Contagion

Low humidity and temperatures may make it easier to catch a cold, the flu or Covid in winter

Thu, 2023-01-12 09:27 — mike kraft

Why it’s easier to catch a cold, the flu or COVID in the winter Low humidity protects viruses and cold temperatures may blunt some immune responses, making viral infections like colds, flu and COVID-19 more likely. Tina Hesman Saey Science News

...researchers have found that viruses that surge in the winter, including influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 — the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — survive best when the relative humidity in the air falls below about 40 percent.

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WHO: XBB.1.5 Threatens to Increase COVID-19 Infections Globally, but data based only on U.S.

Wed, 2023-01-11 19:55 — mike kraft

WHO weighs in on Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant; US extends COVID health emergency CIDRAP

The World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group on virus evolution said the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant is poised to drive an increase in COVID-19 cases, but it cautioned that confidence in its assessment is low, because most of the information is based on data from just one country—the United States.

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Bivalent COVID vaccines: how they're stacking up against omicron

Wed, 2023-01-11 19:30 — mike kraft

Bivalent COVID vaccines have now been in use for a few months—here's how they're stacking up against omicron Vaccines have played a major role in mitigating the harms of the COVID pandemic since their rollout began just over two years ago. They're estimated to have saved tens of millions of lives across the ... Neil Mabbott

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Wastewater data should become a more mainstream public health tool

Wed, 2023-01-11 17:20 — mike kraft

What's standing in the way of wastewater data becoming a more mainstream public health tool When case counts suggest Covid-19 is in check, the truth is in the toilets. Brittany Trang STAT

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U.S. extends public health emergency status for COVID

Wed, 2023-01-11 17:11 — mike kraft

U.S. extends public health emergency status for COVID The U.S. health department on Wednesday extended the COVID-19 pandemic's status as a public health emergency, allowing millions of Americans to continue receiving free tests, vaccines and treatments. Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters

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Uganda declares itself Ebola-free after containing latest outbreak

Wed, 2023-01-11 09:31 — mike kraft

Uganda declares itself Ebola-free after swiftly turning tide on outbreak Uganda on Wednesday declared the end of a nearly four-month Ebola outbreak that it briefly struggled to contain but was then able to swiftly bring under control despite the absence of a proven vaccine against the viral strain in question. Elias Biryabarema Reuters

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The latest outbreak killed 55 of the 143 people infected since September, according to health ministry figures. Six of the fatalities were health workers.

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