Pfizer asks for formal U.S. approval of oral COVID treatment Paxlovid Pfizer Inc said on Thursday it is seeking full U.S. approval for its oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid, which is currently available under an emergency use authorization (EUA). Reuters Reuters

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WHO: COVID-19 cases rising nearly everywhere in the world GENEVA (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases rose by 18% in the last week, with more than 4.1 million cases reported globally, according to the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency said in its latest weekly report on the pandemic that the worldwide number of deaths remained relatively similar to the week before, at about 8,500. AP NEWS

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CDC Activates Emergency Operations Center for Monkeypox Response

CDC News Release:

Today, CDC continues to lean forward with an aggressive public health response to the monkeypox outbreak by activating its Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This action stands up the CDC’s command center for monitoring and coordinating the emergency response to monkeypox and mobilizing additional CDC personnel and resources. CDC’s activation of the EOC allows the agency to further increase operational support for the response to meet the outbreak’s evolving challenges. It is home to more than 300 CDC staff working in collaboration with local, national, and international response partners on public health challenges. The activation of the EOC will serve to further supplement the ongoing work of CDC staff to respond to this outbreak. ....

South Korea approves first homemade COVID-19 vaccine SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Health officials in South Korea on Wednesday approved the country's first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years or older, adding another public health tool in the fight against a prolonged pandemic. AP NEWS

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In clinical trials involving some 4,000 participants in South Korea and five other countries, SK Bioscience’s two-dose SKYCovione vaccine appeared to be more effective than the broadly used AstraZeneca shots in building immunity against infections, officials at South Korea’s Food and Drug Safety Ministry said. ...

Eli Lilly to supply additional doses of COVID antibody drug to U.S. Eli Lilly and Co said on Wednesday it will supply additional doses of its COVID-19 antibody drug to the U.S. government in order to meet demand through late August. Reuters Reuters

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The Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 have together become dominant in the U.S., the C.D.C. estimates

Continuing their rapid march across the United States, the Omicron subvariants known as BA.4 and BA.5 have together become dominant among new coronavirus cases, according to new estimates on Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of the week ending Saturday, BA.4 made up 15.7 percent of new cases, and BA.5 was 36.6 percent, accounting for about 52 percent of new cases in the United States, numbers that experts said should rise in the weeks to come.

BioNTech, Pfizer to start testing universal vaccine for coronaviruses Germany's BioNTech , Pfizer's partner in COVID-19 vaccines, said the two companies would start tests on humans of next-generation shots that protect against a wide variety of coronaviruses in the second half of the year. Ludwig Burger Reuters

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Millions remain unboosted, as scientists say 3rd COVID shot provides 'significant' protection Older Americans — people over 50 — have proven to be more likely to receive their first COVID-19 booster. ABC News ABC News

... new federal data reveals a significant proportion of Americans have yet to receive their first and second boosters.

Biden administration to widen access to monkeypox vaccine People who have had multiple recent partners in venues where monkeypox virus was spreading or in a geographic area where monkeypox is transmitting, not just those with known exposure, will be able to get the vaccine. Helen Branswell STAT

The Biden Administration announced Tuesday that it will broaden availability of monkeypox vaccine as it attempts to contain a growing outbreak of the disease.

Covid Live Updates: F.D.A. Panel Recommends Updated Boosters That Target Forms of Omicron The move came as new federal estimates show two subvariants, known as BA.4 and BA.5, make up more than half of new U.S. cases in the country. But it is possible that the virus might evolve yet again by the fall. The New York Times

An expert committee recommended Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration plan on an updated booster shot of the coronavirus vaccines that targets some form of the Omicron variant that has dominated for months.

The next epidemic may be here. The U.S. isn't ready for it If HIV and Covid-19 were wake-up calls for the government to prioritize public health, monkeypox shows the consequences of hitting the snooze button too many times. Patrick Skerrett STAT

As if dealing with continued waves of Covid-19 isn’t enough, the U.S. is facing a new outbreak — monkeypox — that highlights just how close the U.S. public health system is to its breaking point.

WHO official says the more times a person gets COVID-19, the more likely they are to be 'unlucky' and get long COVID Long COVID "is the thing that none of us want because it can be so serious," David Nabarro, the WHO special envoy on COVID-19, told Sky News. Jake Epstein Business Insider

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