Should you be masking with new COVID variants? Experts weigh in. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not announced new mask mandates, some experts say you may want to consider it, depending on your situation. Yahoo Life

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The planet has broiled this summer, with July winning the unwelcome title of the hottest month since records began, in the nineteenth century. Indeed, climate scientists think that it was possibly the hottest month in the past 120,000 years. Given the rapid pace of climate change, however, July offered merely a taste of the heat to come. In 2015, world leaders established a goal to keep average global surface temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. In July, global temperatures breached that critical ceiling, if only briefly. Nearly 5,000 local heat and rainfall records were broken in the United States alone; globally, the number exceeded 10,000. And scientists anticipate that 2023 will clock in as the hottest year on record.

Small study suggests many more people have long COVID than previously believed Data show that 41% of 29 patients who developed a postviral syndrome showed evidence of a previous COVID-19 infection. CIDRAP

A study using SARS-CoV-2 antibody and T-cell tests shows that 41% of 29 patients who developed a postviral syndrome (PVS) showed evidence of a previous COVID-19 infection, suggesting that millions of Americans with long COVID symptoms were exposed to the virus early in the pandemic but couldn't access testing.

CDC, FDA gearing up for fall vaccine campaign with US in ‘strongest position yet’ Federal health authorities are laying out plans for taking on this year’s respiratory viral season, with officials emboldened by the new spate of preventive medications the U.S. has gathered … jchoi The Hill

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Nearly 2 million excess deaths followed China's sudden end of COVID curbs, study says China's move to dismantle its strict COVID regime could have led to nearly 2 million excess deaths, a US study shows. Bernard Orr Reuters

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CDC expects new Covid vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax to be available in mid-September

These Are the COVID Symptoms You Should Know This Fall Expect to see a rise in COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths this fall and winter. Symptoms of COVID still vary from mild to severe. Keep COVID tests on hand so you can determine whether you have COVID or another infection, such as flu or RSV. Yahoo Life

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Families felt pandemic burdens differently, depending on education level and child age evgenyatamanenko / iStock CIDRAP

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Caregivers who had less than a high school education (compared to a master’s degree or higher) had more challenges accessing COVID-19 tests, lower odds of working remotely (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03 to 0.07), and more food-access concerns (aOR, 4.14; 95% CI, 3.20 to 5.36).

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