New COVID-19 subvariants replace BA.5 as most dominant in U.S. The COVID-19 BA.5 variant has lost its dominance in the United States, according to the CDC. Two other variants -- BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 -- have replaced it. UPI

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The CDC data shows The new BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 together account for roughly 44% of new U.S. COVID-19 infections. The new variants are sublineages of BA.5. It's the first time since July that the BA.5 variant has not been dominant.

COVID pandemic led to surge in superbug infections, EU agency says Infections from some antibiotic-resistant pathogens known as superbugs have more than doubled in health care facilities in Europe, an EU agency said on Thursday, providing further evidence of the wider impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters Reuters

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Judge orders end to Trump-era asylum restrictions at border SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Biden administration to lift Trump-era asylum restrictions that have been a cornerstone of border enforcement since the beginning of COVID-19. AP NEWS

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U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled in Washington that enforcement must end immediately for families and single adults, calling the ban “arbitrary and capricious.” The administration has not applied it to children traveling alone.

Should you get the COVID booster? It could prevent millions of days missed in school and thousands of hospitalizations for kids If 80% of people five and older got their booster shot, nearly 29 million days of missed school could be prevented for kids. YahooFinance

New research predicts that higher rates of those five and older getting the bivalent booster shot could prevent millions of missed school days and thousands of hospitalizations for kids and teens. ...

In southern China, residents revolt against COVID-19 controls Unverified videos show people breaking down barriers and marching through streets in Guangzhou as frustration boils over about China's strict COVID-19 controls. NPR.org

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Frustrated residents in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou smashed temporary barriers and marched through streets in revolt earlier this week against strict COVID-19 controls, according to online videos and reports.

Ebola vaccine candidates expected to be shipped to Uganda next week - WHO Three Ebola vaccine candidates for a planned clinical trial are expected to be shipped to Uganda next week, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. Reuters Reuters

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Haiti cholera outbreak worsens, COVID-19 cases rise in Americas - PAHO The cholera situation in Haiti continues to worsen while COVID-19 cases rose over the past week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday. Steven Grattan Reuters

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As Ebola outbreak grows in Uganda, US ramps up preparedness plans

Uganda has been struggling with an Ebola outbreak for months, and although there have been no suspected or probable Ebola cases identified in the United States, federal and local health officials are working together to prepare for the possibility that the virus will spread across the Atlantic.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response have conducted tabletop exercises with officials from five jurisdictions where airline passengers arriving in the US from Uganda are being funneled, the CDC confirmed Monday.

Covid deaths and hospitalizations are falling in the U.S. Even as new omicron strains take over, Covid is no longer driving a majority of patients into the hospital. Still, doctors worry the virus could re-emerge as immunity wanes. NBC News

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As the flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) have spread rapidly this fall — inundating and overwhelming hospitals and their staff across the country — Covid has not.

Biden requests $9.25 bln for COVID, $37.7 bln for Ukraine from Congress -officials The Biden administration is asking Congress for $9.25 billion to fight COVID-19 and an additional $37.7 billion to support Ukraine in its war with Russia as part of a supplemental funding request, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Jeff Mason Reuters

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Johns Hopkins

New Webinar: The High Human Stakes of Ongoing Support for the Community Health Workforce

 Thursday, November 17, 2022      2:00-3:30pm ET

...life has in many ways returned to something like the Before Times. Restaurants are packed, and cultural performances sold out. Children are sitting in schools, and workers are trickling back into offices. Masks are no longer required in public, even in New York City’s subways.