COVID-19
The Latest
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RFK Jr. Scraps COVID Vaccine Recommendations for Healthy Children and Pregnant Women, Overriding CDC Process
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly ended federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women on Tuesday, a move that blindsided the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and triggered immediate backlash from public health experts and medical organizations. The announcement, delivered in a 58-second video posted to X, sidestepped the CDC's advisory process and contradicted long-standing vaccine policy. 
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly ended federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women on Tuesday, a move that blindsided the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and triggered immediate backlash from public health experts and medical organizations. The announcement, delivered in a 58-second video posted to X, sidestepped the CDC's advisory process and contradicted long-standing vaccine policy. -
NB.1.8.1 COVID Variant Linked to China Spike Surfaces in Multiple U.S. States and Airports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed multiple cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 in the United States, a strain linked to a sharp surge in infections across China and parts of Asia. The variant, a descendant of the JN.1 lineage, has become dominant in China and is now appearing among international travelers entering the U.S., according to data published by the CDC's testing partner, Ginkgo Bioworks. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed multiple cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 in the United States, a strain linked to a sharp surge in infections across China and parts of Asia. The variant, a descendant of the JN.1 lineage, has become dominant in China and is now appearing among international travelers entering the U.S., according to data published by the CDC's testing partner, Ginkgo Bioworks. -
FDA Grants Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Limited Approval for High-Risk Groups Only
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval to Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, but only for a narrow population: adults aged 65 and older, or those ages 12 to 64 with at least one underlying health condition that puts them at elevated risk for severe illness. The decision marks a departure from expectations that the protein-based vaccine would be broadly approved for use in people 12 and up. 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval to Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, but only for a narrow population: adults aged 65 and older, or those ages 12 to 64 with at least one underlying health condition that puts them at elevated risk for severe illness. The decision marks a departure from expectations that the protein-based vaccine would be broadly approved for use in people 12 and up. -
China Blames U.S. for COVID-19 Origins in White Paper, Rejects Wuhan Lab Leak Allegations
China escalated the debate over the origins of COVID-19 on Wednesday, releasing an official white paper alleging that the virus may have emerged in the United States before surfacing in Wuhan. The document, issued by China's State Council Information Office and published by Xinhua News Agency, directly counters U.S. claims that a lab leak in China sparked the pandemic, calling the accusations politically motivated and unsupported by evidence. 
China escalated the debate over the origins of COVID-19 on Wednesday, releasing an official white paper alleging that the virus may have emerged in the United States before surfacing in Wuhan. The document, issued by China's State Council Information Office and published by Xinhua News Agency, directly counters U.S. claims that a lab leak in China sparked the pandemic, calling the accusations politically motivated and unsupported by evidence. -
Ex-CDC Director Claims U.S. Could Be Linked to Virus Creation in China
A recent Wall Street Journal investigation and renewed claims from Robert Redfield, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have reignited controversy over the origins of COVID-19, with suggestions of U.S. complicity in risky research conducted in China. The investigation reveals troubling gaps in the intelligence community's handling of evidence about the pandemic's origins, further fueling suspicions about gain-of-function research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. 
A recent Wall Street Journal investigation and renewed claims from Robert Redfield, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have reignited controversy over the origins of COVID-19, with suggestions of U.S. complicity in risky research conducted in China. The investigation reveals troubling gaps in the intelligence community's handling of evidence about the pandemic's origins, further fueling suspicions about gain-of-function research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. -
U.S. Congressional Report Backs Lab-Leak Theory for COVID-19 Origins
A Republican-led congressional panel has concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a laboratory accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China, reigniting the contentious debate over the virus's origins. After a two-year investigation, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a 520-page report on Monday, asserting that "the weight of the evidence increasingly supports the lab-leak hypothesis." 
A Republican-led congressional panel has concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a laboratory accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China, reigniting the contentious debate over the virus's origins. After a two-year investigation, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a 520-page report on Monday, asserting that "the weight of the evidence increasingly supports the lab-leak hypothesis." -
Can COVID-19 Provide a Breakthrough in Cancer Therapy? Scientists Explore Potential Benefits
Researchers at Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute have uncovered a startling connection between COVID-19 infections and cancer regression, raising the possibility of using the virus's impact to develop new cancer treatments. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, reveals that the RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 virus can activate specific immune cells capable of attacking cancer, offering a potential new avenue for patients with advanced cancers resistant to existing therapies. 
Researchers at Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute have uncovered a startling connection between COVID-19 infections and cancer regression, raising the possibility of using the virus's impact to develop new cancer treatments. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, reveals that the RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 virus can activate specific immune cells capable of attacking cancer, offering a potential new avenue for patients with advanced cancers resistant to existing therapies. -
CDC Recommends Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose for Some Seniors and Immunocompromised Individuals
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccinations for certain groups, specifically encouraging older adults and those with compromised immune systems to receive an additional dose of the 2024-2025 vaccine. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccinations for certain groups, specifically encouraging older adults and those with compromised immune systems to receive an additional dose of the 2024-2025 vaccine. -
Free COVID-19 Tests Available Again as U.S. Prepares for Winter Surge
Americans can once again order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government as the Biden administration seeks to prepare for the upcoming respiratory virus season. 
Americans can once again order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government as the Biden administration seeks to prepare for the upcoming respiratory virus season. -
New Study Links COVID-19 Origin to Wuhan Animal Market, Strengthens Animal Spillover Theory
A recent study published in the journal Cell provides compelling evidence supporting the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, likely through the transmission of the virus from animals to humans. This new analysis strengthens the argument that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the global pandemic, emerged through a spillover event involving animals sold at the market, rather than a lab leak, a theory that has persisted in some circles. 
A recent study published in the journal Cell provides compelling evidence supporting the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, likely through the transmission of the virus from animals to humans. This new analysis strengthens the argument that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the global pandemic, emerged through a spillover event involving animals sold at the market, rather than a lab leak, a theory that has persisted in some circles.
