Mpox And Cholera Outbreaks Underscore Importance Of Gavi’s African Vaccine Initiative - But Can It Ensure Equity? - Health Policy Watch Back in June, the vaccine platform, Gavi, launched the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), together with the African Union and Africa Centres Health Policy Watch

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First on CNN: US faces maternity care crisis, with 1 in 3 counties lacking obstetric doctors to provide care, report warns | CNN The United States is facing an ongoing maternity health crisis in which 1 in every 3 counties does not have a single obstetric clinician, affecting women’s access to care, according to a new report. Jacqueline Howard CNN

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Corruption review finds 'red flags' in more than 130 Covid contracts An anti-corruption charity finds significant concerns in £15.3bn worth of contracts awarded during the pandemic. BBC News

An anti-corruption charity says it has identified significant concerns in contracts worth over £15.3bn awarded by the Conservative government during the Covid pandemic, equivalent to one in every £3 spent.

Transparency International UK found 135 “high-risk” contracts with at least three red flags - warning signs of a risk of corruption.

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Teen brains 'aged' during Covid lockdowns, new research suggests Brain scans show that girls were especially affected by the loss of social interaction. NBC News

Covid lockdowns, such as school closures, canceled sports activities and stay-at-home orders, prematurely aged teen brains by as much as four years, researchers from the University of Washington found. 

New report: COVID more severe, longer-lasting than other respiratory diseases Healthcare workers (HCWs) with COVID-19 had more severe symptoms that lasted longer than those with other respiratory diseases, and a higher proportion met the World Health Organization (WHO) or UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) definitions of long COVID, according to a report published in Viruses and Viral Diseases. CIDRAP

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Offices, long-distance shared transport, some activities tied to COVID spread In the first 2 years or more of the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of infection was higher in open-space offices, long-distance trains, convenience stores, taxis, airplanes, and nightclubs and during take-away food delivery, carpooling with relatives, and attending concerts, suggests a case-control study of various work, leisure, and other spaces in France. CIDRAP

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Senior Biden administration officials said Friday that the United States is preparing for the possible arrival of a more severe version of mpox, which has taken off in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in Africa resulting in more than 600 deaths there.

US COVID activity remains elevated as some indicators decline Though most indicators showed downward trends, deaths were up compared to the previous week. CIDRAP

The nation's COVID activity remains high, but there are more signs of decline in many areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest updates.

Test positivity showed another small decline and is at 16.4% nationally, but is higher in the Midwest and Middle Atlantic. Emergency department visits declined 10.2% from the previous week, but are still at the moderate level in some of the southeastern states....

World sees hottest summer recorded for second consecutive year Summer temperatures broke records for the second consecutive year, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Newly released data found that 2023 experienced the hottest J… zbudryk The Hill

Summer temperatures broke records for the second consecutive year, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.