Study: COVID increased gender mortality gaps in wealthy countries A new study in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases analyzed World Health Organization (WHO) data and found COVID-19 increased existing gender mortality gaps in high-income countries until 2021, when COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out. CIDRAP

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After age 45, men die at higher rates in nearly all places and at all ages, the authors wrote. While previous studies have shown men die at higher rates than women from COVID-19, the excess mortality gap has not yet been fully described based on the economic status of countries.

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Congo receives long-awaited mpox vaccine doses

KINSHASA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo received its first batch of mpox vaccines on Thursday, which health authorities hope will help curb an outbreak that has prompted the U.N. to declare a global public health emergency....

Could Vaccine Misinformation Lead To A Worldwide Health Crisis? - Health Policy Watch [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj26wKXNG1c?si=MfOvSdnRRoNbXhYM] Health Policy Watch

How did vaccines, once hailed as essential tools for global peace, security and international cooperation, become something that some now fear could kill them?

New COVID vaccines could cost uninsured up to $200 The Bridge Access Program ended early to help trim costs to keep the government running Lois M. Collins Deseret News

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are already showing up on some pharmacy and health provider shelves. But a key program that paid for the vaccines when people lacked coverage is out of money. So those who are under-insured or uninsured could pay up to $200 for the booster.

COVID Vaccines Reduce Long COVID Risk, New Study Shows A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that COVID-19 vaccinations played a key role in the drop in Long COVID cases. Yale Medicine

The good news is, the risk of developing Long COVID has dropped significantly since the start of the pandemic—and, according to a new study, we have COVID-19 vaccines to thank for much of this decline. The bad news is, the risk of developing this post-acute infection syndrome remains substantial.

Study: Highlighting harms of skipping COVID vaccines more effective than promoting benefits In the personal-benefit group, 65.5% said they will likely get vaccinated. CIDRAP

A new study in the Journal of Public Health suggests that it is more effective to emphasize the harms that come from not getting vaccinated rather than emphasizing the benefits of vaccination at the individual or community level.

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Analysis: Journalists often didn't communicate uncertainty of evidence on unproven COVID drugs Scientific evidence of the efficacy of the unproven COVID-19 therapies hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and convalescent plasma was often presented in US news stories in the first months of the pandemic, but scientific uncertainty was commonly omitted and only rarely appeared in headlines or ledes, with possible implications for public health, researchers reported yesterday in JMIR Infodemiology. CIDRAP

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U.S. COVID update (September 1): Deaths remain above 1,000 The COVID summer wave in the U.S. continued this week with nearly 178,000 new cases, along with more than 1,000 new deaths for the third week in a row, according to figures collected by BNO News. Cases however appear to be at or near a peak in most areas. At least 177,573 new cases were reported between August […] BNO News BNO News

The COVID summer wave in the U.S. continued this week with nearly 178,000 new cases, along with more than 1,000 new deaths for the third week in a row, according to figures collected by BNO News. Cases however appear to be at or near a peak in most areas.

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COVID map update shows states with highest US rates While cases have steadily declined in some states, other areas are seeing a steady rise in infections. Newsweek

New data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that the highest rates of infection are found in nine Southern and Central, with nearly 1 in 5 COVID tests coming out positive in these regions. However, the most significant rise in infections has been seen in the Northeast.

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ALSO SEE: COVID still on the rise in parts of US

FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID vaccine targeting JN.1 strain

Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization for an updated version of Novavax's (NVAX.O)