COVID patient testing, isolation of sick staff cut in-hospital viral spread, modeling study suggests Interventions such as testing patients for COVID-19 on admission, isolation of ill healthcare workers (HCWs), and universal HCW masking from March 2020 to July 2022 significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission among patients and staff in UK hospitals, suggests a simulation study led by UK Health Security Agency researchers in London. CIDRAP

...

People are drinking raw milk 'like crazy' as sales rise despite bird flu warnings Although raw milk is considered one of the "riskiest" foods people can consume, social media influencers heavily promote unpasteurized products. NBC News

...

Since March 25, when the bird flu virus was confirmed in U.S. cattle for the first time, weekly sales of raw cow’s milk have ticked up 21% to as much as 65% compared with the same periods a year ago, according to the market research firm NielsenIQ.

How fast is bird flu spreading in US cows? ‘We have no idea’

Avian flu is spreading rapidly among cattle, but public health and infectious disease experts are concerned the United States is too limited in its testing, leaving an incomplete picture of the virus’s spread.  

The threat to the general public is currently low, health officials say, and the country’s milk supply is safe. Just one person has been infected. ...

But the outbreak is widespread; officials have found the virus in 42 herds across nine states. Dairy farm workers are at risk every time they are exposed to potentially infected cattle, and viral mutations could cause an outbreak, experts warn.  

...

Why Medicaid’s ‘Undercount’ Problem Counts - KFF Health News Millions of people were surprised to find themselves booted from Medicaid over the past year after pandemic-era protections expired that had prevented states from terminating their coverage. Turns out, millions of them were also unaware they had been covered by the government program. Nearly 1 in 3 people enrolled in Medicaid in 2022 — or […] khnerich KFF Health News

...

Pandemic treaty talks will go on after missed deadline, some progress, WHO says The document aims to shore up the world's defenses against new pathogens after the COVID pandemic. Jennifer Rigby Reuters

...

FDA warns about using over-the-counter COVID-19 tests from Cue Health - UPI.com The Food and Drug Administration, citing a increase of false results. advised consumers Monday not to use over-the-counter COVID-19 tests by Cue Health and to throw them out. UPI

...

KP.2 is now the dominant COVID variant. Experts say US may see a summer increase in cases A new offshoot of omicron, KP.2, has become the dominant variant in the U.S. Experts are predicting the country may see a mild "swell" of cases this summer. ABC News ABC News

...

Over the past four years, the U.S. has seen summer waves of COVID and this summer may also bring a rise in cases, but not severe as in past seasons.

...

Data: Heart-failure patients have 82% better odds of living longer if vaccinated against COVID The first study of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in a large population of adult heart-failure patients suggests that vaccinated participants are 82% more likely to live longer than their unvaccinated peers, according to an analysis presented over the weekend at the Heart Failure 2024 scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in Lisbon, Portugal. CIDRAP

...

Hstoday COLUMN: Preparedness Grants are Key to Resilience - HS Today

Five things to know about bird flu

There have been major outbreaks around the world in the recent past, including four from 2014 to 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So what makes this time different, and at what point should you be concerned?

Here are five things you should know about bird flu.

...

Will your last COVID vaccine work against new ‘FLiRT’ variants?

...Both FLiRT variants are considered very similar to JN.1, health officials say, with early data suggesting only a couple of changes in their spike proteins.

...

However, because the FLiRT variants are relatively new, there isn’t enough data to show whether the vaccine or immunity from a recent case of COVID will provide effective protection against them.

...