September sizzled to records and was so much warmer than average scientists call it 'mind-blowing' After a record-smashing hot summer, Earth's warming somehow got even worse in September. The European climate agency says temperatures last month set a new mark for how far above normal they hit. AP News

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Nursing schools are turning away thousands of applicants during a major nursing shortage. Here's why | CNN Business At a time when registered nurses are going on strike to protest staffing shortages, thousands of applicants who want to enter or advance in the profession are being turned away from nursing schools. Tami Luhby CNN

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How Bad Will This Respiratory Virus Season Be? CDC Weighs In. Agency officials also outlined recommendations for COVID, RSV, and influenza vaccines Shannon Firth medpagetoday

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"The bottom line here is we're likely to have a similar number of total hospitalizations as we had last year," Dylan George, PhD, director of the CDC's Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, told reporters during a webinar on Wednesday.

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Why the new COVID shot is a game-changer (and why the term ‘booster’ is obsolete) The latest vaccine formula is available in local pharmacies now. Experts say it will be like the annual flu shot: one and done. Here’s why. Science

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US FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID shot, shares rise The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it authorized an updated version of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in individuals aged 12 years and older, and the company's shares closed 8% higher. Sriparna Roy,Michael Erman Reuters

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Biden world at a loss over how to stop the growing anti-vax movement - POLITICO

As conservative views collide with science, doctors find themselves navigating political landmines Physicians are increasingly at the center of a widening cleave between conservative America and science writ large. Sarah Owermohle STAT

...Scores of practicing physicians and the national groups that represent them are increasingly at the center of a widening cleave between conservative America and science writ large. The gap has doctors young and old questioning how to navigate political landmines and limits in their communities — or whether they should at all.

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Moderna combination Covid, flu vaccine shows positive data (cnbc.com)

• Moderna on Wednesday said its combination vaccine targeting Covid and the flu will move to a final stage trial after showing positive results in an earlier study.
• The biotech company is hoping its shot, mRNA-1083, can win approval from regulators in 2025. 

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Drugmakers agree to negotiate drug prices with government, White House says The manufacturers of 10 prescription drugs — including Eliquis, Xarelto and Januvia — will take part in the negotiations. NBC News

Major drug companies including Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb have committed to participate in Medicare drug price negotiations with the federal government, the Biden administration said Tuesday.

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COVID booster uptake hindered by prior infections, fear of side effects Ratana21/iStock CIDRAP

Only 20% of Americans eligible for COVID-19 boosters get them, and today in Vaccine, researchers published the results of a new survey of 2,000 US adults to understand why uptake is so low.

FDA signs off on updated protein-based Covid-19 vaccine from Novavax | CNN The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized Novavax’s updated protein-based Covid-19 vaccine for people 12 and older. Amanda Sealy, Brenda Goodman CNN

This vaccine is effective against EG.5, the currently dominant coronavirus strain in the United States, and like Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines, it has been updated to target the XBB Omicron subvariant.