- Incoming French government under pressure on multiple fronts
- Hezbollah rockets strike near Israel's Haifa as UN warns of 'catastrophe'
- Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in Korea Open final
- All-rounder Ashwin powers India to 280-run Test win over Bangladesh
- Failed Springbok 'gamble' sets up rugby championship decider
- Lebanon strikes send Israelis to shelters as UN warns of 'catastrophe'
- Far-right AfD eyes new win in east German state vote
- Tony Popovic set to become new Socceroos coach - reports
- All-round Ashwin powers India to big Test win over Bangladesh
- NZ chase 275 to win first Sri Lanka Test after Patel bags six
- Ashwin bags six wickets as India hammer Bangladesh in first Test
- Nascent French government under pressure on multiple fronts
- Angry French cognac makers see red over Chinese tariffs threat
- Protect the prosciutto: Italy battles swine fever
- UN holds 'Summit of the Future' to tackle global crises
- Marxist leader set to become Sri Lanka's next president
- From blades to pull-up bars: UK charity tackles knife crime
- Swiss vote on pensions and environment protections
- No pain, no gain: Chinese pro wrestlers fight for recognition
- UAE leader seeks to deepen 'strategic' ties in US visit during Mideast crisis
- Hezbollah takes heavy hits but still fighting Israel
- Floods, landslides hit central Japan months after major quake
- All Blacks coach Robertson demands better finishing
- Argentina edge South Africa to keep title hopes alive
- Biden says China 'testing us,' in hot mic remarks to Quad allies
- Dubois destroys Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Guardiola says critics want Man City wiped 'from face of the Earth'
- Biden says 'Quad' is 'here to stay' despite challenges
- Dubois knocks out Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Vinicius helps 'faster' Madrid overturn stubborn Espanyol
- Zelensky to press US on long-range missile strikes inside Russia
- PSG drop first points in draw at Reims
- Vinicius, Mbappe on target as Madrid crush plucky Espanyol
- Jeeno leads Ko by two at LPGA Queen City Championship
- Bottega Veneta goes for 'E.T.' chic as Madonna pops into D&G
- Messi, Miami frustrated by New York late leveler
- Musk's X platform takes first step toward lifting Brazil ban
- 'Business as usual' for Australia match-winner Carey amid boos
- Israeli jets pound Lebanon after deadly Beirut strike
- Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd's lack of killer instinct in Palace stalemate
- France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right
- Cheika proud of Leicester grit after winning start as boss
- Profligate Man Utd pay price in 0-0 draw at Palace
- Kane, Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Man Utd held at Palace
- LIV champion Rahm out of LIV Team semis with severe flu
- Slot surprised by tearful Nunez's moment of magic
- Title rivals Norris, Verstappen on 'cool' front row for Singapore GP
- Biden talks China with 'Quad' leaders in hometown summit
- Juve and Napoli play out goalless draw in early Serie A title tussle
Covid's back: Here's what to know this fall and winter
As colder weather sets in, Covid rates are once more rising across the Northern Hemisphere, with several new variants on the scene.
Here's what you need to know.
- Covid versus seasonal nasties? -
The Covid pandemic extracted a terrible toll, with nearly seven million deaths worldwide.
But thanks to vaccines, prior immunity and better treatments, the virus is now far more manageable. In the United States, excess deaths -- the total number of people dying for any given cause -- has been normal since spring.
"If you asked me to choose between getting flu and Covid, I would pick Covid because each individual case of flu is more dangerous," said Ashish Jha, a former White House Covid coordinator and dean of public health at Brown University.
But while Covid is now less deadly to individuals, "it also seems to have higher rates of long term complications."
Covid is also less seasonal than the flu, more contagious, and over the last three US winters peaked from December to January, while flu peaks later.
Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, placed Covid "on par" with flu and RSV, but stressed it was more severe than the common cold.
- To boost or not to boost? -
Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax have developed new vaccines that more closely target current variants, all offshoots of Omicron which became dominant in late 2021.
There is broad consensus that annual boosters will benefit the most vulnerable. But whether they bring added value to everyone is debated.
Nearly everyone has already been infected, studies show. And prior infections combined with vaccines have trained immune systems to stop severe outcomes even when they can't ward off infection.
One-size-fits-all recommendations no longer make sense, and could decrease trust in public health, said Monica Gandhi, author of "Endemic: A Post-Pandemic Playbook."
For example, the mRNA vaccines of Pfizer and Moderna carry small risks of heart inflammation in younger men.
European nations advise annual shots only for higher risk groups, but some experts don't see downsides in wider recommendations.
"People at low risk still derive benefit from boosters," said Ziyad Al-Aly, an epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis. The United States recommends that nearly everyone get annual Covid shots.
- Are masks still useful? -
Experts diverge on this subject, one of the most controversial of the pandemic.
A review of clinical trial data by the respected nonprofit Cochrane on whether promoting mask-wearing helped slow respiratory viruses found inconclusive results.
Whether broad mandates have a significant effect, therefore, hasn't been proven.
What researchers do know -- thanks to lab experiments -- is that well-fitted, high-caliber masks such as N-95s protect individuals.
"Individuals can therefore choose to wear well-fitted and filtered masks indoors to provide personal protection from respiratory pathogens," said Gandhi, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco -- though she believes in vaccines to prevent severe disease, including among the high-risk.
- Test, or go to work? -
Experts agree that it makes sense for people at risk -- the elderly and those with conditions such as cancer, obesity and diabetes -- to test when they have symptoms.
That's because these groups "would benefit from antiviral therapy within the five-day window," said Adaja.
The most prominent treatment is Paxlovid, which has been shown to reduce the risk of severe disease and death among high-risk people.
Some health systems have decided testing at-risk people is all that's needed.
"Most people no longer need to take a coronavirus test. To prevent the spread of infection, you should try to stay at home if you're unwell," says the UK's National Health System.
- What about long Covid? -
Research around long Covid -- symptoms that linger for weeks or months -- remains nebulous and hampered by a lack of standardized definitions for a condition that has multiple causes, said Adalja.
Al-Aly estimates prevalence at between 4-7 percent, or 65 million people worldwide.
"Unfortunately, we have not made progress on treating long Covid. This should be an urgent priority for research," he said.
It does appear that prior vaccination reduces the risk of long Covid, and that the condition is correlated with severity of infection.
The US government has funded several trials into the condition, with one recent study finding a diabetes drug called metformin reduced the risk of ongoing symptoms by 40 percent.
Jha said he was hopeful of more data on treatments in the coming months.
O.Johnson--AMWN