Moderna’s new variant-busting COVID vaccine starting trial in Israel Study will assess how well special shot built to be Omicron-proof protects against infection; expert says Israel helping lead way in ‘the future of the fight against the pandemic’ timesofisrael

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“The Omicron component in this new vaccine works alongside the original vaccine formulation that targets the original strain. And while the Omicron component was made to target early Omicron variants, it is likely to also target well newer sub-variants of Omicron, including those that haven’t yet emerged,” he said...

BA.5 spurs new calls to fund next-generation COVID-19 vaccines The rise of the BA.5 variant is spurring new calls for funding for an Operation Warp Speed 2.0 to accelerate development of next-generation COVID-19 vaccines that can better target new variants.&nb… aneklason The Hill

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As Fauci warns monkeypox needs to be taken more seriously, former FDA commissioner says the window to control it 'probably has closed,' As cases of monkeypox continue to rise in the US, a top health official is stressing the outbreak needs to be handled in a more rigorous manner. Carma Hassan, Aya Elamroussi and Hannah Sarisohn, CNN CNN

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Ghana confirms first cases of deadly Marburg virus Two patients in the West African nation have died recently of the Ebola-like virus, officials say. BBC News

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Menstrual changes after Covid vaccines may be far more common than previously known A study found that 42% of people with regular menstrual cycles said they bled more heavily than usual after their Covid vaccination. NBC News

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WHO: COVID-19 cases rise for the 5th week, deaths stable GENEVA (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases reported worldwide rose for the fifth week in a row while the number of deaths remained relatively stable, the World Health Organization reported Thursday. AP NEWS

In the U.N. health agency’s weekly review of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO said there were 5.7 million new infections confirmed last week, marking a 6% increase. There were 9.800 deaths, roughly similar to the previous week’s figure.

Animal-to-human diseases on the rise in Africa, warns UN health agency Diseases transmitted from animals to people in Africa have jumped 63 per cent in last decade, compared with the previous ten year period, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis UN News

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“And more than 75 per cent of emerging infectious diseases, are caused by pathogens shared with wild or domestic animals,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti told journalists at a media briefing...

COVID-19 has become 'too clever for us' and can 'break past' our protection, WHO official says "Even though we don't like it we have to go on respecting this virus," David Nabarro told Sky News, urging people to stay up to date on vaccinations. YahooNews

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