Author: Claudinne Miller
Statement on the fourteenth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
(WHO) The WHO Director-General has the pleasure of transmitting the Report of the fourteenth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic, held on Friday 27 January 2023, from 14:00 to 17:00 CET. The WHO Director-General concurs with the advice offered by the Committee regarding the […]
Jan 31, 2023
Test your knowledge of spillover viruses, starting with … what are they?
(NPR) After three years of living with an unprecedented pandemic, how much of your knowledge has changed about how these catastrophes start? Like, what exactly is a “spillover”? Where do viruses like SARS-CoV-2 come from? And how often do they … spill over? Take our quiz and test your knowledge.
Jan 31, 2023
9 diseases that keep epidemiologists up at night
(NPR) Just three years ago, on Jan. 30, 2020, the head of the World Health Organization made a landmark declaration: A “novel coronavirus” that had first been identified in China had spread to a degree where it was now a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).” The virus now known as SARS-CoV-2 — which causes […]
Jan 30, 2023
What infectious disease doctors want you to know as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its 4th year
(Boston.com) The trends for COVID-19 are looking more promising as January comes to a close, after a spike in cases and hospitalizations earlier this month prompted officials in the area to urge the use of masks in indoor public spaces to help prevent transmission. The wave of cases even prompted some local schools, including Chelsea Public Schools and […]
Jan 27, 2023
Record number of deaths in US from cardiovascular disease early in pandemic: Report shows
(ABC News) New data from the American Heart Association highlights the major impact COVID-19 had on cardiovascular health and death rates during the first year of the pandemic. At least 928,741 Americans died from cardiovascular disease-related causes in 2020, the annual statistical report revealed. That represents the largest one-year increase since 2015 and tops the previous high of […]
Jan 27, 2023
Mink-farm outbreak shows bird flu can spread between mammals
(Nature) A new variant of H5N1 influenza could pose an increased risk to people and wild animals. An outbreak of avian influenza on a mink farm in Spain provides the strongest evidence so far that the H5N1 strain of flu can spread from one infected mammal to another. The outbreak of H5N1 flu, described in […]
Jan 24, 2023
Greetings from the North Shore of Oahu
Winter kinda sucks, so I decided to check ticket prices on flights to Hawaii, found a great deal and clicked the purchase button. I was on a plane headed West in less than 12 hours after that search. Best purchase ever! It’s a quick trip, but just enough to warm my soul in and make […]
Jan 24, 2023
Do I need another booster? The CDC director answered your questions.
(Washington Post) With another covid winter upon us, a new variant, XBB.1.5, is dominating the latest coronavirus surge in the United States. Although hospitalizations have started to decline, public health experts warn the country still faces elevated levels of the coronavirus and other respiratory viruses. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, answered reader questions […]
Jan 24, 2023
Covid, flu, RSV declining in hospitals as ‘tripledemic’ threat fades
(Washington Post) So manypatients sick with RSV had inundated Connecticut Children’s Medical Center that they had to be treated in hallways and playrooms. Facing their busiest season in memory last fall, hospital leaders floated a plan to enlist the National Guard to set up tents outside. Doctors braced for a dire winter — a looming disaster some […]
Jan 24, 2023
Utah Plastic Surgeon Sold Fake Covid-19 Vaccine Cards for $50, U.S. Says
(NYT) Dr. Michael Kirk Moore and three of his associates were indicted this month in a scheme that federal prosecutors said lasted from May 2021 to September 2022. A Utah plastic surgeon and three associates were charged recently with selling fake Covid-19 vaccine cards for $50 apiece in a scheme that lasted more than a […]
Jan 24, 2023