Florida's COVID-19 deaths near 5,500 this year Cases are the lowest in the state since the pandemic began in 2020. CBS Miami

ALLAHASSEE - The number of Florida resident deaths linked to COVID-19 this year is nearing 5,500, according to data posted on the state Department of Health website.

Meanwhile, cases are the lowest since the pandemic began in 2020.

Nasal swab tests predict COVID-19 disease severity, Emory study finds | Emory University | Atlanta GA New research from Emory University is providing a more precise prediction of COVID-19 severity that can be found by looking at autoantibodies in the nasal cavity, leading to more personalized treatment plans.

... For high-risk individuals, this could provide critical information to inform immediate treatment options, including quickly taking medications like Paxlovid within one week of symptoms to mitigate a severe response.

UK identifies 4 cases of new mpox variant, the first cluster outside Africa British health officials say they have identified four cases of the new, more infectious version of mpox that first emerged in Congo, marking the first time the variant has caused a cluster of illness outside of Africa. AP News

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Stopping mpox: wild meat markets are a root cause and must be made safer Strategies to beat a disease outbreak like mpox must start with the root causes. The Conversation

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Strategies to beat the 2024 mpox outbreak have so far largely focused on preventing human-to-human transmission.

But we also need to go back to the root causes of disease, particularly where mpox is transmitted from animals to humans.

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Experts Reveal What The Pig With Bird Flu in Oregon Really Signifies A concerning development. The Conversation ScienceAlert

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Pigs are the ideal genetic mixing vessel to generate a human pandemic influenza strain, because they have receptors in their respiratory tracts which both avian and human flu viruses can bind to.

COVID cases update: Map reveals return of "very high" water virus levels "High" levels of viral activity in wastewater are also on the rise and are concentrated in one specific area. Newsweek

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High" levels of viral activity are also on the rise with detections now in five U.S. states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Very high" levels of viral activity have been detected in Montana, with "high" levels in Arkansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wyoming.

Study reveals stubborn mistrust in COVID-19 vaccine science A study conducted by researchers from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) sheds light on public trust in COVID-19 ... CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Medical Xpress

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The study is published in the journal Vaccine: X.