China's Xian imposes temporary, partial lockdown to fight Omicron flare-up The northwestern Chinese city of Xian said on Friday it will temporarily impose a partial lockdown to reduce its 13 million residents' movement, after reporting dozens of COVID-19 infections this month, as China fights a record wave of cases. Reuters Reuters

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FDA authorizes first Covid-19 breath test | CNN The US Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization to the first Covid-19 test that spots chemical compounds associated with the coronavirus in breath, the agency said Thursday. Katherine Dillinger CNN

The FDA said the InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer, which is about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, can be used in medical offices and mobile testing sites. It can give results in less than three minutes...

Guatemala: As COVID misinformation spreads, vaccine doses expire Guatemala has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the Americas, as more than half the population has not had a jab. Jeff Abbott

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The lack of coordination of a Guatemalan government-led campaign to overcome vaccine hesitancy has resulted in the expiration of millions of doses across the country this year, critics have said, as more than half of the population remains unvaccinated...

Pfizer says booster in children 5-11 raises antibodies against omicron Can 5 year olds get Covid vaccine: A booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 raised antibody levels, Pfizer said. YahooNews

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The additional shot, given six months after the two-dose primary series, led to a sixfold increase in antibodies against the original strain of the coronavirus...

CDC extends travel mask requirement to May 3 as COVID rises WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is extending the nationwide mask requirement for airplanes and public transit for 15 days as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases. AP NEWS

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“In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC order will remain in place at this time,” the agency said in a statement...

WHO: COVID cases, deaths in Africa drop to lowest levels yet JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Africa have dropped to their lowest levels since the pandemic began, marking the longest decline yet seen in the disease, according to the World Health Organization. AP NEWS

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Administration extends public health emergency for 90 days - Roll Call The administration on Wednesday extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days, until around mid July. Roll Call

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Coronavirus pandemic pushed 77M into ‘extreme poverty’: UN The coronavirus pandemic pushed 77 million people into extreme poverty last year, according to a new report from the United Nations (U.N.) released on Tuesday. The 208-page report from the U.N. Dep… bdress The Hill

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Covid-19 'superspreading' can still happen, but now we have the tools to slow it A recent outbreak of Covid-19 cases among officials in Washington, with dozens testing positive after attending the Gridiron Club Dinner, has put the concept of Covid-19 superspreading back in the spotlight. Jacqueline Howard, CNN CNN

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COVID-19, overdoses pushed US to highest death total ever NEW YORK (AP) — 2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, and new data and research are offering more insights into how it got that bad. The main reason for the increase in deaths? COVID-19, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work on death statistics. AP NEWS

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Doctors say the pandemic is far from over amid BA.2’s emergence: ‘We are probably only in the 4th inning’ BA.2 cases are on the rise nationwide, and doctors are warning against moving on from the pandemic despite many cities rolling back COVID restrictions. Yahoo

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Covid Updates: U.S. Watching Uptick in Cases Closely The new White House Covid czar, Dr. Ashish Jha, said that hospitalizations remained very low and that he was not overly concerned. The U.S. State Department ordered some workers to leave Shanghai. The New York Times

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This invisible Covid-19 mitigation measure is finally getting the attention it deserves | CNN With mask mandates virtually gone and vaccinaton rates at a standstill, there's one mitigation measure that can still make a big difference: ventilation. Amanda Sealy CNN

"The challenge for organizations that improve air quality is that it's invisible," said Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health...

White House faces April 18 deadline on transit mask mandate The Biden administration faces an April 18 deadline on whether to extend or end a mandate requiring travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and in transit hubs. David Shepardson Reuters

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