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US Experiencing Covid-19 Surge In Every State 

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Every state in the US is currently experiencing a rise in Covid-19 cases, with healthcare professionals and experts warning citizens to be on the lookout for symptoms, and stay diligent with healthy lifestyle practices. 

Dr. John Brooks, an infectious disease doctor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia who also used to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NPR about how as a country, “we’re now in the midst of a growing summer surge of Covid.” 

“I think most of us kind of feel like it’s fading away and are certainly very grateful for that. But nationally we’re seeing [Covid-19] ticking up pretty much everywhere.”

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According to the CDC, the disease is mainly spreading in the South and West, but is also rising in the Northeast and Midwest. As of right now, however, the virus is still at very low levels, and the current wave of infections is following along the trend of getting milder each year, with less people being hospitalized or dying. 

“What we’re seeing is very likely evidence of growing herd immunity if you will,” Dr. Brooks said. 

“More and more people have had one or more infections that give them some immunity against the virus and have had more than one vaccination, or maybe both, and all of that really has begun to offer us a lot of protection.”

The most important thing that doctors want US residents to remember is Covid-19 never disappeared, and is still greatly impacting communities around the nation. Many are still finding themselves feeling intensely sick for up to two weeks, and for some people, Covid can still cause serious disease, hospitalizations, and in the worst of cases, death. 

Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, emphasized this point to NPR, stating that “Covid-19 is still dangerous, particularly for older adults, infants, and people who are immunocompromised.” 

“In a typical office if you have 20 colleagues, it’s likely that one or two of them are some degree of immunocompromised. So it’s very common that people have risk factors that make Covid-19 dangerous.”

Rivers also pointed out that unlike flu season, which sees a major surge in the winter months, Covid-19 has seen spikes twice a year since the initial pandemic in 2020. That biannual surge remains a mystery to experts. 

“It’s a big mystery as far as I’m concerned. It is the only seasonal respiratory virus that has a summer season. To my knowledge, we don’t know what is causing this seasonality.”

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Rivers advises the general public to stay up to date on their vaccines, and pointed out how she still wears a mask when she’s in crowded places. Staying consistent with your vaccines also allows the body to stay strong against the new and dominant strains that emerge. 

The CDC has not issued any updated recommendations for Covid-19 vaccinations due to litigation over the Trump administration’s work to overhaul immunizations in the US, according to reports. 

The administration itself no longer recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older routinely get an annual shot. Major medical groups, however, still highly recommend it. 

Major insurance companies throughout the nation have also emphasized that they will continue to cover the costs of vaccinations, and the shots themselves will also still be free through other government programs. 

Public health experts are worried about the opposing messages regarding vaccines and how they might confuse more vulnerable populations as well. 

Claire Hannan, for example, is an executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers which works to advocate for immunization and the multiple free programs that offer them throughout the US. 

“The message is that the Covid-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine will be available, they’re covered by insurers, they’re recommended by medical societies. People should get them and get them for their kids.”

Dr. Brooks also pointed out that there’s also now a new drug called Xocova that individuals can take right after they’ve been exposed to the virus to decrease their chances of getting sick from Covid-19. This will especially be useful for individuals working in the healthcare industry who are exposed to a myriad of sick patients every day. 

“It is something for people to just have in the back of their mind.”

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West Coast States Issuing Joint Vaccine Guidelines As CDC And HHS Make Massive Changes And Cuts 

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California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii are releasing their own joining recommendations for who should receive Covid, flu, and RSV vaccines this fall. This decision was made to counteract the new vaccine guidance that will be coming from the Trump administration, which has also removed prominent scientists and health experts from the federal health department. 

The administration has also put individuals who are vaccine skeptics and critics in key roles throughout the department, leading to the four states wanting to take control. The recently terminated director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, testified to Congress about her fear of health in the US under Robert F Kennedy Jr as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

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“There’s a real risk that recommendations could be made restricting access to vaccines for children and others in need, without rigorous scientific review.”

The four states have formed what they are calling the West Coast Health Alliance. The Alliance is urging Americans to get this year’s Covid-19 vaccine if they are pregnant, aged 65 or older, are immunocompromised/have a range of risk factors, or are just choosing to keep themselves protected. 

They also stated that children from age 23 months to six should receive the vaccine as should older children and teenagers who have not been vaccinated or have risk factors. 

“These recommendations represent a collaborative effort, done with humility and based on science, to meet our responsibilities to our communities and the public at large,” Dr Kenneth Fink, the director of Hawai’i’s department of health, said in a statement.

The states’ recommendations go against the Trump administrations current vaccine guidelines for Covid-19. Kennedy is one of the most prominent vaccine skeptics in the US, and he announced back in May that the federal government no longer recommends pregnant people and children receive the Covid-19 vaccine. 

They announced the West Coast Health Alliance in early September after the White House forced Monarez out. Monarez often went up against Kennedy over the ways he was trying to reshape federal vaccine policies and contradicting long-standing scientific research. 

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The acting head of the CDC under Trump is a former speechwriter and investment executive with no actual medical or scientific background. California governor Gavin Newsom said that the state health officials who developed the new recommendations within the Alliance are “all medical doctors.”

According to reports, the recommendations are also based on official guidance from major health associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Kennedy got rid of existing members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June. Even one Republican senator who’s also a medical doctor called this move concerning. Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy discussed the risk of rescinding the recommendation for an infant hepatitis B vaccine. 

Cassidy issued a statement calling for a “postponement of the ACIP meeting. If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations made should be rejected as lacking legitimacy given the seriousness of the allegations and the current turmoil in CDC leadership.”

In her congressional testimony, Monarez warned that Kennedy had told her that “the childhood vaccine schedule would be changing starting in September, and I needed to be on board with it.” She also discussed how she was fired after not pledging to “commit in advance to approving every ACIP recommendation, regardless of the scientific evidence.” She added that she also was terminated for resisting the removal of career public health officials that were responsible for vaccine policy without a legitimate cause. 

“If vaccine protections are weakened, preventable diseases will return,” Monarez testified.

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Ex-CDC Director Says RFK Jr. Pressured Her to Back Vaccine Schedule Overhaul, Cites Political Meddling

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At a tense Senate hearing on Wednesday, former CDC Director Susan Monarez alleged that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressured her to support a revision of the childhood vaccine schedule — a plan she says lacked scientific basis and led to her removal.

Monarez told members of the Senate Health Committee that Kennedy insisted changes to the immunization schedule would take effect in September and demanded her support without providing any data. “He said I needed to be on board,” Monarez recounted under questioning from Committee Chair Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

The testimony came as part of a broader inquiry into upheaval within the CDC and Kennedy’s controversial role in shaping the agency’s direction. Cassidy reminded the room that Kennedy had promised not to alter the vaccine schedule when he was nominated in January.

Monarez described Kennedy’s demeanor during their exchange as “extremely animated” and said he launched into a tirade, accusing CDC employees of endangering children.

“He said that CDC employees were killing children, and they don’t care. He said that CDC employees were bought by the pharmaceutical industry. He said the CDC forced people to wear masks and social distance like a dictatorship. He said during the Covid outbreak, the CDC told hospitals to turn away sick Covid patients until they had blue lips before allowing them to get treatment. Those statements are not true.”

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In an emotional moment, Monarez also described the lingering trauma at the CDC following an August shooting in which a gunman, who reportedly blamed vaccines for his health issues, opened fire on the agency’s Atlanta headquarters, killing a police officer.

“Each bullet was meant for a person, and each of my staff were very traumatized afterwards,” she said, adding that staff became so afraid they removed their names from vaccine-related studies and refused to speak publicly on the topic.

The hearing also featured testimony from Dr. Deb Houry, the CDC’s former chief medical officer, who recently resigned in protest alongside two other senior officials. Houry accused Kennedy of compromising the agency’s scientific independence, saying he “censored CDC science, politicized its processes and stripped leaders of independence.”

“I could not, in good conscience, remain under those conditions,” she added.

Both Monarez and Houry pointed to increasing political interference in areas traditionally governed by science. They specifically named Stuart Burns, a former GOP staffer and Kennedy aide with known ties to the anti-vaccine movement, as someone playing a central role in determining which vaccines are recommended by federal advisory panels.

Monarez further testified that Kennedy had asked her to meet with Aaron Siri, an anti-vaccine attorney and longtime associate of Kennedy who represented him during his failed presidential run. Siri has made a name and fortune challenging vaccine mandates and representing clients claiming vaccine injury. He once filed a petition to revoke approval for a polio vaccine.

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The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the federal panel responsible for vaccine guidance, is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the childhood immunization schedule. Kennedy removed previous members of the committee in June and replaced them with individuals widely viewed as vaccine skeptics, many of whom lack direct medical or scientific expertise.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, Andrew Nixon, defended Monarez’s dismissal, claiming she had “acted maliciously to undermine the president’s agenda.” He insisted that any updates to the vaccine schedule would be “based on the latest available science.”

“Any potential changes to the childhood vaccine schedule will be based on the latest available science, and only after the ACIP recommends it and the acting CDC director reviews and approves those recommendations.”

Still, the growing number of departures and allegations of political meddling have raised alarm bells among public health experts and lawmakers alike. Cassidy noted the apparent contradiction between Kennedy’s public assurances and his private push for unvetted changes.

Less than a month after praising her “unimpeachable scientific credentials,” Secretary Kennedy fired her,” Cassidy said, referring to Monarez’s swearing-in. “

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Trump Administration Terminates Moderna Bird Flu Vaccine Deal, Undermining Pandemic Preparedness

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In a striking reversal of pandemic preparedness efforts, the Trump administration has canceled a $600 million contract with Moderna aimed at developing a human vaccine against H5N1 bird flu—a virus with the potential to spark a national outbreak.

The termination also scrapped a key provision granting the U.S. priority access to doses in the event of a pandemic, dismantling an agreement crafted under the Biden administration to boost national readiness against the evolving bird flu threat. The Moderna initiative had expanded on a $175 million government investment made in 2023.

Although the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had signaled earlier this year that the contract was under review, the cancellation has still raised alarms across the scientific and public health communities.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long questioned the safety of mRNA vaccine technology, played a role in the decision. Moderna’s vaccine design relied on mRNA, the same technology used successfully in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 shots, to prime the immune system by delivering a coded message to produce a harmless piece of the virus.

After what it described as a “rigorous review,” the HHS said it found “continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable,” according to department spokesman Andrew Nixon.

Moderna, for its part, defended the project and the underlying mRNA platform. The biotech company said it would continue exploring other avenues to develop vaccines targeting potentially pandemic-level influenza strains.

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“Results during the pandemic speak for themselves, including demonstrated efficacy and a safety profile established in over a billion people worldwide.”

Public health experts are calling the decision short-sighted, particularly given the nature of bird flu’s current spread. The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus has been detected globally in wild birds, poultry, mammals such as bears and sea lions, and most recently, dairy cattle. Since arriving in the U.S. in 2022, it has triggered the culling of more than 173 million birds and infected over 1,000 cattle herds across 17 states.

At least 70 human cases have been reported, with the majority involving farm or dairy workers. One fatality occurred in January in Louisiana, involving an older adult exposed to infected backyard birds, the first known U.S. death tied to the virus.

While H5N1 has not yet shown sustained human-to-human transmission, virologists warn it could mutate and become highly contagious, underscoring the urgent need for adaptable vaccine platforms. Existing stockpiles of bird flu vaccines are limited and may not offer sufficient protection against future variants.

“Pandemic preparedness is about being proactive, fast and adaptable — the mRNA vaccine platform is all of that,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told The New York Times.

“The rationale given is likely fabricated and more of a function of R.F.K. Jr.’s assault on vaccines, the value of which he evades. Canceling this contract makes the world less safe.”

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Jennifer Nuzzo, who leads the Pandemic Center at Brown University, echoed that concern.

“When the next flu pandemic occurs, there is not going to be enough vaccine for everyone who wants it unless we invest to broaden the types of flu vaccines being made and the number of companies that make them. We shouldn’t let politically motivated attempts to unfairly brand mRNA vaccines as dangerous stand in the way of ensuring everyone who wants a pandemic vaccine can get one.”

Critics attribute Kennedy’s unconventional views on disease management as a key factor in the administration’s decision. In a recent interview, he suggested that farmers allow bird flu to run through flocks to study birds that survive the illness for the source of their immunity — an approach many scientists describe as both unethical and dangerous.

Last week, Kennedy publicly urged Canada to halt the planned euthanasia of 400 ostriches exposed to H5N1. Dr. Mehmet Oz, who heads Medicare and Medicaid services, even offered to relocate the birds to his Florida ranch.

Kennedy has a long history of promoting vaccine skepticism, especially toward mRNA vaccines, which he has falsely claimed are the “deadliest” ever developed. Such assertions starkly contradict a broad scientific consensus.

Currently, the federal government holds three other contracts focused on avian flu vaccine development. Still, the Moderna cancellation deals a significant blow to the push for faster, more agile pandemic response tools — and signals a broader resistance within the administration to emerging vaccine technologies.

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Under RFK Jr.’s Watch, CDC to Conduct Vaccine-Autism Study Despite Decades of Scientific Consensus

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Federal officials announced on Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will conduct a large-scale study to investigate the connection between vaccines and autism despite decades of research and hundreds of studies showing no link.

The CDC is overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is known for his anti-vaccine sentiments, including his criticism of the COVID-19 vaccine and claims that childhood immunizations cause autism.

A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson, Andrew Nixon, addressed the agency’s intentions in a statement but did not provide specifics regarding the study’s scope or methodology.

“As President Trump said in his Joint Address to Congress, the rate of autism in American children has skyrocketed. CDC will leave no stone unturned in its mission to figure out what exactly is happening. The American people expect high-quality research and transparency and that is what CDC is delivering.”

There has been a notable increase in the number of autism diagnoses across the United States. Recent data collected by the CDC from 11 states indicates that approximately 1 in 36 children are diagnosed, a significant increase from the 1 in 150 reported in 2000.

Experts point to greater awareness of the disorder and shifts in its classification by medical professionals as the primary reasons driving the recent surge. However, some scientists suggest additional factors, both genetic and environmental, may also be contributing.

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The CDC is moving forward with its study despite opposition from the chairman of the Senate Health Committee, Senator Bill Cassidy. Cassidy is a Louisiana Republican and former doctor known for his strong vaccine advocacy.

During the confirmation hearing for Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President Trump’s choice to lead the National Institutes of Health, Cassidy said that more research into a possible link between vaccines and autism would be a waste of funds and would take attention away from other investigations that could find the “true reason” why the number of autism cases is rising.

“It’s been exhaustively studied. The more we pretend like this is an issue, the more we will have children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Dr. Bhattacharya, however, believes there is no link between vaccines and autism based on the current research but wants to calm anxious parents with additional studies.

The proposed CDC research comes amid a quickly growing measles outbreak in West Texas that has infected nearly 200 individuals and killed two. According to Texas health officials, 80 infected were unvaccinated, while 113 had “unknown vaccination status.”

Last year, approximately 82 percent of the kindergarten population in the county most impacted by the outbreak had gotten the measles vaccination. Since measles is extremely contagious, preventing its spread relies on 95% of a community being vaccinated.

In response to an interview question about the CDC’s intentions, Xavier Becerra, health secretary to former President Biden, said, “All I’ll say is that CDC can do many things. They can walk and chew gum, but I would hope CDC is being used to help us get a grip on measles before another life needlessly dies, perishes.”

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Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told The New York Times in an email that the CDC’s recent decision could potentially divert essential resources from learning more about the disorder.

“There are so many promising leads for the cause or causes of autism. Vaccines aren’t one of them. Given that there are limited resources from the CDC, this is a sad day for children with autism.”

Like Kennedy, President Trump has pushed the thought that vaccines may be linked to rising cases of autism. He first talked about this idea in 2007 and brought it up again during his 2015 presidential bid. Recently, he expressed his willingness to support Kennedy in his initiatives, and in his speech to Congress on Tuesday, he talked about the rising number of autism diagnoses.

“We’re going to find out what it is, and there’s nobody better than Bobby and all of the people that are working with you. Bobby, good luck. It’s a very important job.”

Kennedy secured Senate confirmation as health secretary with a razor-thin margin. On the second day of the confirmation hearings, Senator Cassidy voiced significant concerns regarding Kennedy’s previous inquiries into vaccines, referencing a study involving 1.2 million children, which concluded that there was no link between vaccines and autism.

Kennedy refuted the study by citing a “new” study that “showed the opposite.” A review by The New York Times of the study revealed that it was funded, written, and released by a group of vaccine skeptics affiliated with Kennedy. After facing rejection from multiple mainstream medical journals, the study was published in a journal run by vaccine critics with the help of Andrew Wakefield, the author of a discredited 1998 study that connected vaccines to autism and played a significant role in fueling the modern anti-vaccine movement.

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Scientists Worried About Bird Flu Vaccine Development As Cases Rise In Farm Animals Across US 

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The avian flu virus has been taking out flocks of birds and infecting other animals, mainly on farms, throughout the US. According to reports from CBS, there are cattle in at least nine states that have been infected, as well as two people. While the two individuals only suffered from pink eye and quickly recovered, the spreading is relatively unheard of, raising concerns of another global pandemic. 

Scientists are particularly concerned about the millions of fertilized hen eggs that are needed to make vaccines, in the case that there’s a larger outbreak of a new flu strain. 

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“It’s almost comical to be using 1940s technology for a 21st-century pandemic,” said Rick Bright, who led the Health and Human Services Department’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

“It’s not so funny when the currently stockpiled formulation against the H5N1 bird flu virus requires two shots and a whopping 90 micrograms of antigen, yet provides just middling immunity. For the U.S. alone, it would take hens laying 900,000 eggs every single day for nine months,” Bright said.

The raw material utilized for an influenza vaccine derives from the virus being grown within fertilized eggs. The birds themselves need to not be infected, and there’s always a chance that the virus won’t grow well, or well grow in a mutated form that would make it ineffective. 

“Everyone knows cell-based vaccines are better, more immunogenic, and offer better production. But they are handicapped because of the clout of egg-based manufacturing,” said Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security. 

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“The companies that make the cell-based influenza vaccines, CSL Seqirus and Sanofi, also have billions invested in egg-based production lines that they aren’t eager to replace. And it’s hard to blame them,” said Nicole Lurie, an executive director of CEPI, the global epidemic-fighting nonprofit.

“Most vaccine companies that responded to an epidemic — Ebola, Zika, COVID — ended up losing a lot of money on it,” Lurie said.

CBS reported that Adalja said “the vaccines currently in the national stockpile are not a perfect match for the strain in question. Even with two shots containing six times as much vaccine substance as typical flu shots, the stockpiled vaccines were only partly effective against strains of the virus that circulated when those vaccines were made.” 

“Flu vaccine companies have a system that works well right now to accomplish their objectives in manufacturing the seasonal vaccine. And without a financial incentive, we are going to be here with eggs for a while, I think,” Boucher said.

Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine 

FDA Places Strict Limits On Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine 

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week that it is limiting the emergency use authorization of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine for individuals 18 and older. The vaccine is now available for adults who don’t have access to other vaccinations and for adults who aren’t able to receive the other Covid-19 vaccine for personal medical reasons. 

The FDA released a statement in which they detailed the changes and why they’re being made. They explained that the change is being implemented due to the rare risk of a dangerous clotting condition known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after receiving the vaccine. 

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“We’ve been closely monitoring the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and occurrence of TTS following its administration and have used updated information from our safety surveillance systems to revise the EUA,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the statement. 

“We recognize that the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine still has a role in the current pandemic response in the United States and across the global community. Today’s action demonstrates the robustness of our safety surveillance systems and our commitment to ensuring that science and data guide our actions.”

The agency also confirmed that the updated authorizations apply to booster doses as well. The FDA also emphasized that the benefits of the J&J vaccine outweigh the risks for certain individuals as well. 

In their statement, they wrote that individuals who had a severe allergic reaction to an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna), have personal concerns over mRNA vaccines, or don’t have access to mRNA vaccines should definitely receive the J&J jab. 

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 18.7 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the US, and of all the Americans who are currently fully vaccinated, about 7.7% got the J&J vaccine. 

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The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee issued their own statement on Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, saying it “makes a preferential recommendation for the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over the Janssen adenoviral-vectored COVID-19 vaccine in all persons aged  ≥ 18 years in the United States.”

Both the CDC and FDA have made these statements mainly due to TTS concerns. When rare clotting events began appearing in the initial periods of vaccination in the US, Johnson & Johnson made a statement emphasizing their commitment to giving Americans a safe and effective vaccine. 

“The safety and well-being of the people who use our products is our number one priority. We are aware of an extremely rare disorder involving people with blood clots in combination with low platelets in a small number of individuals who have received our COVID-19 vaccine. … We have been working closely with medical experts and health authorities, and we strongly support the open communication of this information to healthcare professionals and the public.”

The FDA released data that showed around 60 cases of TTS since the J&J vaccine began its distribution, nine of those unfortunately were fatal. 

The FDA emphasized, however, that the risk for TTS is extremely rare. Current data shows that there’s about three cases of TTS for every million doses administered. 

Symptoms of TTS can appear within one to two weeks after vaccination, and they include shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, neurological symptoms like headaches or blurred vision, and red spots appearing under the skin at the site of vaccination.

Despite Cases Falling, WHO Director-General Warns That “COVID Isn’t Finished”

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On Wednesday, the World Health Organization’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that despite falling cases, “COVID isn’t finished with us” – a phrase that may sound like a broken record to many.

“Depending on where you live, it might feel like the COVID-19 pandemic is almost over, or, it might feel like it is at its worst. But wherever you live, COVID isn’t finished with us,” Tedros said, adding that while the pandemic’s trends can change at any moment, we have the vaccines and resources necessary to combat it.

“Diseases know no borders, and as we all know from Omicron, any feeling of safety can change in a moment. We know this virus will continue to evolve. But we are not defenceless. We have the tools to prevent this disease, to test for it, and to treat it.”

The world has seen a very positive decrease in recent weeks after hitting the worst high since the pandemic began. On Jan. 25, 3,774,458 COVID-19 cases were recorded globally, bringing the seven-day average to 3,371,138. Since then, the numbers have slowly but surely dropped, with Feb. 8’s seven-day average hitting 2,660,107.

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The Associated Press noted that in the WHO’s weekly epidemiological report, released Tuesday, showed cases fell 17% worldwide over the last week, while deaths rose 7%. In the U.S. — the world’s leading country in total cases and deaths — cases dropped 50%

However, the U.S. was still the top country with 1,874,006 new cases in the report. Among other countries with the highest COVID-19 cases recorded include France (1,738,189 cases, 26% decrease), Germany (1,285,375 cases, 22% increase) and Brazil, which didn’t see any significant increases or decreases.

“Where people have access to those tools, this virus can be brought under control,” the director-general explained, while saying that in places that don’t have access to resources, COVID-19 continues “to spread, to evolve, and to kill.” Tedros gave his remarks at the launch of the WHO’s ACT-Accelerator campaign for global equity in COVID-19 tests, vaccines, and equipment.

The ACT-Accelerator campaign is currently asking 55 countries for $23 billion in funding to accomplish those goals of further resources globally. The WHO insisted that with every month of delay, the world stands to lose “four times” the investment the campaign needs.

According to the organization, 4.7 billion COVID-19 tests have been administered since the beginning of the pandemic, though just 22 million have been given in low-income countries, 0.4% of the global total. Meanwhile, 10% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dosage.

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Tedros explained that the emergence of Omicron — which has a new subvariant, Omicron BA.2 — makes securing treatments and aid globally that much more crucial. WHO’s regional director Dr. Dorit Nitzan, explained that BA.2, which currently only accounts for 4% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., will likely become dominant due to its high tramissionability.

However, some officials appear more optimistic than others regarding the lull. The director of WHO’s Europe office, Dr. Hans Kluge, stated that the continent is facing a “plausible endgame” in regards to the pandemic. “This period of higher protection should be seen as a cease-fire that could bring us enduring peace,” Kluge said.

Australia Will Reopen Borders To Vaccinated International Travelers 

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this week that Australia will open its borders up fully for vaccinated international travelers starting later this month. The decision was made after Prime Minister Morrison met with the government’s national security committee. 

“The National Security Committee and Cabinet has decided today that Australia will reopen our borders to all remaining visa holders on the 21st of February,” Morrison said.

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Australia has remained mostly closed since early 2020 when the pandemic began. Through travel program collaborations with New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, they’ve been able to slowly start reopening their borders for vaccinated travelers. 

As it currently stands, citizens, permanent residents and their families, as well as international students, backpackers, and migrant workers are allowed to enter the country if they can provide proof of two doses of an approved Covid-19 vaccine. Tourists will have to abide by the same rules as well. 

“The condition is you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia. That’s the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it. State-based caps on quarantine will continue and those caps will still be determined by state and territory governments,” Morrison explained. 

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Morrison went on to explain how visa requirements are different from the vaccination requirements being put in place for entry into the nation: “Your visa is one thing, but your entry into Australia requires you also to be double vaccinated and I think events earlier in the year should have sent a very clear message I think to everyone around the world that that is the requirement to enter into Australia.”

Morrison also explained that one of the biggest goals with the reopening it to help the travel industry recover within the country: “I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that, and over the next two weeks they’ll get the opportunity both for visitors to be coming and for them to be gearing up to welcome international visitors back to Australia.”

Currently about 80% of eligible adults in Australia are fully vaccinated, a majority of which occurred after Tourism Australia released an ad campaign titled “Our Best Shot For Travel” across all online and physical news platforms to encourage citizens to get their inoculations so they could return to some level of normalcy when it comes to traveling. 

As of February 7th, Australia has over 2.7 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, of which there were also around 4,200 deaths. 

New Proposed Bill Would Require All California Schoolchildren To Be Vaccinated Against Covid-19 

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California State Senator Richard Pan will be proposing a bill this week that would overturn a loophole in the state’s requirement over children receiving their Covid-19 vaccinations. 

The bill will add Covid-19 vaccines to California’s list of required vaccinations for children attending K-12 programs. This bill would also override Governor Gavin Newsom’s scaled back mandates from last year. 

“We need to make sure schools are safe so that all parents are comfortable sending their children to school, and we want to keep schools open.”

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This legislation marks the second major vaccine bill announced this year from a work group of Democratic lawmakers who are focused on increasing vaccination rates, while combating the spread of misinformation. 

Last Thursday Senator Scott Wiener introduced a bill that would permit children 12 and over to choose to be vaccinated without a parent’s consent or knowledge. Both bills are likely to be met with opposition from groups who are against vaccine mandates in general. 

California currently requires all students at public and private universities to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations, however, this mandate won’t be enforced until the US Food and Drug Administration fully approves the shot for children ages 12 and older. 

Currently the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is fully FDA approved for individuals aged 16 and older. Once the vaccine is fully approved, however, parents could still opt their children out of being vaccinated due to personal beliefs. 

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“We should be having conversations about what’s best for our children and what’s best for the safety of schools,” Pan said.

Pan’s bill will require all students from kindergarten to 12th grade to be vaccinated against Covid-19. By adding the Covid-19 inoculations to the state’s list of required vaccines for students, parents would need a full medical exemption to skip those doses. 

The bill would also allow the California Department of Public Health to mandate vaccines without requiring the state to offer personal belief exemptions for individuals who still haven’t been vaccinated. 

“The evidence clearly shows that vaccines help reduce the spread of infection, which will reduce transmission in schools and protect those who are medically vulnerable. The vaccine will also help reduce COVID-related absences, and reduce the likelihood that schools will need to be closed for outbreaks,” wrote the superintendents at LA Unified, the state’s largest school district, in a letter to legislative leaders.