Mutations

COVID-19 enters 4th year with successes, but new threats CIDRAP

As the pandemic enters its fourth year, the world is in a better place with managing the disease but still faces threats from inequities for accessing tools to battle COVID-19, intense transmission in several countries, and the emergence of another highly transmissible Omicron subvariant, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

In a related development, the WHO today shared details about its virus evolution advisory group's assessment of viruses circulating in China and said the experts are also assessing the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant, which is quickly becoming dominant in the United States.

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Public Health Agencies Try to Restore Trust as They Fight Misinformation As public health departments work on improving their message, the skepticism and mistrust often reserved for covid-19 vaccines now threaten other public health priorities, including flu shots and c… khnkytjaw Kaiser Health News

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Experts urge domestic action against winter COVID surge Much of the U.S. is in the throes of a winter COVID-19 surge with cases poised to eclipse last year’s summer peak, driven by new variants, waning immunity and holiday gatherings.   The co… tlejeune The Hill

... public health experts are expressing frustration that instead of focusing on mitigation measures including masking and improved ventilation, U.S. officials have turned their attention towards China.

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China COVID data shows no new variant, WHO says, easing some global fears No new coronavirus variant has been found in China, data released by the World Health Organization showed on Wednesday, easing some concerns about an outbreak that has spread rapidly there since Beijing abruptly reversed its "zero COVID" policy. Alessandro Diviggiano,Bernard Orr Reuters

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