BA.5 variant’s spread sparks concerns about contagiousness, hospitalizations Concerns are rising over a new omicron subvariant that is even more highly transmissible, called BA.5.  The new subvariant has risen to be a majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States and… vmorris The Hill

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BA.5 causes concern because of its increased contagiousness and because of its greater ability to evade the protection from vaccines and prior infection.   

After backlash, Beijing drops COVID vaccination mandate for crowded venues

BEIJING, July 8 (Reuters) - Beijing's city government has dropped plans to allow only vaccinated people to enter crowded venues such as libraries, cinemas and gyms from Monday, following a strong online backlash to the measure announced earlier this week.

The mandatory requirement would have marked a rare move in China, where the central government insists on voluntary vaccination and has quickly overruled other attempts by front-line officials to issue compulsory vaccination directives.

Here are the states returning to pre-pandemic normal the fastest: analysis Story at a glance A Moody’s Analytics index has tracked the country’s economic recovery since the pandemic began based on 13 metrics, including the value of goods and services produced, e… Adam Barnes The Hill

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Army Reserve, Guard members who refused COVID vaccine banned from drills, About 40,000 members of the Army National Guard are not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. YahooNews

The 40,000 members of the Army National Guard who are not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus after the deadline will not be allowed to participate in federal training, forfeiting future paychecks.