Headlines China battles rising numbers of BA.5 cases (The Washington Post) Just a few weeks after Shanghai authorities declared victory over Covid-19 following two months of lockdowns, the city confirmed cases of BA.5, the increasingly dominant strain of Omicron, this past weekend. While responding to questions on WeChat, the government said it plans to conduct PCR tests for all residents in nine of the city's 16 districts. Meanwhile, Macau, a special administrative region of China and major gambling destination, announced today that it's closing its casinos for a week due to an outbreak of more than 1,500 confirmed cases. Other cities in the country are upping the frequency of mandatory PCR testing as well. Scientists identify a new variant in more than 10 countries (Associated Press) Experts have spotted a new variant, BA.2.75, that appears to be spreading rapidly and may be able to evade immunity from vaccines and previous infections, though it's still unclear whether it will outcompete BA.5, which is currently the most dominant strain globally. This new mutation has been identified in several parts of India, where it seems to be spreading more quickly than other variants, as well as in 10 other countries, including the UK, Canada, and the US. The EU expands eligibility for second boosters (The Guardian) EU officials have advised everyone over 60, as well as people who are immune-compromised, to get a second booster shot as hospitalizations and infections rise across the continent. This is largely due to the increasing prevalence of the BA.5 Omicron strain. This recommendation is effective immediately and expands on guidance issued in April that anyone over 80 get an additional shot. Today Moderna also announced that it has completed submissions to regulators for its updated vaccine in Europe, the UK, and Australia. |
