COVID-19

The United Nations General Assembly convened its second High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, bringing member states together to strengthen global defences against future health emergencies. The World Health Organization is highlighting the meeting as a key moment for international coordination, three years after the first such session and amid ongoing negotiations over a global pandemic agreement.

Spain is recording a sharp rise in COVID-19, with estimated incidence climbing 69% in a week to 85 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, up from 50.4 the previous week. Test positivity for SARS-CoV-2 also rose steeply, from 19% to 25.8%. The figures point to a new wave of infections gaining momentum across the country.

Moderna has begun a Phase 1 clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine targeting the Zaire strain responsible for the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The trial marks the first human testing of the candidate, which uses the same mRNA technology behind Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. Coverage is highlighting the company's growing pipeline and the urgent need for new Ebola countermeasures in central Africa.

A US Senate committee has voted to hold Anthony Fauci, the former top US infectious disease official, in contempt of Congress. The vote escalates a standoff with Republican lawmakers who have investigated his role in the federal response to Covid-19 and related research funding. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades before retiring in 2022, has denied wrongdoing.

Reports say the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first mRNA-based flu vaccine, marking a new application of the technology widely used in COVID-19 vaccines. The trending term reflects news headlines about the decision. Beyond the headline itself, the available posts contain no further details on the vaccine's maker, availability, or public reaction, so what people are saying beyond sharing the news is not clear from the posts.

The updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccine has become available, and people are booking appointments at pharmacies such as Walgreens, including Moderna boosters. The rollout comes as US trackers report a 13th COVID wave, with outbreaks in 40 states and territories and millions of estimated current infections, prompting renewed calls for annual boosters.

The Cattaraugus County Health Department in western New York will begin running influenza and Covid-19 vaccination clinics for residents. The announcement signals the start of the respiratory illness season vaccination push, giving residents local access to both seasonal flu shots and updated Covid vaccines as health officials prepare for fall and winter illness.