Scientists race to understand highly mutated coronavirus variant spotted in four countries, including the US | CNN A highly mutated new variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 has countries on alert as scientists scramble to understand how far it has spread and how well our immunity will defend against it. Brenda Goodman CNN

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Only six sequences of BA.2.86 have been reported in four countries, but epidemiologists are worried they could represent many more because worldwide monitoring of variants has dropped off.

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UK posts initial COVID-19 BA.2.86 risk assessment Officials say the rapid appearance in multiple countries in people without travel histories suggests established international spread. CIDRAP

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The newly identified variant has many genetic mutations and is distant from BA.2, its likely ancestor, and currently circulating XBB variants. The similarity of the sequences so far—six samples from four countries—suggests relatively recent emergence and rapid growth, but the HSA said it has low confidence in that assessment, pending the examination of further sequences.

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Florida malaria cases baffle experts “We regularly had this happen every couple of years before [2003]. So it's almost like, why hasn't this happened?" asked one expert. POLITICO

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Incidents of the non-contagious disease — passed on by parasitic mosquitoes — are regularly diagnosed in the U.S., but all are tied to people who are infected when they travel abroad to countries where malaria is present. What makes the Florida and Texas infections so puzzling is that the patients contracted malaria here.

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Prior Omicron infection may not protect against future COVID-19 infection People may assume that a COVID-19 infection protects them the next time they encounter the virus, but that's not necessarily true. Yahoo News

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How Many Times Will the Average Person Get COVID? Because the CDC is no longer tracking COVID cases, it’s hard to determine exactly how many people are getting sick, and how often. People with compromised immune systems may contract the virus more frequently. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus has entered its endemic stage, people are still contracting COVID, and new strains, including EG.5, continue to keep physicians and scientists on alert. Yahoo Life

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‘The heat’s different now’: Why the U.S. was unprepared for a deadly summer Extreme temperatures across the U.S. have put the elderly, outdoors workers and people with no access to cool air at greatest risk of severe heat-related illnesses or even death. POLITICO

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By summer’s end, experts expect the heat will lead to thousands of deaths in the United States, higher numbers than in previous years.

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Long COVID. Shorter Life? New research reveals an arduous road to recovery The first study to look at two years of data shows the devastating effects of long COVID-but there are still no validated treatments. Fortune

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Biden administration to urge Americans get new COVID-19 boosters The Biden administration plans to urge all Americans to get a booster shot for the coronavirus this autumn to counter a new wave of infections, a White House official said on Sunday. Reuters Reuters

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"We will be encouraging all Americans to get those boosters in addition to flu shots and RSV shots," the official said, referring to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

US COVID markers continue slow rise as UK reports first BA.2.86 case Kateryna Onyshchuk / iStock CIDRAP

COVID hospitalizations and death rose last week, along with other indicators and the proportion of newer Omicron variants such as EG.5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest data updates.

‘Eris’ COVID strain leaves vaccine strategy mostly unchanged Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story ‘Eris’ strain leaves vaccine strategy mostly unchanged The updated COVID-19… emartin The Hill

The updated COVID-19 booster shots were designed to target the XBB variant, and they’ll still likely work just as well against the new dominant strain.

City empties as thousands flee huge wildfire closing in on capital of Canada's Northwest Territories Residents are heeding warnings to evacuate the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories as a wildfire burns toward the city of 20,000. AP News

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