Pfizer/BioNTech's updated COVID shot shows strong response against BQ.1.1 Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE said on Friday their Omicron-tailored shot produced higher virus-neutralizing antibodies in older adults against the emerging subvariant BQ.1.1 than its original vaccine. Reuters Reuters

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Risk of seizure rises in six months after COVID-19 A bout of COVID-19, even a milder one, may raise the risk of having a seizure in the next six months, a large new study suggests. UPI

...the increased risk was among people who were not hospitalized: Of those who dealt with COVID-19 at home, just over 0.7% were later diagnosed with a first-time seizure or epilepsy. That compared with just under 0.5% of people who were sick at home with the flu.

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US home births rise in pandemic, to highest level in decades U.S. home births increased slightly in the pandemic’s second year, rising to the highest level in decades, according to a government report published Thursday. AP NEWS

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Indian Health Service steps up COVID, other vaccine push PHOENIX (AP) — The Indian Health Service announced Thursday that all tribal members covered by the federal agency will be offered a vaccine at every appointment when appropriate, under a new vaccine strategy. AP NEWS

... Indigenous people are especially vulnerable to vaccine-preventable illness, and IHS officials recently noticed fewer patients have been getting vaccines for COVID-19. Monkeypox is now an additional health concern.

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USDA program keeps extra COVID-era money for fruits, veggies U.S. agriculture officials proposed changes Thursday to the federal program that helps pay the grocery bills for low-income pregnant women, babies and young children, including extending a bump in payments for fresh fruits and vegetables allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. AP NEWS

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The update also adds more whole grains, canned fish and non-dairy options to their shopping carts. The effort is aimed at expanding the number and type of healthy foods available to families who get assistance from the Agriculture Department’s program known as WIC, officials said.

RSV hospitalization rate for seniors is 10 times higher than usual for this point in the season | CNN The respiratory virus season has started early in kids this year and flooded children's hospitals in many parts of the country -- especially with respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. Jen Christensen CNN

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Africa CDC chief urges more COVID-19 testing as cases rise KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The head of Africa's top public health institute is urging authorities across the continent to step up COVID-19 testing amid a concerning rise in new cases in some countries. AP NEWS

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The continent of 1.3 billion people saw a 37% rise in new cases over the past week, Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday.

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New COVID-19 subvariants replace BA.5 as most dominant in U.S. The COVID-19 BA.5 variant has lost its dominance in the United States, according to the CDC. Two other variants -- BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 -- have replaced it. UPI

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The CDC data shows The new BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 together account for roughly 44% of new U.S. COVID-19 infections. The new variants are sublineages of BA.5. It's the first time since July that the BA.5 variant has not been dominant.

COVID pandemic led to surge in superbug infections, EU agency says Infections from some antibiotic-resistant pathogens known as superbugs have more than doubled in health care facilities in Europe, an EU agency said on Thursday, providing further evidence of the wider impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters Reuters

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Judge orders end to Trump-era asylum restrictions at border SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Biden administration to lift Trump-era asylum restrictions that have been a cornerstone of border enforcement since the beginning of COVID-19. AP NEWS

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U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled in Washington that enforcement must end immediately for families and single adults, calling the ban “arbitrary and capricious.” The administration has not applied it to children traveling alone.

Should you get the COVID booster? It could prevent millions of days missed in school and thousands of hospitalizations for kids If 80% of people five and older got their booster shot, nearly 29 million days of missed school could be prevented for kids. YahooFinance

New research predicts that higher rates of those five and older getting the bivalent booster shot could prevent millions of missed school days and thousands of hospitalizations for kids and teens. ...

Pediatricians beg for more federal help to fight wave of RSV - Roll Call Two medical groups have asked the Biden administration to declare a public health emergency to respond to the glut of respiratory viruses. Roll Call

After two winters spent masked and six feet apart, pediatric respiratory viruses have returned with a vengeance, and pediatric hospitals, emergency room doctors and pediatricians are lobbying Congress and the Biden administration to provide more support.

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