#infection-rates

#infection-rates

As the Biden administration prepares for the federal COVID-19 public health emergency to end on May 11, the new normal is markedly better than the earlier phase of the pandemic in which we lost more than a million American lives.We've gone from the 2021 peak of an estimated 3,000 Americans dying daily from the infection to about 250 a day now.

A new Covid variant called XBB.1.5 is driving a new wave of infections.But susceptibility to it is not, as some contend, being fueled by vaccines.Still, the surges of ever more immune-evasive variants raise legitimate questions about whether vaccines and boosters are still protecting us from infection, or should only be recommended for their ability to prevent severe disease and death.

A new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading in the U.S., raising concerns about a potential wave of infections and reinfections to start the new year.The variant, called XBB.1.5, is a descendent of Omicron and a close relative of the XBB variant, which spread widely in Singapore and India this past fall.

It may be too soon to tell what the holiday season has in store when it comes to the tail end of this three-year pandemic.But there is reason to hope that we won't have a very severe winter surge of new COVID infections, especially if more people get their updated boosters.The new bivalent boosters haven't seen nearly enough takers yet, and it seems like apathetic Americans are losing the sense of fear that drove them to get vaccinated back in the winter/spring of 2021.

Close Matt Hancock wanted to frighten the pants' off public with new Covid strain, leak shows The final official estimates of Covid-19 in the UK show infections in England have climbed to their highest level since the start of the year, figures released late last week show.The trend in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is uncertain, though there are signs the virus is continuing to become more prevalent.

Hepatitis C infection rates triple in central Appalachia, CDC says The rates in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia were highest among young people, report says An increase in the abuse of injectable drugs has caused hepatitis C infection rates to more than triple in four Appalachian states, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The head of UNAids, Winnie Byanyima, has strongly criticised pharmaceutical giants for prioritising profits over saving lives, and warned that racist inequalities are undermining progress towards ending Aids, especially in Africa.Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than half of all new infections, with women and marginalised groups facing higher new infection rates.

Private services offering Chinese travellers access to mRNA vaccines are attracting droves of mainlanders to Hong Kong and Macau seeking a booster shot that their government has refused to approve.As part of its dismantling of the country's zero-Covid policy last month, China's government also lifted quarantine and other border restrictions.

After two years of Covid restrictions at Christmas and New Year in Italy, anyone returning for the festive season in 2023 will no doubt wonder whether there will be any rules to follow this time.Last year visitors had to abide by strict protocols, including the use of the green pass' health certificate, while in 2020 Christmas travel was all but impossible with the country effectively under lockdown for much of the festive period.

After two years of Covid restrictions at Christmas and New Year in Italy, anyone returning for the festive season in 2023 will no doubt wonder whether there will be any rules to follow this time.Last year visitors had to abide by strict protocols, including the use of the green pass' health certificate, while in 2020 Christmas travel was all but impossible with the country effectively under lockdown for much of the festive period.

Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter.Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.Deadly spores lurk in the water and infect the skin of the creatures they touch.Spreading on contact and then invading the body, this fungal disease causes ulcers and peeling so severe skin comes off in sheets.

New evidence could encourage more men to opt for a vasectomy as part of family planning.A new study from the UK provides an updated look at data concerning risk factors and complications from the popular procedure - more than 500,000 men opt to have a vasectomy per year in the United States.Some of this data hadn't been updated since the 1980s.

China's health authorities have said the Covid wave is past its peak, with rapid decline in both severe cases and deaths in hospitals, but experts remain wary of the government's official data.According to China's Center for Disease Control (CDC), the number of critically ill patients in hospital peaked in the first week of January, then rapidly declined by more than 70%.

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Matt Hancock expressed concern that a flagship Rishi Sunak policy was contributing to the spread of Covid-19 as the latest set of leaked messages reveal how the pair were at odds during the pandemic.

After long pursing a zero-Covid policy, China has relaxed many restrictions including quarantine rules for travellers.But some experts have raised concerns the U-turn may cause problems.We take a look at why.What has happened in China?Until recently China followed a zero-Covid policy, including strict lockdowns and quarantining those testing positive and their close contacts.

Italy's health ministry described the Covid-19 situation in the country as unpredictable as 2023 begins, urging people to be cautious and suggesting restrictions could return ahead of a likely increase in case numbers after the festive period.At the moment case numbers in Italy are still in decline, the health ministry confirmed in a circular published on Friday.

Italy's health ministry described the Covid-19 situation in the country as unpredictable as 2023 begins, urging people to be cautious and suggesting restrictions could return ahead of a likely increase in case numbers after the festive period.At the moment case numbers in Italy are still in decline, the health ministry confirmed in a circular published on Friday.

Roughly a million people could die from COVID-19 in China by next year as a result of the country's rapid abandonment of pandemic restrictions, a new study suggests.Researchers worry that ill-prepared healthcare systems, low rates of vaccination among the elderly and ineffective vaccines will contribute to a massive and deadly COVID-19 surge that has already begun overwhelming hospitals in Beijing.

A nurse prepares a syringe of a COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation station in Jackson, Miss., July 19, 2022.Rogelio V. Solis (AP) US health officials want to make Covid-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.

U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.This means Americans would no longer have to keep track of how many shots they've received or how many months it's been since their last booster.

WASHINGTON U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.

By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP Health Writer) WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.

WASHINGTON U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.

The latest estimates of Covid-19 infections in the UK are likely to have been affected by the current postal strikes across the country, experts said.Infections are thought to have risen in England and Northern Ireland in late November, while the trend is unclear in Scotland and Wales.But there is greater uncertainty than usual in the estimates, as well as a longer time lag in reporting the data, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Although China has largely abandoned COVID-19 case reporting, evidence of its massive wave of infection readily shows up in airports outside its borders.On a December 26 flight from the southeastern city of Wenzhou to Milan, Italy, 42 percent of the 149 passengers on board tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Eurosurveillance.

Flu levels are continuing to rise in England, amid warnings that vaccine take-up among young children and pregnant women remain below that in previous years.Infection rates are estimated to be highest among five to 14-year-olds, with 18.5% of laboratory samples from this age group testing positive, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).