Explainer: Do I need to worry about COVID again? New data from scientists and vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer /BioNTech suggests that a newer, highly mutated variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is not as alarming as some experts had feared when it was first detected several weeks ago. Deena Beasley,Julie Steenhuysen Reuters

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In the ICU, doctors see rise in Covid cases but less severe disease Hospitalizations from Covid are still happening, but in many instances, patients aren't getting as sick as in the early days of the pandemic. NBC News

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WHO airs concerns about global COVID trends Meanwhile, several more BA.2.86 sequences were reported, as Moderna notes reassuring lab findings against BA.2.86 for its updated vaccine. CIDRAP

At a briefing on global health issues today, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said there are concerning trends ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter, including rising deaths in parts of the Middle East and Asia and increased hospitalizations in multiple regions.

Earth just had its hottest summer on record, U.N. says, warning "climate breakdown has begun" "Climate breakdown has begun," U.N. chief says, adding: "The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting." CBS News

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Three lessons from Covid that could help global leaders prevent the next pandemic "If we wanted to, this could be the last pandemic. It's a political choice,” said Joanne Liu, a professor at McGill University’s School of Population and Global Health. Theresa Gaffney STAT

Everyone has things that, looking back, they would have done differently in the early days of 2020, had they known how the Covid-19 pandemic would tear across the globe. But those regrets may be particularly poignant for global leaders whose actions (or lack thereof) had direct impacts on how Covid-19 spread.

Moderna says updated COVID vaccine is effective against newer variant Moderna on Wednesday said clinical trial data showed its updated COVID-19 vaccine will likely be effective against the highly-mutated BA.2.86 subvariant of the coronavirus that has raised fears of a resurgence of infections. Patrick Wingrove Reuters

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CDC says there are no plans to bring back mask mandates, even as Covid cases rise The CDC could sign off on the new Covid boosters as soon as Sept. 12. Will that be soon enough to ward off a winter surge? NBC News

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Our goal is to release and recommend the vaccine so that it can coincide as much as possible with the peak of the season," Dr. Nirav Shah, CDC's principal deputy director, said in an interview.

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More COVID-19 studies suggest BA.2.86 may be less immune-evasive than feared iLexx / iStock CIDRAP

Two more lab groups—one from Sweden's Karolinska Institute and the other from Harvard University—have reported results of antibody neutralization lab experiments, which suggest vaccination or previous infection offer some protection against the highly mutated BA.2.86 SARS-CoV-2 variant.

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UK regulator approves updated Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine The UK drug regulator said on Tuesday it has approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech that targets only the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant. Reuters Reuters

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Biden tests negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday, will mask around others President Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday and will wear a mask while around others indoors after first lady Jill Biden tested positive for the virus a day earlier, the White House sai… kwadington The Hill

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Fauci presented with study challenging effectiveness of masks

In a recent interview on CNN, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, responded to a study that raised doubts about the effectiveness of face masks in curbing the spread of COVID-19. The study in question was released by The Cochrane Institute and received attention earlier this year when it suggested that face masks made little to no difference in preventing the spread of the virus. This led to headlines claiming that masks don't work.

However, Fauci emphasized that there are other studies that show the advantages of wearing masks, particularly at the individual level. ...

ALSO SEE: Fauci ‘concerned’ people won’t mask up again as COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to rise in the U.S.

AND:  Link to CNN interview