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U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates dipped last year and the proportion of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Wednesday. The share of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 3.3%, up from 3% the year before. Meanwhile, 92.7% of kindergartners got their required shots, which is a little lower than the previous two years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic the vaccination rate was 95%, the coverage level that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak. The changes may seem slight but are significant, translating to about 80,000 kids not getting vaccinated, health officials say. (Stobbe, 10/2)

Respiratory virus season has arrived in the United States and health officials say that October is a prime time to get vaccinated. Vaccines for Covid-19, flu and RSV are available now. While the respiratory virus season tends to peak between December and March, getting vaccinated in the fall can help provide protection throughout the season. (McPhillips, 10/2)

California’s protracted summer COVID surge has finally ended, a welcome window that provides a key opportunity to prepare for yet another expected resurgence of transmission this autumn and winter, doctors say. ... That’s why doctors are urging everyone age 6 months and older to get an updated COVID vaccine, ideally before Halloween. And unlike last year, the new shots have arrived on time and are plentiful. (Lin II, 10/2)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates almost 7 percent, or close to 18 million Americans, are afflicted with the mysterious condition known as long COVID, a syndrome that is so heterogenous, elusive, and difficult to treat, it took a year for some doctors to even acknowledge it was real. In the years that followed, the federal government has doled out more than $1.6 billion to study it, helping to make it one of the most researched diseases in any four years of recorded history. Yet we have little to show for it. (Piore, 10/2)

The Department of Justice on Wednesday announced it filed a complaint against New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration over allegations that the state delivered poor quality of care at its state-run veterans homes, where hundreds of residents died of Covid-19 throughout the pandemic. The complaint was also followed by a proposed consent decree between federal officials and the state. The proposal, which must be approved by a judge to take effect, would set up specific criteria for care and an overhaul of infection control and emergency response practices. An independent monitor will be brought in to make sure the terms of the consent decree are being followed. (Han, 10/2)