CDC probes if bird flu mutations impact vaccine stockpile The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating whether the U.S. stockpile of bird flu vaccines is still well matched to the virus after discovering recent mutations. Medical Xpress

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Covid hospitalisations surge as new variant spreads across UK The North East has seen the highest hospital admission rates at 8.12 per 100,000, UKHSA says Alexander Butler The Independent

Covid hospitalisations have surged across Britain at an “alarming” rate as a new variant of the virus emerged, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned.

What we know about the FEMA efforts in western North Carolina | CNN The Federal Emergency Management Agency has resumed neighborhood outreaches in some parts of areas afflicted by Hurricane Helene, and one man has been arrested and accused of making a threat. Steve Almasy CNN

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Amid reports of militia involvement, the agency told CNN it was the subject of several threats and the alleged threat from the man later arrested was the main one it was aware of when it decided to pull back on outreach.

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Some FEMA operations paused in North Carolina after reports National Guard troops saw ‘armed militia’ threatening them | CNN Aid to several communities impacted by Hurricane Helene was temporarily paused in parts of North Carolina over the weekend due to reports of threats against Federal Emergency Management Agency responders, amid a backdrop of misinformation about responses to recent storms. Paradise Afshar, Ella Nilsen CNN

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US COVID levels drop, with few flu detections CDC wastewater tracking shows SARS-CoV-2 detections are now at the low level nationally. CIDRAP

COVID activity in the United States continues to decline, and seasonal flu markers show no upticks, according to the latest respiratory disease updates today from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccine uptake influenced by politics and socioeconomics, study finds COVID-19 vaccination rates have varied significantly based on partisanship and socioeconomic factors, with Democrats getting vaccinated faster and at higher percentages than Republicans and Independents. Fernanda Pires Medical Xpress

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Fourth person infected in California as bird flu outbreak spreads Two other people also in California's Central Valley are suspected of contracting avian influenza. Eduardo Cuevas USA TODAY

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Brain imaging reveals changes linked to long COVID Using ultra-powered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford have demonstrated that COVID-19 infections can damage the brainstem, the brain’s "control center." The findings are published in Brain. CIDRAP

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