COVID news & more, 8/31/24

Sep 01, 2024

For the third week in a row, there are about 1 million new COVID cases per day in the US, with about every 1 in 34 people currently infected per JP Weiland. He expects that once kids have settled into school, cases will decline more quickly. Almost all states have VERY HIGH or HIGH levels of COVID in wastewater now. The western states have appeared to peak and are starting to descend, but in other parts of the country, wastewater SARS-CoV-2 levels continue to rise. For a second week in a row, there were over 1,000 COVID deaths in the US. COVID test positivity is at 17.0%.

Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 activity:

From: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html

Only Michigan is considered to have LOW levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater per the CDC map below, which is surprising since some of the highest levels in the country are in Warren, MI (4071 PMMoV) and Ann Arbor, MI (3492 PMMoV) per WastewaterSCAN. Millbury, MA also has extremely high levels of SARS-2 in wastewater at 4071 PMMoV and Roswell, GA is at 3475 PPMoV.

From CDC wastewater map: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html

Here in California, emergency department visits for COVID have peaked and are on a downward slope. Lompoc, CA near Santa Barbara still has very high SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater at 1650 PMMoV, but wastewater virus levels in most other counties in California are starting to descend.

KP.3.1.1 represents 42.2% of cases now in America. This variant has taken over in most countries around the world. While the XEC variant is starting to pop up in some places like Germany, it is unclear if this variant will be will be an issue.

Vaccines

Many people are starting to get their new 2024-2025 COVID vaccines as the mRNA KP.2 COVID vaccines were approved last week. Most pharmacies have vaccine appointments available and you can find locations at Vaccines.gov. The Novavax vaccine was authorized by the FDA yesterday. Novavax is based on the JN.1 variant and is authorized for people ages 12 and older. The latest mRNA vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer) are based on newer variant KP.2 and are approved for everyone over 6 months of age. It is safe to get both the updated COVID vaccine and the flu shot at the same time, although it is somewhat early to get the flu shot now, as it is usually given in October.

Many people are asking when it is best to get the new COVID vaccines. This is a bit of a difficult question since most people will only qualify for one dose of vaccine this year if this year is similar to last. Many people are getting the updated vaccine now because we are in a large COVID wave with about 1 million new COVID cases each day. But, other people have decided to wait until October or November to be vaccinated since the vaccine’s protection wanes after about 3 months against infection and they want to be protected during the winter holidays. If someone has had a recent COVID infection, they should wait 2 to 3 months before getting the updated vaccine. Immunocompromised people are recommended to receive the vaccine now because we are in a large COVID wave. They may qualify for additional doses as has happened in past years. For other questions on the updated COVID vaccines, please see this helpful COVID vaccine Q&A from Johns Hopkins.

Pemgarda is a monoclonal antibody that has been offered as a pre-exposure prophylaxis against COVID for immunocompromised people. Pemgarda worked against prior variants but is resistant to KP.3.1.1 which is the most common SARS-CoV-2 variant globally now. The FDA wrote a letter to the manufacturer this week letting it know that it may remove Pemgarda from the market soon.

Scientists are working on pan-sarbecovirus vaccines that can protect against many different types of coronaviruses and other sarbecoviruses, so as to protect against new SARS-CoV-2 variants in the future. According to Dr. Eric Topol, a team from CalTech is working on a “promising pan-sarbecovirus vaccine.” Mosaic sarbecovirus nanoparticles were used as a booster in monkeys and mice that were pre-vaccinated and caused a broad antibody response to different sarbecoviruses like SARS-CoV-2.

Long COVID and Disability

An article from the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis shows that there has been a large increase in the number of disabled workers since 2019, with the biggest increases being in cognitive disability. Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly tweeted, “Since 2019, the number of disabled individuals has surged beyond the expected trend by nearly 2 million. This isn't just a statistical anomaly—it's a huge indicator of a deeper, underlying health crisis. Most alarming is the rise in cognitive disabilities. The population reporting only a cognitive disability has grown by nearly 1 million—a 43% increase since 2019… Could Long COVID be a contributing factor? Possibly yes!”

From: https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2024/aug/changing-composition-of-disability-among-workers

An article in the WSJ highlights that Long COVID has forced around one million Americans out of the workforce, causing significant disruption to their careers and personal identities. More than 5% of U.S. adults have Long COVID, with the condition being most common among those in their prime working years. Many people have had to significantly change their daily activities due to the illness and recovery from Long COVID is not common, even after several years.

Pediatrics

Many people believe(d) that COVID infection is of no consequence for children. But, a recent study in JAMA highlighted Long COVID symptoms in younger children and teens. An estimated 5.8 million children and young adults have Long COVID. A new article in Salon interviewed Dr. Rachel Gross who is one of the investigators in the RECOVER trial for children. “This is a public health crisis for children,” Dr. Gross said. “We know that child health is so critically important for how children grow and even as they become adults, that chronic illness during childhood and adverse experiences during childhood greatly affects the adults that they can become.”

Gross said the U.S. will see the “long-term impacts of experiencing Long COVID in childhood for decades to come.”

SARS-CoV-2, fibrin and blood clots

A new article from the Gladstone Institutes changes what we thought that we knew about SARS-CoV-2, inflammation and neurological damage. It is known that when fibrinogen is converted to fibrin, it exposes the inflammatory epitope on fibrin. The Gladstone researchers found that the level of fibrinogen seen during acute COVID infection can be used as a biomarker to predict Long COVID cognitive dysfunction.

Using mouse and in vitro models, scientists from the Gladstone Institute found that fibrin binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and forms unusual blood clots that drive inflammation, lead to damage of neurons in the brain and also suppress the body’s ability to clear the virus by affecting our natural killer cells. Prior studies have shown that targeting fibrin’s inflammatory epitope can treat some autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. In this study, monoclonal antibodies to the inflammatory part of fibrin were found to stop toxic inflammation in the lungs and halt microglial activation causing damage to neurons in the brain. Fibrin-targeting monoclonal antibodies “may represent a therapeutic intervention for patients with acute COVID-19 and long COVID,” the authors summarized.

“Knowing that fibrin is the instigator of inflammation and neurological symptoms, we can build a new path forward for treating the disease at the root,” said Katerina Akassoglou, PhD, director of the Center for Neurovascular Brain Immunology at Gladstone and UC San Francisco.

Two weeks ago, an article from Yale showed that inflammation of the endothelial cells lining blood vessels were associated with neurological symptoms in Long COVID. Another review paper looked at the effects of COVID infection on endothelial dysfunction, platelet activation and inflammation leading to increased risk of atherosclerosis.

This week, a review in the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis shows that blood clots in COVID infection have unique characteristics including “a highly inflammatory signature on a foundation of endothelial cell inflammation and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).” They state that “COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is an acquired thrombophilia with a high incidence of thrombosis.” However, the Gladstone Institute article above shows that fibrin bound to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in clots is driving inflammation, including neuroinflammation in the brain.

Evolution of SARS-CoV-2

Using two different mouse models, the authors found that SARS-CoV-2 evolves more in the immune-privileged central nervous system (CNS), which is usually protected by the blood-brain barrier, even if the body has pre-existing immunity from vaccination. Additionally, researchers found that the furin cleavage site (FCS) on the virus was important for infection in the lungs, but is less important in the CNS. Deleting the FCS allows the virus to infect brain cells more easily by bypassing the usual cell entry pathway via the ACE2 receptor.

COVID and autoimmunity

A study from Northwestern shows that most people make autoantibodies associated with rheumatic autoimmune diseases and diabetes after a mild COVID infection, regardless of prior vaccinations. Eight months after COVID infection, Long COVID patients with persistent neurologic and fatigue symptoms (neuro-PASC) have substantially higher levels of autoantibodies than recovered controls. Since even mild COVID-19 infections can trigger long-lasting autoimmune responses, the authors recommend public health mitigation strategies to help decrease COVID infections.

Obesity

Obesity is a risk factor for severe COVID infection. Using Mass General Brigham EHR records of more than 600,000 people, researchers found that obese people were 34% more likely to become infected with COVID as well.

H5N1

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) notes that H5N1 has been found in 3 herds of dairy cattle in California. The farms in the Central Valley have been quarantined, there are no human cases suspected and there is no threat to milk or the food supply per CDFA.

Farmworkers in Colorado say they have been working with H5N1 infected cows with only gloves to protect them. Farms have not been supplying full PPE as recommended.

Mpox

Countries in Europe, the United States and Japan have pledged to donate Mpox vaccines to African nations hit by the Clade 1 Mpox outbreak.

AI:

More than 40% of FDA-authorized Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for healthcare have not been clinically validated for safety and effectiveness. The authors propose a new validation standard for FDA authorization.

Other news:

A Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Boar's Head deli meats, has infected a total of 57 people and killed 9 people according to the CDC. Millions of pounds of pre-sliced, packaged deli meats have been recalled with expiration or sell-by dates ranging from July 2024 through October 2024.

In an observational study, obese people without diabetes took GLP-1 receptor agonists medications over a 5 year period, treatment with GLP-1 drugs was associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.23) and several cardiovascular complications, including ischemic heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, hypertension, stroke and atrial fibrillation. In addition, GLP-1 medication use was associated with a lower risk of acute kidney injury and allergic reactions as well.

A woman found a squirrel enjoying an outdoor fan that she had left on her porch on a hot Texas day. Over time, she set up a 'squirrel spa' with fans to keep the critters cool and food for them to eat including frozen fruit.

Photo: @Breeintheforest

Have a great rest of your holiday weekend,

Ruth Ann Crystal MD

COVID news notes:

US Variant tracker: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions

CDC COVID data tracker: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/index.html#datatracker-home

Updated through August 24th

COVID Emergency Dept visits: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#ed-visits_all_ages_combined

US national ED visits through August 25

Oregon

California

CDC Respiratory viruses (COVID, Flu, RSV) Hospitalizations (for those states reporting): https://www.cdc.gov/resp-net/dashboard/index.html

https://x.com/BNOFeed/status/1827881986716799120

Walgreens positivity rate: https://www.walgreens.com/businesssolutions/covid-19-index.jsp

US Wastewater Monitoring:

CDC wastewater reporting: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html

Last updated 8/29/24

CDC wastewater map: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html

Last updated 8/29/24

CDC: Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 levels as of 8/29/24

National SARS-CoV-2 data from Sara Anne Willette: https://iowacovid19tracker.org/

Map date 8/17/24

State Risk Levels as of 8/27/24 per S.A. Willette:

Purple is VERY HIGH. Pink is HIGH.

Wastewater SARS-2

As of 8/27/24

Wastewater SCAN: SARS-2 levels in wastewater https://data.wastewaterscan.org/

Highest SARS-2 in wastewater in USA:

Warren, MI 4071 PMMoV

Millbury MA 4071 PMMoV

Ann Arbor, MI 3492

Roswell GA 3475

Dover NH 3082

Union Bch NJ 2489

Akron OH 1975

Transverse MI 1932

California statewide view https://buff.ly/3YObiul

Lompoc CA is still very high at 1650 PMMoV. Most others have decreased.

Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network (SCAN) project by Stanford University:

Santa Clara County wastewater: https://publichealth.santaclaracounty.gov/health-information/health-data/disease-data/covid-19/covid-19-wastewater

Marin county: https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org/surveillance

JP Weiland:

https://x.com/JPWeiland/status/1829650388511047960

August 30th update:

Transmission remains stubbornly high near 1 million infections per day.

Forecast suggests a steep decline in cases in coming weeks.

980,000 new infections/day
1 in every 34 people currently infected
64% higher than 12 month avg.

Return to school is keeping the final week of the peak high, but that will soon pass and overall transmission will decline with no variants coming right behind KP.3.1.1.

Michael Hoerger modeling: http://pmc19.com/data/, https://twitter.com/michael_hoerger

8/28/24 https://x.com/michael_hoerger/status/1829011009207459976

How many people in the U.S. have been infected this wave?

24.3% (about 1 in 4) so far if counting from the trough of May 2.
19.3% (about 1 in 5) so far if counting from entering ‘wave territory’ of 500,000 daily infections on Jun 23.

Since we’re about halfway through the wave, one could assume the total wave impact will be about double the current estimate (38-48%). From ‘wave entry’ to the trough between the summer and winter waves, I’d estimate 39.7% infected. However, some modelers would estimate lower, and some higher. In my view, it would be reasonable to say that an estimated 1/3 to 1/2 of Americans get infected this wave, acknowledging uncertainty across models.

Acute COVID infections, General COVID info

DNC was a superspreader event

8/26/24 NBC: The Democratic convention's surprise guest: Covid https://buff.ly/4e4Dm2Z

8/27/24 PNAS Nexus: Obesity and age are transmission risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among exposed individuals https://buff.ly/3MrHqP2

Using Mass General Brigham EHR records of more than 600,000 people, researchers found that obese people were 34% more likely to become infected with COVID. Obesity is also a risk factor for severity of disease.

SARS-CoV-2 is a thromboembolic virus.

https://x.com/morgfair/status/1829684002040791268

8/28/24 Nature (Gladstone Institutes, UCSF): Fibrin drives thromboinflammation and neuropathology in COVID-19 https://buff.ly/3MnpTra

Fibrin drives inflammation and neuropathology in SARS-CoV-2 infection, and fibrin-targeting immunotherapy may represent a therapeutic intervention for patients with acute COVID-19 and long COVID.

Fibrinogen, the central structural component of blood clots, is abundantly deposited in the lungs and brains of patients with COVID-19, correlates with disease severity and is a predictive biomarker for post-COVID-19 cognitive deficits1,5,8,9,10.

Conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin exposes its cryptic inflammatory γ377–395 epitope26. Genetic or pharmacological targeting of this epitope has potent therapeutic effects in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases15,17,18,19,20,21

Here we show that fibrin binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, forming proinflammatory blood clots that drive systemic thromboinflammation and neuropathology in COVID-19.
Fibrin, acting through its inflammatory domain, is required for oxidative stress and macrophage activation in the lungs, whereas it suppresses natural killer cells, after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Fibrin promotes neuroinflammation and neuronal loss after infection, as well as innate immune activation in the brain and lungs independently of active infection.
A monoclonal antibody targeting the inflammatory fibrin domain provides protection from microglial activation and neuronal injury, as well as from thromboinflammation in the lung after infection.

Explainer article:
8/28/24 Gladstone Institutes: Discovery of How Blood Clots Harm Brain and Body in COVID-19 Points to New Therapy https://buff.ly/4cOhyrc
Blood clotting is not an effect of COVID. “Through experiments in the lab and with mice, the researchers show that blood clotting is instead a primary effect, driving other problems—including toxic inflammation, impaired viral clearance, and neurological symptoms prevalent in those with COVID-19 and long COVID.”
Fibrin drives inflammation in the brain causing neurological symptoms. Giving a monoclonal antibody against fibrin can protect the body and the brain against microglial activation and inflammation.
“Knowing that fibrin is the instigator of inflammation and neurological symptoms, we can build a new path forward for treating the disease at the root,” says Katerina Akassoglou, PhD, a senior investigator at Gladstone and the director of the Center for Neurovascular Brain Immunology at Gladstone and UC San Francisco. “In our experiments in mice, neutralizing blood toxicity with fibrin antibody therapy can protect the brain and body after COVID infection.”

8/23/24 Nature Microbiology: Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the murine central nervous system drives viral diversification https://buff.ly/3MjGfBc

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01786-8

After intracranial inoculation, both viruses established infection in the lung, but dissemination from the CNS to the lung required the intact FCS. Cumulatively, these data suggest a critical role for the FCS in determining SARS-CoV-2 tropism and compartmentalization.

Explainer:

8/26/24 Live Science: Virus that causes COVID-19 uses a secret 'back door' to infect the brain https://buff.ly/4cPy9v2

In order for SARS-CoV-2 to infect and replicate in the brain, which is usually an immune-privileged tissue, it must “go through the back door” and not use the typical ACE2 receptor on the cell surface. Deleting the furin cleavage site (FCS) on the SARS-CoV-2 virus makes it more able to use the “back door” pathway and allows it to infect brain cells.

8/23/24 Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis: The COVID-19 thrombus: distinguishing pathological, mechanistic, and phenotypic features and management https://buff.ly/4cEDrsV

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11239-024-03028-4

Review article “to highlight the distinguishing clinical features, pathological components, and potential mechanisms of venous, arterial, and microvascular thrombosis in patients with COVID-19.”

Highlights

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is an acquired thrombophilia with a high incidence of thrombosis.
Thrombosis is caused by endothelial cell inflammation and an immuno-inflammatory state.
Thrombosis occurs in the venous, arterial, and microcirculatory systems and can involve most organs and organ systems.
The long-term sequela of COVID-19 could include a heightened risk for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events.
There is a need for in depth investigation of the natural history of COVID-19 to include long-COVID also referred to as post-COVID conditions.

Summary:

COVID-19 is the most recent addition to a list of acquired prothrombotic disorders or thrombophilias that displays several unique and distinct features.

Thrombosis can affect small, medium, and large vessels in the venous and arterial circulatory systems.
Immune-mediated inflammatory responses can cause endothelial cell and to a lesser but likely meaningful degree glycocalyx injury.
Thrombosis of the vasa vasorum impairs vascular integrity and reparative capacity.
A systemic prothrombotic state can persist beyond the acute infection stage either because of autoantibodies directed at intrinsic fibrinolytic or thrombosis regulating proteins or reservoirs (tissues and circulating mononuclear cells) of spike- 1 protein (or other SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins) that maintain low-level immuno-inflammation, prevent vascular endothelial cell repair, or elicit leukocyte activation signals for vascular injury and thrombosis.

From my newsletter 2 weeks ago:

1.Vascular inflammation (inflamed endothelial cells) and neurologic symptoms in Long COVID

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4920991

2. Immune overactivation in SARS-CoV-2 infection is particularly severe, enhancing endothelial cell dysfunction.

Endothelial dysfunction, platelet activation and inflammation from COVID infection may increase the risk of atherosclerosis which can reduce blood flow to the heart and can lead to heart attacks. It can also cause strokes if blood vessels to the brain are inflamed and become blocked.

Long COVID and Disability

8/22/24 Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis: The Changing Composition of Disability among America’s Workers https://buff.ly/3AG5WcG

The figure below shows that there has been a large increase in the number of disabled workers since 2019 and that the biggest increase has been in cognitive disability.

From: Dr Ziyad Al Aly https://x.com/zalaly/status/1828080885478183323

Since 2019, the number of disabled individuals has surged beyond the expected trend by nearly 2 million. This isn't just a statistical anomaly—it's a huge indicator of a deeper, underlying health crisis.

Most alarming is the rise in cognitive disabilities. The population reporting only a cognitive disability has grown by nearly 1 million—a 43% increase since 2019.

To put this in context: from 2014 to 2019, the average annual growth in cognitive disabilities was about 28k. Since 2019, that number has skyrocketed by more than one million. This is a huge increase and deserves attention.

This isn't just about numbers—it's about real people whose lives have been affected. Understanding the drivers of this surge is critical for shaping public health policy and support systems.

Could Long COVID be a contributing factor? Possibly yes! We need more research to understand the forces behind these troubling trends.

The data is clear: something has changed, and it’s affecting millions. These troubling findings deserve investigation. This should be on the radar screen of every person who cares about the health and well-being of Americans. Let’s Not Ignore This!

Pediatrics

8/26/24 Salon: Long COVID is a "public health crisis for kids," experts say https://buff.ly/3yZOCi8

A study published in 2024 estimated that up to 5.8 million young people have long COVID.

“This is a public health crisis for children,” Gross said. “We know that child health is so critically important for how children grow and even as they become adults, that chronic illness during childhood and adverse experiences during childhood greatly affects the adults that they can become.”

8/21/24 JAMA: Characterizing Long COVID in Children and Adolescents
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2822770
a study that looked at differences in Long COVID symptoms across different ages of children.

Immunocompromised

8/27/24 MedPage Today: FDA Could Soon Limit Use of Only Drug for COVID Prevention https://buff.ly/3AI6H4O

Pemgarda is resistant to KP.3.1.1 which is the most common SARS-CoV-2 variant globally now. Therefore, the FDA wrote a letter to the manufacturer letting it know that it may remove Pemgarda from the market.

Vaccines

8/30/24 CIDRAP: FDA approves use of Novavax's updated COVID vaccine https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/fda-approves-use-novavaxs-updated-covid-vaccine

8/27/24 Katelyn Jetelina YLE: Top 6 questions answered about fall vaccines https://buff.ly/3AHHbwz

What to Know About Updated COVID Vaccines for 2024–25 | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health https://buff.ly/3Mv6lB6

8/27/24 Cell: Mosaic sarbecovirus nanoparticles elicit cross-reactive responses in pre-vaccinated animals https://buff.ly/3T7kzvR

Eric Topol MD: The promising pan-sarbecovirus vaccine from @Caltech

Long COVID

8/25/24 British Medical Bulletin: Long COVID among healthcare workers: a narrative review of definitions, prevalence, symptoms, risk factors and impacts https://buff.ly/3z1DnWy

A review of 56 studies shows that Long COVID is prevalent among health care workers and that we should be supporting them.

Opinion: I loved my teaching career. COVID normalization stole it from me [Globe and Mail]

Teachers and front line workers have also been disproportionately affected by Long COVID.

8/26/24 ImmunoHorizons: Mild Primary or Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infection Promotes Autoantibody Production in Individuals with and without Neuro-PASC https://buff.ly/4dXMxCg

https://journals.aai.org/immunohorizons/article/8/8/577/267113/Mild-Primary-or-Breakthrough-SARS-CoV-2-Infection

Even mild COVID-19 infections can trigger long-lasting autoimmune responses, which raises the need to reconsider how we prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its potential to cause autoimmunity.

“In conclusion, our study emphasizes the need for continuous development and implementation of public health strategies to decrease the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the community to limit the burden of autoimmune disease.”

https://x.com/dysclinic/status/1828501379532378143
S Blitshteyn MD, FAAN, Dysautonomia Clinic
Good study by Dr. @IgorKoralnik and his team demonstrating elevated antibodies in patients with #LongCovid after another Covid infection compared to people who fully recovered after Covid: sadly, booster vaccines did not prevent this elevation. The study reaffirms that autoimmunity is one of the major mechanisms of #LongCovid affecting neurocognitive symptoms and #BrainHealth.

8/29/24 Santa Clara County Hearing on ME/CFS https://x.com/bhanlon15/status/1829306936753340737

8/29/24 Billy Hanlon tweet with video clips of 2 minute talks by:

Ron Davis- Innate immune system gets turned on. Can turn it off perhaps with a JAK-STAT inhibitor like Filgotinib that cured a person in Australia.

Private conference on ME/CFS next week via zoom of 150 global researchers of ME/CFS.

Janet Dafoe

Jennifer Smith, mom of 23 yo w/ LC

Lily Chu, ME CFS for 17 yrs, on NASEM LC definition committee

https://x.com/ImmunoFever/status/1829436311020699831

H5N1

8/30/24 CDFA - Public Affairs - AVIAN INFLUENZA CONFIRMED IN THREE CALIFORNIA DAIRY HERDS https://buff.ly/3AUTPIA

https://pressreleases.cdfa.ca.gov/Home/PressRelease/62008965

8/27/24 KFF Health News: With Only Gloves To Protect Them, Farmworkers Say They Tend Sick Cows Amid Bird Flu https://buff.ly/3T18Rmf

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/colorado-farmworkers-bird-flu-dairies-chickens-ppe/

Farms in Colorado are giving farmworkers only gloves, but no PPE to protect them against H5N1 Bird Flu in sick dairy cows.

Avian Flu H5N1 Influenza A https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/wastewater-surveillance/Flu-A-data.html

Mpox

List of countries donating Mpox vaccines to African nations hit hard by the Clade 1 outbreak: https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/mpox-vaccine-tracker-millions-pledged-millions-still-be-delivered

AI:

8/26/24 Nature: Not all AI health tools with regulatory authorization are clinically validated https://buff.ly/4fXRxsr

Eric Topol MD: "Over 40% of FDA-authorized #AI were not clinically validated, i.e. tested with real patient data to evaluate safety and effectiveness"

Other news:

8/29/24 CIDRAP: Listeria outbreak tied to deli meats grows; death toll reaches 9 https://buff.ly/4cJ5CHf

A Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Boar's Head deli meats, has infected a total of 57 people, of which, 9 people have died according to the CDC.

https://x.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1828124640310423628

8/22/24 Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism: Long‐term safety and efficacy of glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists in individuals with obesity and without type 2 diabetes: A global retrospective cohort study https://buff.ly/3YUQN17
https://dom-pubs.pericles-prod.literatumonline.com/doi/10.1111/dom.15869

6/2024 Washington Post: Squirrels were struggling in a heat wave. She made a ‘squirrel spa.’ https://buff.ly/4dWHi5Q