Bird Flu News:

• Extreme heat is complicating the battle against bird flu, as poultry farm workers struggle to work in high temps with proper PPE, including masks and goggles, and fans may spread virus through the air. (KFF Health News)
• Early genetic analysis suggests that the virus that infected 5 CO poultry workers is the same genotype infecting dairy cattle. (CIDRAP)
• The USDA maintains that bird flu can be eliminated from dairy cows, even as doubts mount among experts. (STAT)
• How infected and culled chickens are disposed of is raising concerns, particularly if they are sent to landfills. (Reuters)

Health News:

• President Biden tested positive for COVID with mild symptoms amid a nationwide summer surge. (AP)
• The Cloudstrike outage has forced many healthcare providers to cancel appointments, procedures, and testing. (Quartz)
• COVID wastewater levels are high across the U.S., with hotspots in the West, Texas, and Florida. (Axios)
• Two Canadians are dead from Listeria-contaminated milk alternatives sold under the Silk and Great Value brands, with 10 more sick. (NY Times)
• Amazon’s Prime Day event is a major cause of injuries for warehouse workers, a Senate review found. (AP)
• About 7% of U.S. adults (18 million people) have had long COVID. (Washington Post)
• Long COVID is more prevalent among Americans with disabilities, new CDC data show. (STAT)
• ‘Teflon flu’ is a rare illness linked to the coating on some nonstick pans, which can give off fumes at very high temperatures. (Washington Post)
• As GLP-1 sales surge, insulin users fear that Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly will move on without them. (STAT)
• IL reported its first West Nile case of the year. (Chicago Tribune)

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Mental Health & Substance Use News:

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• Mental health clinics across the U.S. are helping latinos bridge language and access barriers. (AP)
• Extreme heat can impact mental health along with physical health. (ABC)
• Montana’s plan to curb opioid overdoses includes naloxone (Narcan) vending machines. (KFF Health News)

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or need help, call or text 988.

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Best Questions:

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Is there anything different about the latest COVID variants?

The latest group of dominant variants, called FLiRT variants (which include KP.3, KP.2, JN.1, and others), are grouped together because they have similar new mutations on their spike protein and have been outcompeting other variants to make up most of the cases in the U.S. this summer. The good news is that they don’t cause any major changes in symptoms from the other Omicron variants we’ve been seeing for the last couple of years. Symptoms tend to be more mild, but that’s mostly because of our increased immunity to the disease, not to the specific mutations themselves. Over the years, the average onset time of illness has gotten shorter, down from an average of 6.5 days to 3.4 for most Omicron subvariants, including these FLiRT variants. On the shorter end, symptoms can appear in as few as two days after exposure. While it’s still preliminary, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. are seeing FLiRT variants rising, and all had recent upticks in COVID cases. Whether that’s correlated is yet to be determined, but we are keeping an eye on rising wastewater positives, hospital visits, and cases in the U.S. 

Sources: JHU, CDC, Osterholm Update

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If I get COVID, should I bother taking Paxlovid?

Whether or not to take Paxlovid if you’re COVID-positive is ultimately a decision you should make with your medical provider, but there are some things to keep in mind. First, you need to take it within five days of developing symptoms, though it works best the sooner you start taking it. You’ll also need a prescription, which generally means you need to qualify as high risk for developing severe COVID or have underlying conditions. Ultimately, there have been a number of studies that showed varying effectiveness for adults who take Paxlovid - even Pfizer’s own studies say it may not help people who are at low to moderate risk, who are fully vaccinated, and who have mild illness. For those at higher risk for severe disease and those who are unvaccinated, though, there is evidence that it can significantly reduce your risk of hospitalization and death. If you are unvaccinated or have higher risk factors, call your doctor right after you test positive to discuss the pros and cons and make a decision together. 

Sources: Yale Medicine, Scientific American

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Best Read:

Top FDA officials weighing regulation of ultra-processed foods, internal documents show - STAT

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