Masks come off in the last refuge for mandates: The doctor’s office Some infectious-disease specialists have concluded that universal masking is no longer essential in medical settings, a stark return to pre-covid life. Fenit Nirappil Washington Post

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Covid-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in 2022, CDC data shows | CNN Covid-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States in 2022, according to provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deidre McPhillips CNN

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El Niño is coming. Here's what that means for weather in the U.S. Warmer sea waters have many far-ranging effects. In the new pattern, some parts of the U.S. could get relief from drought, while others might see fewer hurricanes. NPR

As hot as the Earth's weather has been in recent years, it's about to get hotter: El Niño is on the way, with warmer sea temperatures promising new weather extremes, U.S. and international forecasters say.

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What the end of the covid public health emergency means for you Here’s how major health policies will be affected when the covid public health emergency ends on on May 11. Washington Post

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As this long emergency period expires, experts say, the biggest impact for consumers will be the end of free coronavirus tests — both at-home tests and those performed by clinicians and analyzed by commercial labs — with broad implications for people’s ability to get timely covid diagnoses, prevent disease transmission and track the virus.

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Free Covid-19 tests aren't guaranteed after May 11, but there's still time to stock up | CNN When the US Covid-19 public health emergency ends this month, coronavirus tests will still be available, but there will be changes to who pays for them. Deidre McPhillips CNN

...There are still ways to take advantage of the benefits provided by the public health emergency before it expires May 11. 

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Mystery companies sending Florida seniors unwanted Covid-19 tests, billing Medicare Florida seniors are complaining that they are receiving Covid tests in the mail—even though they didn’t order them. Even so, their Medicare insurance is paying hundreds of dollars for the tes… Shannon Behnken WFLA

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Bivalent COVID vaccine shows good Omicron protection while older version wanes CIDRAP

Two studies published today measure the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of COVID-19 vaccines against laboratory-confirmed Omicron variant and subvariants and symptomatic disease. Vaccines that target the newer variants performed well, but primary vaccines offered rapidly waning protection from SARS-CoV-2 infections in the post-Omicron era.

FDA approves first RSV vaccine, a long-sought scientific achievement The FDA has approved the first-ever vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, completing an elusive quest that has been decades in the making. Helen Branswell STAT

... The product, GSK’s Arexvy, was approved for adults ages 60 and older.

Decreasing US racial health gap amid COVID could be due to more White deaths CIDRAP

A study of nearly 1 million US adults who died of COVID-19 in the first 2 years of the pandemic suggests that the decrease in disparities between Black and White deaths can be explained by increased deaths among White adults and shifts in geographic spread.

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CDC investigating COVID outbreak after its own annual conference The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed it is conducting an investigation into several dozen COVID-19 cases linked to the agency’s annual conference that occurred in Georgia last week. The CDC’s three-day 2023 Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) conference began April 24 in Atlanta, where the agency is headquartered. The purpose of the… Yahoo News

...CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday that about 35 people had tested positive as of May 2.

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WHO survey finds signs of health system recovery from pandemic CIDRAP

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has been tracking health system impacts since the early days of the pandemic, and its latest survey of countries shows that health services are starting to recover, according to new findings..