Biden to get updated COVID vaccine, urge Americans to follow suit | Reuters

 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will get his updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday and urge more Americans to get the latest shot, White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Sunday.

Only 20 million people in the United States have received an updated COVID vaccine through last week. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday it was not enough.

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Omicron subvariants pose a new threat to people with immune deficiencies (nbcnews.com)

New versions of the omicron virus show resistance to the antibody drugs many need for extra protection against Covid.

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People with compromised immune systems face a new winter of discontent as the ever-mutating omicron virus threatens to outrun the preventive monoclonal antibody cocktail that hundreds of thousands of them have relied upon for extra protection against Covid.

The main COVID symptoms have changed, research shows | The Hill

 ... like all viruses, the primary symptoms associated with COVID have changed and can vary based on your vaccination status, according to a new list released last week.

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Researchers have found that for participants in all three groups — fully vaccinated, those who received just one dose, and unvaccinated — four of the five most commonly reported symptoms are the same: sore throat, runny nose, persistent cough, and headache.

Their prevalences across the groups, however, vary, as does the fifth symptom.

For those who are vaccinated, a blocked nose is the third-most frequently reported symptom. Among the partially vaccinated, it’s sneezing, and the unvaccinated, fever.

Below are the symptoms most commonly reported among the three groups, ranked in order of how often they are reported.  ...

A ‘Tripledemic’? Flu and Other Infections Return as Covid Cases Rise - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

For more than two years, shuttered schools and offices, social distancing and masks granted Americans a reprieve from flu and most other respiratory infections. This winter is likely to be different.

With few to no restrictions in place and travel and socializing back in full swing, an expected winter rise in Covid cases appears poised to collide with a resurgent influenza season, causing a “twindemic” — or even a “tripledemic,” with a third pathogen, respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V., in the mix.

Cases of BQ.1, BQ.1.1 COVID variants double in U.S. as Europe warns of rise U.S. regulators estimated BQ.1 and closely related BQ.1.1 accounted for 16.6% of COVID variants in the country, nearly doubling from last week, as Europe expects them to become dominant in a month. Manas Mishra,Khushi Mandowara Reuters

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Analysis: Falling demand for COVID boosters puts price hikes on the table With most Americans delaying or skipping new COVID-19 booster shots, analysts and investors are now predicting far fewer will be given each year, pushing the number of shots well below annual flu vaccinations. Michael Erman Reuters

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Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine will cost $110-$130 per dose Pfizer will charge $110 to $130 for a dose of its COVID-19 vaccine once the U.S. government stops buying the shots, but the drugmaker says it expects many people will continue receiving it for free. AP NEWS

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Pfizer executives said the commercial pricing for adult doses could start early next year, depending on when the government phases out its program of buying and distributing the shots.

A common respiratory virus is spreading at unusually high levels, overwhelming children's hospitals. Here's what parents need to know | CNN There's now an "unprecedented" rise in RSV cases among children in the US, some doctors say. Several children's hospitals told CNN that they've been "overwhelmed" with patients at a time of the year when it's unusual to have a surge of RSV patients. Jen Christensen,Raenu Charles CNN

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Cholera outbreak hits Syrian refugees sheltering in camps in Lebanon Syrian refugees in displacement camps are falling victim to a cholera outbreak in Lebanon, already suffering from an economic meltdown that has slashed access to clean water and strained hospitals. Maya Gebeily Reuters

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FDA’s vaccines chief sees possibility of more Covid boosters — sooner than he’d like The FDA’s vaccines chief sees the possibility of more Covid boosters for some people before next fall. Helen Branswell STAT

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Panel votes to add COVID shots to recommended vaccinations NEW YORK (AP) — COVID-19 shots should be added to the lists of recommended vaccinations for kids and adults, a panel of U.S. vaccine experts said Thursday. The panel's unanimous decision has no immediate effect — COVID-19 shots already are recommended for virtually all Americans. AP NEWS

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Biden officials search for backup for key Covid therapy for immunocompromised people Biden officials are bracing for the prospect that the sole preventive Covid treatment for immunocompromised people, Evusheld, could soon be ineffective. Sarah Owermohle STAT

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The state of emergency gave Newsom broad, often controversial, powers to issue masking and vaccination mandates and temporary stay-at-home orders in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. It also enabled the governor to enter into nearly $12 billion dollars worth of no-bid emergency response contracts with testing facilities, personal protective equipment suppliers and temporary workforce agencies. Some of those contracts were with untested vendors who failed to deliver services.

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Chinese capital steps up COVID measures as cases quadruple China's capital, Beijing, has dialled up measures to stop COVID, strengthening public checks and locking down some residential compounds after a quadrupling of its case load in recent weeks, just as a key Communist Party congress entered full swing. Reuters Reuters

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