COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers, international travelers to end May 11 - UPI.com The Biden administration has announced plans to end COVID-19 vaccine requirements next week for federal employees, international travelers, Head Start educators and CMS-certified healthcare facilities. UPI

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What to know about XBB.1.16, the 'Arcturus' variant The subvariant accounts for nearly 10% of new Covid cases in the U.S. NBC News

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Covid-sniffing dogs can help detect infections in K-12 schools, new study suggests | CNN Elementary students lined up behind a white curtain in the middle of a grand gymnasium at their school in northern California. They stood still as a dog handler walked a yellow Labrador along the other side of the curtain. Jacqueline Howard CNN

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Global COVID markers decline, but hot spots remain in two regions CIDRAP

Though COVID-19 cases and deaths continued to decline over the past 4 weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) is tracking rises in two of its regions, South East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean. In its weekly update today, it also noted rises in individual countries in other parts of the world.

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Are repeat COVID infections dangerous? What the science says Nature - Researchers disagree over how bad it is to be reinfected, and whether COVID-19 can cause lasting changes to the immune system. Willyard, Cassandra nature

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Explainer: After COVID and drug shortages, EU revamps drug laws The EU is revamping laws governing the 136 billion euro ($148 billion) pharmaceuticals industry aimed at reviving investment and boosting access to affordable drugs at a time when health budgets have been drained by the costs of treating COVID-19. Maggie Fick Reuters

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Increased physical activity associated with lower risk of severe COVID-19 CIDRAP

A South Korean study shows a complex relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and COVID-19, with a regular exercise habit linked to COVID-19 infection early in the pandemic but also associated with a significantly lower risk of developing severe symptoms. The study was published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

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Fact check: CDC says COVID-19 vaccines safe, no proof of deadly batches sent to red states A frequent source of COVID-19 misinformation fabricated a claim that “rapid kill” batches of COVID-19 vaccines were sent to red states. Yahoo News

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