FDA offers radio silence on question of spring Covid boosters, as other countries push ahead Canada and the U.K. are moving ahead with plans for spring Covid boosters for some individuals. In the U.S., the FDA's plans are unclear. Helen Branswell STAT

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Burundi officials detect polio outbreak linked to vaccine LONDON (AP) — Health officials in Burundi have declared an outbreak of polio linked to the vaccine, the first time the paralytic disease has been detected in the East African country for more than three decades. AP NEWS

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The Burundi government declared the polio outbreak to be a national public health emergency and plans to start an immunization campaign within weeks, aimed at protecting all children up to age seven.

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Long-covid symptoms are less common now than earlier in the pandemic The findings also show that patients with certain underlying medical conditions have twice the odds as previously healthy people of seeking care for long covid. Washington Post

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Cocaine trafficking surges following COVID-19-related slowdown Routed through new hubs and expanded criminal networks, cocaine trafficking has made a dramatic comeback following an initial slowdown caused by the emergence of COVID-19, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said on Thursday in a hard-hitting new report. UN News

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Temp Nurses Cost Hospitals Big During Pandemic. Lawmakers Are Now Mulling Limits. Missouri is considering making it a felony to jack up temporary health care staffing prices during a statewide or national emergency. It’s one of at least 14 states looking to reel in travel nurse … khnkytjaw Kaiser Health News

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The CDC Wants To Modernize Its Healthcare Data Infrastructure The organization hopes to be at the forefront of data modernization and infrastructure. Sai Balasubramanian, M.D., J.D. Forbes

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One of the coronaviruses causing common colds boosts immune response to COVID-19 in children, study finds During the pandemic, it became clear that children who contracted COVID-19 became less ill than adults. One hypothesis has been that common colds would give children immunity protecting against a severe form of the disease. Researchers are now able to show that OC43, one of the coronaviruses that cause common colds, boosts the immune response to COVID-19. The study could give rise to more tailored vaccine programmes for children and adults. ScienceDaily

CLICK HERE - RESEARCH - Functional SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive CD4+ T cells established in early childhood decline with age

Here's what's being done to prevent crisis from Silicon Valley Bank collapse NEW YORK (AP) — Governments in the U.S. and Britain are taking extraordinary steps to prevent a potential banking crisis after the failure of California-based Silicon Valley Bank prompted fears of a broader upheaval. AP NEWS

apnews.com - By KEN SWEET, CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, CHRIS MEGERIAN and CATHY BUSSEWITZ - March 13, 2023

U.S. regulators worked through the weekend to find a buyer for the bank, which had more than $200 billion in assets and catered to tech startups, venture capital firms, and well-paid technology workers.

As the fallout of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank continued to spread over the weekend, it became clear that some of the worst casualties were companies developing solutions for the climate crisis.

The bank, the largest to fail since 2008, worked with more than 1,550 technology firms that are creating solar, hydrogen and battery storage projects. According to its website, the bank issued them billions in loans.

CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE

David Beasley, the head of the World Food Programme, talked to TIME about why he is worried about 2023.

time.com - by BELINDA LUSCOMBE - JANUARY 12, 2023

. . war, conflict, corruption and destabilization . . . all barriers against sufficient food resources for everyone . . . man-made conflict and climate shocks, followed by COVID . . . then Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Ukraine . . . millions of people marching to starvation . . . If you want to know which countries over the next 12 to 18 months could have destabilization and mass migration, start with the 49 knocking on famine’s door right now . . . mass migration due to starvation caused by climate change will cost 1,000 times more than a well-planned resilience program . . 

CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE

Pandemic 3 years later: Has the COVID-19 virus won? On the third anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus is still spreading and the death toll is nearing 7 million worldwide. Yet most people have resumed their normal lives, thanks to a wall of immunity built from infections and vaccines. AP NEWS

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“New variants emerging anywhere threaten us everywhere,” said virus researcher Thomas Friedrich of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Maybe that will help people to understand how connected we are.” ...

House votes to declassify info about origins of COVID-19 WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted unanimously Friday to declassify U.S. intelligence information about the origins of COVID-19, a sweeping show of bipartisan support near the third anniversary of the start of the deadly pandemic. AP NEWS

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The 419-0 vote was final congressional approval of the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk. It’s unclear whether the president will sign the measure into law, and the White House said the matter was under review.

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Factbox: Biden budget targets U.S. fossil fuel subsidies U.S. President Joe Biden proposed a budget on Thursday that would scrap billions of dollars in oil and gas industry subsidies reviving a perennial debate about whether fossil fuel companies should be receiving lucrative tax breaks. Reuters Reuters

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