Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — dubbed “escape variants” for their immune evasiveness — are steadily gaining prevalence in the U.S. and now account for more than 16 percent of all COVID-19 cases confirmed nationwide, CDC data shows.
Category: Public Health
US aims to boost Ebola testing capacity as Uganda outbreak grows
The U.S. is working to expand its Ebola testing abilities to prepare for the possibility that the virus could make its way into the country, CBS News reported Oct. 25.
Healthcare systems account for 4% of global CO2 emission, study says
Healthcare systems account for more than 4 percent of carbon dioxide emissions on a global average basis, according to an Oct. 24 report from the World Economic Forum.
Kids make up a third of flu hospitalizations: CDC
Hospitals are already seeing predictions of a severe flu season unfold, with 1,674 flu patients admitted to hospitals nationwide for the week ending Oct. 14. Kids account for more than 30 percent of flu hospitalizations, the CDC told NBC News in an Oct…
White House ramps up efforts to promote omicron booster
President Joe Biden will receive his updated omicron COVID-19 booster Oct. 25 and launch several efforts aimed at getting more Americans to do so ahead of the holiday season, according to the White House.
An Abortion Rights Question on the California Ballot Revives the Debate Over ‘Viability’
California voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to explicitly protect abortion rights. But there is disagreement over whether the proposal, Proposition 1, would merely enshrine existing rights or expand them.
CDC tallies 6 monkeypox deaths: 3 updates
Health officials in Illinois, Maryland, New York and Nevada are the latest states to report deaths in residents who tested positive for monkeypox, CBS News reported Oct. 21.
HHS awards $21 million to 13 hospitals to fight emerging special pathogens
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response awarded $21 million to 13 healthcare facilities to help fight against special pathogens, like COVID-19.
CDC eyes oral polio vaccine not used in 20 years to halt New York outbreak
The CDC is considering the use of a novel oral polio vaccine that uses a live virus strain to stop an outbreak in New York, agency officials told CNBC in an Oct. 21 report. The vaccine has not been used in more than two decades.
‘Escape variants’ account for 16% of US COVID-19 cases: 10 updates
Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — dubbed ‘escape variants’ for their immune evasiveness — are gaining prevalence and now account for more than 16 percent of all COVID-19 cases confirmed in the U.S., according to the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker…
