The ‘razor blade' sore throat: What to know about the new COVID-19 variant that's spreading
A new COVID-19 variant was this week expected to become the dominant strain in Ontario, after circulating in parts of the world including our neighbours to the south.
The new variant, part of the Omicron subfamily, is called NB.1.8.1 and it is derived from the recombinant variant XDV.1.5.1, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with cases detected globally as the previous dominant COVID-19 strain, LP.8.1, starts to decline.
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump administration blocked from cutting local health funding for four municipalities
A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from clawing back millions in public health funding from four Democrat-led municipalities in GOP-governed states. It's the second such federal ruling to reinstate public health funding for several states. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by district attorneys in Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, and three cities: Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City, Missouri. The decision means the federal government must reinstate funding to the four municipalities until the case is fully litigated. Their lawsuit, filed in late April, alleged $11 billion in cuts to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs had already been approved by Congress and are being unconstitutionally withheld. They also argued that the administration's actions violate Department of Health and Human Services regulations. The cities and counties argued the cuts were 'a massive blow to U.S. public health at a time where state and local public health departments need to address burgeoning infectious diseases and chronic illnesses, like the measles, bird flu, and mpox.' The cuts would lead to thousands of state and local public health employees being fired, the lawsuit argued. The local governments, alongside the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, wanted the court to reinstate the grants nationwide. But Cooper said in his preliminary injunction that the funds can only be blocked to the four municipalities and in a May 21 hearing expressed skepticism about whether it could apply more widely. The funding in question was granted during the COVID-19 pandemic but aimed at building up public health infrastructure overall, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement in April. The four local governments were owed about $32.7 million in future grant payments, Cooper's opinion notes. The federal government's lawyers said the grants were legally cut because, 'Now that the pandemic is over, the grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purpose has run out.' They used the same argument in the case brought by 23 states and the District of Columbia over the HHS funding clawback. Menefee said the cuts defunded programs in Harris County for wastewater disease surveillance, community health workers and clinics and call centers that helped people get vaccinated. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the cuts forced the city to fire 11 of its 22 infectious disease staffers. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Nashville used some of its grant money to support programs, including a 'strike team' that after the pandemic addressed gaps in health services that kept kids from being able to enroll in school, according to the lawsuit. Kansas City used one of its grants to build out capabilities to test locally for COVID-19, influenza and measles rather than waiting for results from the county lab. The suit details that after four years of work to certify facilities and train staff, the city 'was at the final step' of buying lab equipment when the grant was canceled. Representatives for HHS, the CDC, the cities and Harris County did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. ___ 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.
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Trump administration blocked from cutting local health funding for four municipalities
A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from clawing back millions in public health funding from four Democrat-led municipalities in GOP-governed states. It's the second such federal ruling to reinstate public health funding for several states. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by district attorneys in Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, and three cities: Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City, Missouri. The decision means the federal government must reinstate funding to the four municipalities until the case is fully litigated. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Their lawsuit, filed in late April, alleged $11 billion in cuts to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs had already been approved by Congress and are being unconstitutionally withheld. They also argued that the administration's actions violate Department of Health and Human Services regulations. The cities and counties argued the cuts were 'a massive blow to U.S. public health at a time where state and local public health departments need to address burgeoning infectious diseases and chronic illnesses, like the measles, bird flu, and mpox.' The cuts would lead to thousands of state and local public health employees being fired, the lawsuit argued. The local governments, alongside the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, wanted the court to reinstate the grants nationwide. But Cooper said in his preliminary injunction that the funds can only be blocked to the four municipalities and in a May 21 hearing expressed skepticism about whether it could apply more widely. The funding in question was granted during the COVID-19 pandemic but aimed at building up public health infrastructure overall, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement in April. The four local governments were owed about $32.7 million in future grant payments, Cooper's opinion notes. The federal government's lawyers said the grants were legally cut because, 'Now that the pandemic is over, the grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purpose has run out.' They used the same argument in the case brought by 23 states and the District of Columbia over the HHS funding clawback. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Menefee said the cuts defunded programs in Harris County for wastewater disease surveillance, community health workers and clinics and call centers that helped people get vaccinated. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the cuts forced the city to fire 11 of its 22 infectious disease staffers. Nashville used some of its grant money to support programs, including a 'strike team' that after the pandemic addressed gaps in health services that kept kids from being able to enroll in school, according to the lawsuit. Kansas City used one of its grants to build out capabilities to test locally for COVID-19, influenza and measles rather than waiting for results from the county lab. The suit details that after four years of work to certify facilities and train staff, the city 'was at the final step' of buying lab equipment when the grant was canceled. Representatives for HHS, the CDC, the cities and Harris County did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. ___ 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.
Calgary Herald
3 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Health Canada won't fight Alberta's plan to charge for COVID vaccines
OTTAWA — Health Canada isn't quarrelling with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's announcement that most Albertans will soon have to pay out of pocket for COVID-19 shots. Article content Nicholas Janveau, a spokesperson for the federal agency, said Tuesday that the decision is entirely the premier's to make. Article content Article content 'Provinces and territories are responsible for the delivery and administration of their respective vaccination programs including determining which vaccines are publicly funded, eligibility criteria, and other relevant considerations,' wrote Janveau in an email to the National Post. Article content Article content Smith announced Friday that, starting this fall, most of Alberta's 4.8 million residents will need to pay out of pocket for COVID vaccines, if they choose to get them. Article content Article content She said on her weekly call-in radio show that the change was a necessary cost-saving measure, after the Liberal government announced in January that federal funding for vaccines would end this year. Article content 'Now that we have to develop our own new program for payment … we want to avoid wastage (and) make sure that people get it as a priority who are most at risk, and then make (vaccines) available to whoever else wants (them),' said Smith. Article content Smith noted that more than a million doses were left unused and discarded during the 2023-24 respiratory virus season, costing taxpayers $135 million. Article content 'The sad part was we threw away over a million doses, because people just don't want to get the (COVID) vaccine in the same rates as others,' said Smith. Article content Article content 'I think it's because (the COVID vaccine) doesn't work particularly well,' said Smith, when asked what she made of the shortfall. Article content Just under 14 per cent of Albertans got vaccinated for COVID last season. About 21 per cent got a flu shot. Article content A government press release said that provincially-funded vaccines will still be given free of charge to dependent seniors, the immunocompromised and those on social assistance. Article content Albertans who live in congregated lodgings, like homeless shelters and group homes, will also continue to get COVID shots free of charge. Article content All other Albertans, including those over the age of 65, will be required to pay the full cost of the vaccine. Article content The release doesn't say how much this will be but references a Center for Disease Control costing estimates of $110 per jab.
