FDA modifies strain recommendation for fall COVID vaccine amid variant shifts, uptick in cases Though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week recommended that vaccine companies switch to the JN.1 variant for updated shots for the fall, yesterday it urged companies to focus on the KP.2 lineage if possible, based on recent shifts and a national rise in cases. CIDRAP

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Federal Government, Clinicians, Employers, and Others Should Adopt New Definition for Long COVID to Aid in Consistent Diagnosis, Documentation, and Treatment | National Academies

Yet Another COVID Uptick Hitting California, and the Bay Area Is Seeing the Worst of It The dread “two red line” COVID test results are showing up at rates we haven’t seen since January, as the new FLiRT variants and a surge in travel are creating another summer increase in COVID-19 cases. Joe Kukura SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports

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Supreme Court seeks Biden administration's views in major climate change lawsuits The Supreme Court asked the solicitor general to submit a brief in two cases involving the city of Honolulu's efforts to hold the oil and gas industry accountable for the effects of climate change. CBS News

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High-risk health workers can get routine Ebola vaccine, says Gavi A global stockpile of Ebola vaccines can be used to protect frontline health workers in high-risk countries routinely, rather than just as an emergency measure during outbreaks, international vaccine group Gavi said on Thursday. Jennifer Rigby Reuters

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Black, Hispanic adults at double the risk of losing Medicaid after COVID emergency ended, study finds Black and Hispanic adults were twice as likely than their White peers to be unable to renew their Medicaid enrollment after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) in spring 2023, a Northwestern University–led study estimates. CIDRAP

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WHO Calls For Intensified Surveillance Of Animals As Avian Flu Spreads In US Cattle; Urges Global Attention For Sudan - Health Policy Watch Global surveillance of influenza viruses in animals needs to be intensified to “rapidly detect any changes to the virus that could pose a greater threat to Health Policy Watch

Global surveillance of influenza viruses in animals needs to be intensified to “rapidly detect any changes to the virus that could pose a greater threat to humans”, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus told a media briefing on Wednesday.

Headache, fatigue, malaise, and chills after COVID-19 vaccination are signs the immune system is marshalling a strong response against future infection, suggests a study

GOP’s fiscal 2025 spending bills heavy on climate change riders - Roll Call The first set of House appropriations bills target Biden’s climate agenda, to the chagrin of Democrats and environmental groups. mshaw Roll Call

The House isn’t scheduled to begin work on the lion’s share of fiscal 2025 spending on energy and the environment until July, but the chamber’s initial appropriations bills are already targeting Biden’s climate agenda, drawing rebukes from Democrats and environmental groups.