COVID Vax Protects People of All Body Weights From Severe Outcomes Underweight, overweight, and those with obesity still reaped the benefits Kristen Monaco medpagetoday

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COVID-19 vaccines protected against severe disease and death in people with overweight or obesity, a large English study found.

New York City's COVID test positivity rate surpasses 10% for the first time since January Data from the New York City health department shows the COVID test positivity rate has surpassed 10% for the first time since late January. ABC News ABC News

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COVID cases up by more than 30% in Britain last week LONDON (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases across Britain has surged by more than 30% in the last week, new data showed Friday, with cases largely driven by the super infectious omicron variants. AP NEWS

Data released by Britain’s Office for National Statistics showed that more than 3 million people in the U.K. had COVID-19 last week, although there has not been an equivalent spike in hospitalizations. The number of COVID-19 deaths also fell slightly in the last week.

Russia scraps remaining COVID restrictions Russia said on Friday it was ending all restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19, including the requirement to wear masks, citing a steady decline in deaths from the virus. Reuters Reuters

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A Florida man is accused of $2.5 million COVID-19 relief fraud A 34-year-old man was charged with one count of wire fraud after being accused of filing a fraudulent loan application in 2020. NPR.org

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Vinicius Santana, 34, a former Massachusetts resident, submitted four Paycheck Protection Program loan applications for the paint company he owned through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in 2020, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

2 accused of fraud in applying for $5M in CARES Act loans CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Two men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in New Hampshire on multiple fraud charges alleging that they falsely applied for $5 million in federal CARES Act loans for companies and misused some of the proceeds, including one man's purchase of a Rolls Royce. AP NEWS

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One man was based in Northwood, New Hampshire, and the other initially was in the state and later moved to Irvine, California, according to court documents....

Omicron-specific COVID shots could increase protection as boosters - EMA Coronavirus vaccines tweaked to include the Omicron variant strain can improve protection when used as a booster, the European Medicines Agency and other global health regulators said on Friday. Reuters Reuters

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Canada official warns of possible COVID resurgence ahead OTTAWA (AP) — Canada’s chief public health officer is warning of a possible COVID-19 resurgence in the fall and winter. Theresa Tam said Thursday the circulating omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are even more transmissible and able to evade immunity than previous versions, making a rise in cases likely in coming weeks. AP NEWS

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U.S. Supreme Court nixes religious challenge to New York vaccine mandate The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear a challenge to New York's mandate that healthcare sector workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 brought by a group of doctors, nurses and others who objected on religious grounds. Andrew Chung Reuters

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FDA recommends inclusion of BA.4, BA.5 subvariants in COVID boosters The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday recommended booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines be modified to include components that are tailored to combat the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants beginning this fall. Reuters Reuters

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Africa in need of test kits, vaccines as monkeypox spreads Africa has no vaccines for monkeypox and test kits are in short supply, international health agencies said on Thursday, warning that richer countries already appeared to be hoarding vaccines. Bhargav Acharya,Nellie Peyton Reuters

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