Disease Prevention

Study: COVID vaccines saved 1.6 million lives in Europe New estimates published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine show that at least 1.6 million European lives have been directly saved by COVID-19 vaccinations, with 60% of those lives saved when Omicron became the dominant strain of the virus—and those numbers may be an undercount.  CIDRAP

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As of March 2023, 2.2 million COVID-19–related deaths have been reported across Europe. 

Healthy pre-COVID lifestyle may protect against severe infection A University of Oxford-led study links a healthy pre-infection lifestyle to a 36% lower risk of long COVID, a 41% lower odds of death, and 22% lower chance of hospitalization. CIDRAP

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The researchers assessed the association of modifiable lifestyle factors (eg, smoking, alcohol use, body mass index, physical activity, time spent in sedentary activities, sleep duration, diet) with long COVID, death, and hospitalization among 68,896 adults in the UK Biobank cohort who tested positive for COVID-19 from March 2020 to March 2022.

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What to know about the updated COVID vaccines coming this fall Updated COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be rolled out in August or September. Here's everything you need to know about the shots. ABC News ABC News

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The updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccines will target the JN.1 lineage of the virus, an offshoot of the omicron variant.

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The CDC’s Test for Bird Flu Works, but It Has Issues - KFF Health News The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promises better tests are being developed, but the episode points to vulnerabilities in the country’s defense against emerging outbreaks. Terry Byrne KFF Health News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a glitch in its bird flu test hasn’t harmed the agency’s outbreak response. But it has ignited scrutiny of its go-it-alone approach in testing for emerging pathogens.