New JN.1 COVID variant may be more contagious but less severe A new, fast-spreading variant named JN.1 now makes up 44% of all cases nationwide. Yahoo News

A new, fast-spreading variant named JN.1 now makes up 44% of all cases nationwide, more than doubling (21.3% vs. 44.2%) its share from the week before, according to the CDC COVID Data Tracker: Variant Proportions. ...

Flu and COVID infections are rising and could get worse over the holidays, CDC says U.S. health officials say flu and COVID-19 infections are expected to ramp up in the coming weeks. They say the increases will be fueled by holiday gathering, low rates of vaccinations and the latest version of the coronavirus that appears to spread more easily. AP News

...

High levels of flu-like illnesses were reported last week in 17 states — up from 14 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

...

Health data breaches hit an all-time high in 2023 At least 116 million individuals were impacted by large and numerous health data breaches reported to federal regulators this year. Katie Palmer STAT

...

As many as 116 million individuals have been impacted by large health data breaches reported to the Department of Health and Human Services this year, according to records from its Office for Civil Rights as of December 21. That number has more than doubled over recent counts, driven primarily by a surge in hacking and ransomware attacks on health care organizations regulated by the privacy rule HIPAA.

CDC urges nursing home vaccinations Presented by CVS Health — TK{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story  CDC urges nursing home vaccinationsIt’s the height of respiratory virus season, but some of the country… spolus The Hill

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most nursing home residents haven’t received an updated COVID-19 vaccine or the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine.

Health officials push to get schoolchildren vaccinated as more US parents opt out Parents are opting out of school vaccinations at the highest rate ever. Last school year, that amounted to 3% of U.S. children entering kindergarten. AP News

...

Reviews uncover no consistent link between antiviral drugs like Paxlovid and COVID rebound Igor Vershinsky / iStock CIDRAP

Two systematic reviews by US federal agencies on the possible link between antiviral treatment for COVID-19 and viral rebound—one specifically on Paxlovid—find no consistent association. The studies were published yesteray in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

...

How 2023 changed the way states do climate policy Democrats used their newfound state power — and historic climate funding — to create what one expert called a "banner year for clean energy policy." E&E News by POLITICO E&E News by POLITICO

...

White House touts record-breaking ObamaCare enrollment The White House on Wednesday touted the record-breaking numbers of people signing up for health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges, with almost a month left in open enrollm… nweixel The Hill

....