Latest global COVID snapshot shows rising cases, drop in deaths Mateescu Mugur/iStock CIDRAP

Over the past month, global COVID-19 cases rose slightly, with a steady drop in deaths from the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest monthly update.

However, the group cautioned about interpreting the data, given that less than half of countries reported their COVID metrics during the latest reporting period, which covers December 11, 2023, to January 7.

Oral antiviral simnotrelvir shows promise for treating mild COVID-19 The length of COVID-19 symptoms was on average 36 hours shorter in the simnotrelvir group. CIDRAP

..in the New England Journal of Medicine Chinese researchers have published positive trial results of simnotrelvir, an oral antiviral that can shorten the duration of mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

Cameroon starts world's first malaria vaccine program for children Cameroon will be the first country to routinely give children a new malaria vaccine as the shots are rolled out in Africa. AP News

Cameroon will be the first country to routinely give children a new malaria vaccine as the shots are rolled out in Africa.

The campaign due to start Monday was described by officials as a milestone in the decades-long effort to curb the mosquito-spread disease on the continent, which accounts for 95% of the world’s malaria deaths.

...

Flu activity ticked down last week, but respiratory virus season is far from over in the US

The United States started the new year awash in respiratory illness, with high levels of flu, Covid-19 and RSV across most of the country. The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that some measures of flu activity dipped in early January, but the single week of decrease is not a trend – and experts warn that more increases are likely to come.

In the latest update this week, and consistently through the season, the agency’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics has suggested that this respiratory disease season will probably result in a similar number of hospitalizations as last season. And while current hospital capacity is considered stable overall, the CDC says that hospitals in some parts of the country have reported strains on their resources due, in part, to increases in respiratory illness.

...

FEMA to overhaul its disaster aid system after decades of criticism

...

The agency announced on Friday that it will fundamentally overhaul the way it delivers aid to survivors, launching new programs to provide quick cash payments to those in need and eliminating much of the bureaucracy that hampers aid access. 

“This is really a transformational, deeply impactful, meaningful, and historic change in our provision of individual assistance to survivors of natural disasters,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA. “For too long, in the face of too many natural disasters and extreme weather events, survivors have had to overcome many barriers to access to federal assistance.”

...

How to stay healthy during cold, flu and COVID-19 season Getting through winter healthy means trying to protect yourself from respiratory viruses. January can be the worst month for these illnesses and vaccination rates are low. AP News

January can be the worst month for these illnesses. With vaccination rates low, what can you do to protect yourself from respiratory viruses, including influenza, COVID-19 and RSV?

...

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-202-heat-standards-osha-biden-climate-change-warehouse-workers/

With climate change posing rising threats to human health, the Biden administration is drafting federal rules to protect construction crews, warehouse workers, delivery drivers and the rest of America’s workforce from extreme heat. The regulatory effort has been years in the making, and its fate is far from certain. ...

Though it’s a key milestone, it’s just a preliminary step on a long bureaucratic road — one vulnerable to politics because a new rule probably wouldn’t be issued until years after the presidential election in November. If a Republican wins the White House, advocates say, a heat standard that targets businesses will likely fizzle.

...

https://thehill.com/newsletters/health-care/4417049-congress-biden-bill-health-agencies/

The Senate and House on Thursday advanced legislation to avert a partial government shutdown before a Friday deadline, with funding for key health agencies set through early March. ...

The CR also delays cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments, which were initially scheduled to take place on Jan. 30 but will now happen on March 9.

...

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/long-covid-cause-study-immune-system-complement-response-rcna134530

Scientists have identified a persistent change in a handful of blood proteins in people with long Covid that indicates that an important part of their immune system remains on high alert for months after an acute infection.

The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, could help explain what causes the persistent fatigue, brain fog and other debilitating symptoms of long Covid, as well as pave the way for diagnostic tests and potentially, a long-awaited treatment, experts say. 

...