Learning from the COVID pandemic: On the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions against pathogens In the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of government-ordered measures to contain the pandemic, such as regular testing and the wearing of medical masks, was repeatedly called into question. Science X Medical Xpress

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Why Covid-19 is spreading this summer Covid-19 doesn't follow normal seasonal patterns, like other respiratory viruses – waves of infection can happen at any time of year. David Cox BBC

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Rapid test for bird flu developed A rapid Avian influenza molecular test, detecting the latest H5N1 variants in cattle and the recent human inflections in Colorado, is now available News Desk Food Safety News

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The rapid test is the latest scientific advancement against bird flu and comes from Alveo Technologies Inc. (California), a leader in molecular sensing and diagnostics with a proprietary technology platform.

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Two more bird flu cases reported in Colorado, but elsewhere a study finds no asymptomatic infections U.S. health officials have announced two more bird flu cases among farmworkers. But here’s some good news: A new study in Michigan suggests the virus is not causing asymptomatic infections in people. AP News

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Researchers draw insights from COVID-19 to inform improved health care in times of crisis (medicalxpress.com)

In research recently published in Nature Medicine, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Jianxi Gao, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, and his team measured the resilience and adaptability of our health care system to disruptions caused by COVID-19. Resilience is a system's ability to absorb and recover from disruptions. Adaptability is a system's ability to learn from previous disturbances where there are recurrent disruptions. ...

"We found that our health care systems in the United States exhibit substantial adaptability, but only a moderate level of resilience," said Gao. "Our findings can inform the design of resilient and sustainable health care systems to prepare for future disruptions, whether they are caused by pandemics, climate change, conflicts, or anything else."

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Chicken culling, disposal raise concern as bird flu spreads The spread of bird flu among poultry and dairy farms has heightened some health experts' concerns that the process of killing and disposing of poultry infected with the virus may pose a risk to humans and livestock. Leah Douglas Reuters

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What scientists know about bird flu symptoms from the first 9 U.S. human cases (nbcnews.com)

What the 9 human cases of bird flu in the U.S. so far tell us about the disease The illnesses, all in farm workers, have been relatively mild — a contrast to the flu’s deadly effect on many birds and some mammals. NBC News

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Study finds no increased risk of birth defects after COVID-19 infection or vaccination in early pregnancy (medicalxpress.com)

Neither COVID-19 infection nor vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with increased risk of major birth defects, finds a study from Scandinavia published by The BMJ today.

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Inquiry finds Britain was ill-prepared for COVID-19 pandemic and failed its citizens An inquiry into the U.K. government's response to COVID-19 found it was ill-prepared for a pandemic and serious errors in planning failed its citizens. AP News

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Long Covid risk has dropped over time but remains substantial, study shows | CNN With a summer wave of Covid-19 infections sweeping the country, a timely new study has looked at the risk of getting long Covid and whether those odds have changed over time. Brenda Goodman CNN

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It found that the likelihood of developing long Covid has dropped since the start of the pandemic but remains substantial, especially for people who aren’t vaccinated against the coronavirus.

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