Indian Health Service steps up COVID, other vaccine push PHOENIX (AP) — The Indian Health Service announced Thursday that all tribal members covered by the federal agency will be offered a vaccine at every appointment when appropriate, under a new vaccine strategy. AP NEWS

... Indigenous people are especially vulnerable to vaccine-preventable illness, and IHS officials recently noticed fewer patients have been getting vaccines for COVID-19. Monkeypox is now an additional health concern.

...

USDA program keeps extra COVID-era money for fruits, veggies U.S. agriculture officials proposed changes Thursday to the federal program that helps pay the grocery bills for low-income pregnant women, babies and young children, including extending a bump in payments for fresh fruits and vegetables allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. AP NEWS

...

The update also adds more whole grains, canned fish and non-dairy options to their shopping carts. The effort is aimed at expanding the number and type of healthy foods available to families who get assistance from the Agriculture Department’s program known as WIC, officials said.

RSV hospitalization rate for seniors is 10 times higher than usual for this point in the season | CNN The respiratory virus season has started early in kids this year and flooded children's hospitals in many parts of the country -- especially with respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. Jen Christensen CNN

...

Africa CDC chief urges more COVID-19 testing as cases rise KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The head of Africa's top public health institute is urging authorities across the continent to step up COVID-19 testing amid a concerning rise in new cases in some countries. AP NEWS

...

The continent of 1.3 billion people saw a 37% rise in new cases over the past week, Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday.

...

New COVID-19 subvariants replace BA.5 as most dominant in U.S. The COVID-19 BA.5 variant has lost its dominance in the United States, according to the CDC. Two other variants -- BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 -- have replaced it. UPI

...

The CDC data shows The new BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 together account for roughly 44% of new U.S. COVID-19 infections. The new variants are sublineages of BA.5. It's the first time since July that the BA.5 variant has not been dominant.

COVID pandemic led to surge in superbug infections, EU agency says Infections from some antibiotic-resistant pathogens known as superbugs have more than doubled in health care facilities in Europe, an EU agency said on Thursday, providing further evidence of the wider impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters Reuters

...

China locks down Peking University over one COVID case, showing commitment to zero-COVID policy Chinese authorities have locked down Peking University after finding a single coronavirus case in the latest sign of their commitment to their zero-COVID... Ciara Linnane MarketWatch

...

Judge orders end to Trump-era asylum restrictions at border SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Biden administration to lift Trump-era asylum restrictions that have been a cornerstone of border enforcement since the beginning of COVID-19. AP NEWS

...

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled in Washington that enforcement must end immediately for families and single adults, calling the ban “arbitrary and capricious.” The administration has not applied it to children traveling alone.

Should you get the COVID booster? It could prevent millions of days missed in school and thousands of hospitalizations for kids If 80% of people five and older got their booster shot, nearly 29 million days of missed school could be prevented for kids. YahooFinance

New research predicts that higher rates of those five and older getting the bivalent booster shot could prevent millions of missed school days and thousands of hospitalizations for kids and teens. ...

Pediatricians beg for more federal help to fight wave of RSV - Roll Call Two medical groups have asked the Biden administration to declare a public health emergency to respond to the glut of respiratory viruses. Roll Call

After two winters spent masked and six feet apart, pediatric respiratory viruses have returned with a vengeance, and pediatric hospitals, emergency room doctors and pediatricians are lobbying Congress and the Biden administration to provide more support.

...

In southern China, residents revolt against COVID-19 controls Unverified videos show people breaking down barriers and marching through streets in Guangzhou as frustration boils over about China's strict COVID-19 controls. NPR.org

...

Frustrated residents in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou smashed temporary barriers and marched through streets in revolt earlier this week against strict COVID-19 controls, according to online videos and reports.

Ebola vaccine candidates expected to be shipped to Uganda next week - WHO Three Ebola vaccine candidates for a planned clinical trial are expected to be shipped to Uganda next week, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. Reuters Reuters

...

Haiti cholera outbreak worsens, COVID-19 cases rise in Americas - PAHO The cholera situation in Haiti continues to worsen while COVID-19 cases rose over the past week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday. Steven Grattan Reuters

...