What's standing in the way of wastewater data becoming a more mainstream public health tool When case counts suggest Covid-19 is in check, the truth is in the toilets. Brittany Trang STAT

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U.S. extends public health emergency status for COVID The U.S. health department on Wednesday extended the COVID-19 pandemic's status as a public health emergency, allowing millions of Americans to continue receiving free tests, vaccines and treatments. Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters

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Uganda declares itself Ebola-free after swiftly turning tide on outbreak Uganda on Wednesday declared the end of a nearly four-month Ebola outbreak that it briefly struggled to contain but was then able to swiftly bring under control despite the absence of a proven vaccine against the viral strain in question. Elias Biryabarema Reuters

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The latest outbreak killed 55 of the 143 people infected since September, according to health ministry figures. Six of the fatalities were health workers.

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'Cold-like' symptoms could indicate you have the XBB.1.5 Covid variant - what to look for Symptoms of the XBB.1.15, or Kraken, variant of COVID-19 have so far been reported as similar to those of Omicron. MSN

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The sub-variant of Omicron has now been identified in 70 countries, including the UK.

Global COVID vaccine acceptance rose 5% from 2021 to 2022 CIDRAP

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance climbed from 75% in 2021 to 79% in 2022 in 23 countries representing nearly 60% of the global population, finds a survey published yesterday in Nature Medicine.

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In eight countries, however, vaccine hesitancy increased (range, 1.0% in the United Kingdom to 21.1% in South Africa). And nearly 1 in 8 of all respondents (12.1%), particularly those aged 18 to 29 years, said they were hesitant to receive a booster dose (range, 1.1% in China to 28.9% in Russia).

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Sanders tells Moderna planned COVID vaccine price hike is ‘unacceptable corporate greed’ Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is calling on Moderna not to quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying Tuesday that the plan amounts to “unacceptable corporate greed.” In a Tuesda… nweixel The Hill

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More US schools institute mask mandates as COVID cases rise More schools -- including in Massachusetts and Michigan -- are implementing mask mandates as COVID-19 cases rise across the country. ABC News ABC News

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'COVID Isn't Over': Here's What Experts Expect The COVID-19 Pandemic To Be Like This Year With the rise of highly transmissible variants including XBB, experts warn COVID is far from over. But there are new tools to help and more research is underway. YahooNews

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Confirmed COVID-19 cases are currently nowhere near where they were during the last two winters in the U.S., but they are expected to rise. The current numbers reported are also believed to be lower than they actually are since more people are testing at home.

WHO backs mask wearing on long flights as new Omicron variant spreads Countries should consider recommending passengers wear masks on long-haul flights to counter the latest Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 given its rapid spread in the United States, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Tuesday. Natalie Grover Reuters

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China Covid: More than 88 million people in Henan infected, official says Some 89% of people in Henan province have been infected but visits to clinics have peaked. BBC News

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Chinese rush to renew passports as COVID border curbs lifted People joined long queues outside immigration offices in Beijing on Monday, eager to renew their passports after China dropped COVID border controls that had largely prevented its 1.4 billion residents from travelling for three years. Yew Lun Tian,Eduardo Baptista Reuters

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