Group of 20 countries agree to increase clean energy but reach no deal on phasing out fossil fuels Group of 20 leaders have agreed to triple renewable energy and try to increase the funds for climate change-related disasters but maintained the status quo with regards to phasing out carbon spewing coal. AP News

...

UK reports nursing home COVID outbreak involving BA.2.86 variant Toa55 / iStock CIDRAP

In a technical briefing on SARS-CoV-2 variants today, the UK Health Security Agency (HSA) revealed that, of 34 confirmed involving the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant, 28 were from a single outbreak at a nursing home, an early sign that it can spread in close-contact settings.

In hopeful sign for the US, flu vaccine shows strong protection against hospitalization in South America, CDC report shows | CNN Early data from South America shows that the flu vaccine has cut the risk of hospitalization in half this year, a hopeful sign that the vaccine will provide a similar level of protection in the United States as the country heads into its own respiratory virus season. Deidre McPhillips CNN

...

US CDC says existing antibodies can work against new COVID variant Early research data has shown that antibodies produced by prior infection or existing vaccines against the coronavirus were sufficient to protect against the new BA.2.86 variant, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday. Reuters Reuters

...

Trump surgeon general admits Trump White House made mistakes during Covid The Trump administration made some serious missteps during the coronavirus pandemic, Trump’s top doctor Jerome Adams admits. Sarah Owermohle STAT

...

Demand for at-home Covid-19 tests is high, but don’t expect a shortage anytime soon | CNN The US is in the midst of a surge of Covid-19, with weekly hospital admissions and test positivity rates increasing, according to federal data. It should come as no surprise that some Americans say they’re having a hard time finding at-home Covid-19 tests – often the first step when someone feels ill or finds out they have been exposed to the coronavirus. Amanda Musa CNN

...

Manufacturers say that a sudden increase in demand, not a slump in production, is to blame for any problems finding tests on store shelves.

...

New Jersey failed veterans in state-run homes hit by dozens of COVID-19 deaths, federal report says A scathing federal report has found New Jersey's two state-run veterans homes were unprepared to keep residents safe during the COVID-19 outbreak, violating their constitutional rights to reasonable care while in state custody. AP News

...

England confirms 34 COVID cases linked to highly mutated variant - UKSHA UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) said on Friday that 34 COVID-19 cases linked to the highly mutated variant BA.2.86 had been identified in England. Reuters Reuters

...

The agency said 28 of the confirmed cases were identified from a single outbreak at a care home in Norfolk.

...

Study shows elite athletes suffered no long-lasting heart damage after COVID-19 Sean Fornelli / Flickr cc CIDRAP

...in Heart, researchers from Amsterdam University Medical Centers reportthat elite athletes followed up for 2 years after COVID-19 infections suffered no lasting damage to their hearts and faced no career setbacks because of their illnesses.

...

Cancer diagnoses fell early in COVID pandemic, but many types eventually climbed again Roberto Jimenez / iStock CIDRAP

A pair of new studies documents initial drops—and, in some cases, rebounds—in cancer diagnoses in Canada and the United States in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

...