COVID-19

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.

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.

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.