A new variant of COVID-19 may be driving up cases in some parts of the world, WHO says
COVID-19 cases are rising again as a new variant begins to circulate in some parts of the world. The World Health Organization said Wednesday the rise in cases is primarily in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions.
Airport screening in the United States has detected the new variant in travelers arriving from those regions to destinations in California, Washington state, Virginia and New York.
The new variant is called NB.1.8.1. It arrives as the United States' official stance on COVID-19 vaccination is changing. On Tuesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 shots are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by several public health experts.
The new variant, increasing globally, had by mid-May reached nearly 11% of sequenced samples reported. The WHO has designated it a 'variant under monitoring' and considers the public health risk low at the global level with current vaccines expected to remain effective.
The WHO said some western Pacific countries have reported increases in COVID cases and hospitalizations, but there's nothing so far to suggest that the disease associated with the new variant is more severe compared to other variants.
The variant called LP.8.1 is currently the dominant version in the U.S. and globally. ___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
MTV VJ Ananda Lewis dead at 52 following lengthy battle with breast cancer
Eight months after opening up about her breast cancer diagnosis, former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis has died at the age of 52. The news of her death comes after Lewis sat down at a CNN roundtable to talk about her initial cancer diagnosis and the decisions she made following receiving that news. Lewis' sister Lakshmi confirmed the news of her death in a June 11 Facebook post. 'She's free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul.' In a 2020 Instagram post, Lewis revealed she was first diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2019, admitting that she had been forgoing her regular mammograms out of a fear of radiation. Additionally, after receiving her diagnosis, Lewis also opted out of undergoing a double mastectomy, a surgery her doctors recommend she endure. Five years later, during her sit down with CNN, published on Oct. 15, Lewis revealed that her cancer had progressed to stage 4. While talking with her friend, CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam, Lewis shared she had some regret for how she handled her original diagnosis in 2019. 'I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,' Lewis explained. 'Looking back on that I go, 'Girl, maybe I should've (had the surgery).'' Lewis continued, sharing that she 'was not ready for' all of the 'big things' the doctors were encouraging her to do at the time. 'They wanted to take both (breasts),' she told CNN. Instead, Lewis said she moved forward with chemotherapy treatments and alternative methods, such as improving her mental health, getting more sleep and drinking less alcohol. At the end of every month, Lewis would monitor the cancer's grow with ultrasounds. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that she was told the cancer was spreading. In October 2023. A 'scan showed that I had this kind of up my spine, through my hip, almost everywhere but my brain,' Lewis said. 'I've never been in pain like that in my life.' 'I don't get afraid of things,' Lewis continued. 'I was just like, 'Fudge, man, I really thought I had this.' I was frustrated. I was a little angry at myself.' In an Oct. 16 interview with The New York Times, Lewis explained that she iwas no longer a candidate for surgery or chemotherapy. At the time, she was taking a drug that treats metastatic cancer. 'Those medications are working beautifully for me in combination with the other things I'm doing that help support my body,' she said at the time. 'I'm really thriving right now,' adding that some of the tumors have shrunk so much that they are 'almost undetectable.' 'I wish I could go back,' she said, according to The New York Times. 'It's important for me to admit where I went wrong with this.' As the National Breast Cancer Foundation reports, those diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer have a five-year relative survival rate of 86%. Stage 4 breast cancer, which metastasizes throughout a person's body, is considered incurable, but is treatable. The survival rate for Stage 4 breast cancer in women is 31%.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
COVID-19 Vaccine Maker BioNTech Buys CureVac as It Aims for Cancer Treatments
BioNTech is buying fellow German firm CureVac for approximately $1.25 billion as the COVID-19 vaccine maker moves to expand into cancer treatments. For each CureVac share they own, investors will get about $5.46 worth of BioNTech American Depositary Shares. CureVac is developing cancer medicines using the same mRNA technology that BioNTech uses for its COVID-19 (CVAC) shares skyrocketed 37% Thursday when the biotech company agreed to be bought by COVID-19 vaccine maker and fellow German firm BioNTech (BNTX) in an all-stock deal valued at about $1.25 billion. The purchase boosts BioNTech's move into producing new cancer treatments. CureVac said its investors will receive approximately $5.46 worth of BioNTech American Depositary Shares for each CureVac share they own. That a 34% premium to yesterday's closing price. The company noted it is "developing a novel class of transformative medicines in oncology and infectious diseases based on messenger ribonucleic acid ("mRNA")." BioNTech's COVID-19 shot is also mRNA-based. BioNTech co-founder and CEO Dr. Ugur Sahin said the deal is aimed at "advancing the development of innovative and transformative cancer treatments and establishing new standards of care for various types of cancer in the coming years." The transaction is expected to close this year and would see CureVac's operating subsidiary become a wholly owned subsidiary of BioNTech. Shares of CureVac soared to their highest level since December 2023. U.S.-listed shares of BioNTech were little changed and remain down nearly 8% year-to-date. Read the original article on Investopedia 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hundreds of CDC employees reinstated after being laid off
The Brief Over 460 CDC employees have been reinstated after April layoffs, mainly from public health divisions. Thousands of jobs remain unfilled, with no word on further reinstatements. RFK Jr. appointed eight new vaccine advisers, including controversial figure Dr. Robert Malone. ATLANTA - More than 460 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been reinstated after being laid off earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. What we know The employees are among the approximately 2,400 CDC staffers let go in April, a move that sparked widespread backlash and legal challenges. According to HHS, the reinstated workers include 200 employees from the Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Prevention and another 150 from the Environmental Health division, which includes a lab focused on lead poisoning prevention. PREVIOUS STORIES Reactions to mass layoffs underway at Atlanta-based CDC 2,400 CDC jobs to be cut in HHS overhaul announced by Secretary Kennedy CDC to lose nearly 1,300 probationary employees under Trump's job cuts Former employees and public health advocates have criticized the layoffs for leaving vital public health positions vacant. Reese Williams, a former CDC worker, said the terminations affected key personnel. "They fired a lot of our scientists, a lot of our public health communicators, a lot of anybody to do with DEI, birth defects, anything to do with smoke and health, domestic abuse and domestic violence," Williams said. Williams says the 2,400 roles that were eliminated this year played a critical role in public health. "They took a part a lot of the funding for our global partners. Funding that goes for Ebola or for these diseases that don't necessarily effect us, but could effect us, they took away a lot of that," she said. This is the second wave of reinstatements. In February, about 180 employees who were laid off were later asked to return. Despite the new round of rehirings, thousands of jobs remain unfilled, and officials have not indicated if additional reinstatements are forthcoming. Employees say many vital positions are still left empty. "Eventually, we will all feel this. Even the ones who think they won't feel it. We're going to feel it," Reese said. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed eight new members to the federal vaccine advisory committee. The move follows his abrupt dismissal of the previous panel earlier this week. Among the new appointees is Dr. Robert Malone, a controversial figure known for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. RELATED STORIES RFK Jr.'s newest CDC vaccine panel includes critics of COVID shots, lockdowns Protest against CDC vaccine committee firings held at Atlanta headquarters RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine panel The committee advises the CDC director on how approved vaccines should be used nationwide.
