Since COVID, more young people are dying of heart attacks. Here's what we know A recent study found that heart attacks in people ages 25 to 44 increased by 30% compared to the expected number over the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. TODAY.com

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COVID vaccination in pregnancy may benefit both moms and infants CIDRAP

Pregnant women can reduce their infant's risk of COVID-related hospitalization by receiving at least two doses of an mRNA vaccine, which are highly effective against maternal Delta variant infection and moderately effective against maternal and infant Omicron infection, suggests a study published yesterday in BMJ. A third (booster) dose offered added protection against Omicron.

First on CNN: HHS secretary sends letter to state governors on what's to come when Covid-19 public health emergency ends | CNN Plans are moving forward at the US Department of Health and Human Services to prepare for the end of the nation's Covid-19 public health emergency declaration in May. Jacqueline Howard CNN

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On Thursday, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter and fact sheet to state governors detailing what exactly the end of the emergency declaration will mean for jurisdictions and their residents....

FEMA to end all COVID-19 disaster declarations on May 11 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said on Thursday it will close all COVID-19 disaster declaration incident periods on May 11 when the U.S. government ends two major pandemic-related emergency declarations. Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters

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CDC adds Covid-19 vaccinations to immunization schedules for children, adults The guidance formalizes current recommendations, and does not mandate vaccines. POLITICO

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added Covid-19 vaccinations for children, adolescents and adults to its immunization schedule.

HUD says it helped 2 million homeowners avoid foreclosure during pandemic - UPI.com Nearly two million homeowners were able to avoid foreclosure during the COVID-19 pandemic due to Federal Housing Administration programs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said Wednesday. UPI

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Maine community colleges stop requiring COVID-19 vaccine SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's community college system has ended a requirement that on-campus students received the COVID-19 vaccine. The Maine Community College System's board ended the requirement and change is effective immediately, the system said in a Wednesday statement. AP NEWS

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Maine Community College System president David Daigler said high vaccination rates in the state and improved outcomes for people who contract COVID-19 played a role in the decision. Better access to a broader range of preventative and treatment options for COVID-19 also played a role, he said.

Denialism is seeping into legislation and undermining public health Denialism represents a shift in the common practice of disputing notions that we may not agree with to the outright rejection of facts in an antagonistic way. dtodd The Hill

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California health program successfully cut hospital visits SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A five-year experiment aimed at improving care for some of California's most at-risk Medicaid patients — including homeless people and people with severe drug addictions — resulted in fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits that saved taxpayers an estimated $383 per patient per year, according to a review released Wednesday. AP NEWS

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Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has crossed 1,300, a senior Malawian health official said on Thursday, as the southern African country battles its deadliest outbreak yet. Reuters Reuters

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The WHO said in a statement on Thursday that Malawi's current outbreak was the deadliest on record, worse than ones in 1998/99 and 2001/02 that saw 860 and 968 deaths respectively.

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‘No one really wants to talk about COVID anymore,’ the WHO’s pandemic lead laments. But the ‘worst case’ possibility of a new coronavirus exists “Omicron can cause severe disease” and “is not nature’s vaccine,” experts warned, raising concerns that evolution could produce a more dangerous variant—or a new coronavirus altogether. YahooFinance

... “until no one is at risk, everyone is at risk” of a disease that continues to evolve and affect different countries to different extents, Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID-19 at the WHO, added.