Disease

Flu 'gathering speed' across US as health officials and doctors prepare for a potentially rough season | CNN US health officials are becoming increasingly concerned about this year's flu season -- and are already seeing signs that the virus is spreading. Jacqueline Howard CNN

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German health minister urges stepped-up COVID-19 measures BERLIN (AP) — Germany's health minister on Friday urged the country's 16 states to consider stepping up their measures against the coronavirus amid a rise in new cases. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he favors requiring mask-wearing indoors, a measure that has largely faded in Germany except on public transport, in medical facilities and care homes. AP NEWS

...“The direction we’re going in isn’t a good one,” Lauterbach told reporters in Berlin.

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The last Covid holdouts in Asia are throwing open their doors for travel -- except for China Across Asia, borders are opening and quarantine measures are lifting as even the last few countries clinging to Covid restrictions embrace a return to travel. By Jessie Yeung, CNN CNN

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But in China -- which has seen its own economy suffer from a strict zero-Covid policy involving tight border controls, snap lockdowns and mandatory quarantines -- there appears to be no end in sight to the restrictions, despite mounting public frustration.

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Biden administration extends COVID public health emergency WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Thursday that the COVID-19 public health emergency will continue through Jan. 11 as officials brace for a spike in cases this winter . AP NEWS

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The public health emergency, first declared in January 2020 and renewed every 90 days since, has dramatically changed how health services are delivered.