. It may spread through "saliva or respiratory secretions" during face-to-face contact, but these secretions "drop out of the air quickly," and studies have found that this method of transmission seems uncommon. Katherine Dillinger, CNN CNN

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The 'five pandemics' driving 1 million U.S. Covid deaths STAT analyzes the data to show how five key factors worked to drive U.S. Covid deaths since the start of the pandemic, yielding "five pandemics." J. Emory Parker STAT

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Feds buy 500,000 more vaccine doses to fight monkeypox Health officials announced on Friday that the White House has ordered 500,000 more doses of a vaccine believed to be effective against monkeypox. Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparednes… jchoi The Hill

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While there are currently no vaccines or antivirals specifically designed to treat monkeypox, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized Jynneos for use in adults to prevent monkeypox infections...

U.S. seeks to expand monkeypox testing as cases rise U.S. health officials are working to expand capabilities to test for monkeypox beyond a narrow group of public health labs, heeding calls from infectious disease experts who say testing for the virus needs to become part of routine care. Julie Steenhuysen Reuters

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US lifts COVID-19 test requirement for international travel WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international travelers test negative for COVID-19 within a day before boarding a flight to the United States, ending one of the last remaining government mandates designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. AP NEWS

A senior administration official said Friday that the mandate will expire early Sunday morning.

COVID in Pregnancy Linked to Infant Neurodevelopmental Problems Association was particularly strong for third trimester exposure James Lopilato medpagetoday

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Trials of new Covid vaccine raise hopes of once-a-year booster Moderna shot is said to produce eightfold increase in antibody levels against Omicron in first four weeks the Guardian

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Partly Cloudy With A 75 Percent Chance Of COVID Exposure It’s 6:30 a.m. and your third alarm is blaring. Another 10 minutes and you’ll have to miss breakfast before going to work. You get up, brush your teeth, shower … Betsy Ladyzhets FiveThirtyEight

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Will monkeypox spread as fast as COVID? As monkeypox spreads quickly throughout the U.S., might it start a new pandemic? amartichoux The Hill

Key differences between the viruses make that unlikely. In a media briefing Tuesday, Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, outlined some of those differences.

While monkeypox can spread through respiratory droplets, Inglesby explained, evidence suggests spread is happening through close contact.

China COVID jitters flare up as parts of Shanghai resume lockdown Shanghai and Beijing went back on fresh COVID-19 alert on Thursday after parts of China's largest economic hub imposed new lockdown restriction and the city announced a round of mass testing for millions of residents. David Stanway,Ryan Woo Reuters

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Officials: Millions of COVID-19 shots ordered for youngest NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been ordered for small children in anticipation of possible federal authorization next week, White House officials say. The government allowed pharmacies and states to start placing orders last week, with 5 million doses initially available — half of them shots made by Pfizer and the other half the vaccine produced by Moderna , senior administration officials said. AP NEWS

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Homeless and incarcerated people in Minnesota struggled to access Covid vaccines Homeless and incarcerated people had significantly lower Covid vaccination rates than others in Minnesota, according to a new study. Kate Sheridan STAT

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POLITICO-Harvard poll: Majority of Americans support more Covid aid for the uninsured At the same time, more than six in 10 respondents believe that more congressional spending on Covid aid will contribute to inflation. POLITICO

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US has a "very serious" problem with Covid-19 vaccine uptake The United States has a "very serious" problem with Covid-19 vaccination uptake, a top health official has warned. Ivana Kottasová and Hafsa Khalil, CNN CNN

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