A new COVID variant, HV.1, is now dominant. These are its most common symptoms A new highly contagious COVID-19 variant, HV.1, is now the dominant strain in the U.S. What to know about transmission, symptoms, vaccines and more. TODAY

As the United States enters respiratory virus season and health officials roll out updated COVID-19 vaccines, a new COVID variant HV.1 has emerged and is currently sweeping the country.

Kindergarten vaccination exemptions at highest level ever The percentage of kindergartners whose parents opted them out of school-required vaccinations rose to the highest level yet during the 2022-2023 school year, according to new federal data released … nweixel The Hill

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The drop in coverage for routine vaccinations against diseases like measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) increase the chances of an outbreak and underscore the continued fallout from barriers to vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Dr. Tom Frieden: Covid-19 is still around, and so are these misconceptions Covid-19 hasn’t gone away, and it won’t any time soon. It’s now part of the landscape of health threats. Although the coronavirus continues to kill and cause lasting damage, our immunity, vaccines and treatments have tamed the pandemic. Opinion by Dr. Tom Frieden AOL

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Three widely held misconceptions reflect and contribute to polarization. For each, there’s a kernel of truth that appears to support the misconception, but the reality is clear.

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Long Covid is hard — here are five tips to help | CNN More than three years after the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many long Covid patients are still experiencing brain fog, extreme fatigue and other health issues, leaving some unable to complete the most basic daily tasks. Here are five ways long Covid patients can try to take care of themselves. Manav Tanneeru CNN

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Long COVID linked to allergies in new study Wavebreakmedia/ iStock CIDRAP

In an analysis of 13 published prospective studies of people of all ages with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were followed up for at least 12 months, pre-existing allergic conditions were linked to higher risks of experiencing long COVID, according to a study today in Clinical & Experimental Allergy.

This is one of the first studies to assess the relationship between long COVID and allergies.

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Tuberculosis fight recovering from COVID-19 knock but still off target- WHO The global fight against tuberculosis (TB), badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, is beginning to recover but remains a long way off target, according to a World Health Organization report. Jennifer Rigby Reuters

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New pandemic-era stress scale aims to help identify at-risk adults, kids FamVeld/ iStock CIDRAP

A new study from researchers at Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program (ECHO) at the National Institutes of Health shows how a stress scale developed to identify who was most at-risk of needing mental health support during the pandemic has the potential to evaluate traumatic stress reactions to ongoing large-scale threats.

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US Senate confirms Monica Bertagnolli as NIH director The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm President Joe Biden's pick to run the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, filling the director spot at the country's top medical research agency after a vacancy of almost two years. Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters

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Partial recall: Personal beliefs may skew pandemic memories, deepen polarization ArtemisDiana / iStock CIDRAP

Personal motivations color people's memories of the COVID-19 pandemic, biasing their assessment of past political actions and complicating emergency-preparedness planning, suggests an analysis of four empirical studies.

COVID-19 death rates higher for ‘critical’ occupations, new study shows The new University of Minnesota study looked COVID-19 deaths by occupation, finding which workers faced the greatest risk from the virus. The study also pointed out failures in Minnesota's rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Yahoo News

...Previous studies have revealed disparities in COVID-19-related deaths among population demographics, including age, race and pre-existing medical conditions, but a new study by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH) has determined another factor – a person’s profession.

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