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Early data from hospitals suggests the latest COVID variant, known as JN.1, is not leading to more severe disease, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said Monday, as the agency has tracked the strain's steep rise to an estimated 85.7% of COVID-19 cases nationwide. The agency is still waiting for more weeks of data to lay out its more detailed assessment of JN.1's impact this season, the CDC official, Dr. Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner, said at a webinar with testing laboratories hosted by the agency this week. (Tin, 1/23) 

Although it’s spotty and inconsistent in many places, wastewater testing is pointing to a new wave of COVID-19 infections, with as many as one-third of Americans expected to contract the disease by late February. With pandemic fatigue also in full force, and deaths and hospitalizations well down from peaks in 2021 because of high vaccination and immunity rates, many people are inclined to shrug off the new wave, fueled by the JN.1 variant. But COVID-19 continues to take thousands of lives a month. (Hendersen, 1/23)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved another COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use listing (EUL): Corbevax, a recombinant protein–based vaccine developed by scientists at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. During the EUL process, WHO advisory groups evaluated the vaccine to ensure that it meets the WHO's standards for protection and safety, with a goal of speeding the availability of products to people who need them. Corbevax is the 14th COVID vaccine to receive the WHO EUL. (Schnirring, 1/23)

Your immune system may be getting smarter every time you encounter COVID-19, a new study suggests. After getting vaccinated and infected, the immune system generates broader defenses against the virus, including against new variants. (Park, 1/22)

In first results from a study that tracked neurodevelopmental differences in babies born to mothers who were vaccinated against COVID-19, researchers found no differences at the 12- and 18-month marks compared to babies born to unvaccinated moms. The team, from the University of California, San Francisco, published its findings yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics. Against the backdrop of vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women and even in some of their healthcare providers, the researchers said their goal was to address unanswered questions about the longer-term impacts of COVID vaccination on developmental outcomes. Schnirring, 1/23)

Starting next month, private employers in Texas will be barred from requiring COVID-19 shots. A new budget rule stymies the promotion of the vaccine. And as part of a pending lawsuit, the Texas attorney general is trying to reap millions from one of the companies behind the vaccine, accusing it of misrepresenting the shot’s efficacy. Since the deadliest days of the pandemic, Texas and other conservative states have become hubs for anti-vaccine policies, worrying public health officials. (Gill, 1/23)

People suffering from long COVID or myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) could benefit from a coordinated treatment strategy, a new University of Otago study has found. The pilot study, published in Scientific Reports, has confirmed what researchers have suspected for some time: the two conditions are closely related. (1/23)

The non-profit advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence published a letter Tuesday blasting the proposed World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic treaty, questioning the United States' continued membership in the international body. Pence's non-profit, Advancing American Freedom (AAF), is urging the U.S. government to withdraw from the WHO, citing the "equity theater" of the guidelines and its implications for free speech contained in its "pandemic treaty." (Nerozzi, 1/23)