BA.2 Variants Dominant in U.S.; USPSTF Nixes Hormone Tx; More Child Hepatitis Cases

Note that some links may require registration or subscription.

Two BA.2 variants — the original lineage and BA.2.12.2 — now account for 93% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the CDC.

The CDC has launched a new center for forecasting infectious diseases. (ABC News)

The FDA warned 12 companies that their skin lightening products containing hydroquinone are not “generally recognized as safe and effective” (GRASE) and therefore can’t be sold over the counter.

In other FDA news, the agency released a final rule for the addition of fluoride to bottled water, amending the allowable level for fluoride to 0.7 mg/L.

COVID spread can be prevented with better ventilation, but that strategy is not getting much attention. (Kaiser Health News)

As of Wednesday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial COVID toll in the U.S. reached 80,769,604 cases and 990,629 deaths, increases of 42,563 and 362, respectively, since this time yesterday.

In new draft guidelines, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is still recommending against hormone therapy to prevent chronic conditions in postmenopausal persons.

Researchers are hoping that a project that involves going house-to-house in some low-income countries to record the cause of deaths will help reduce preventable fatalities. (New York Times)

Sutter Health hospitals in Northern California are locking out thousands of nurses who staged a recent 1-day strike. (San Francisco Chronicle)

“We’re done with dead kids. We’re done with accidental overdoses.” — Bars in the U.S. are starting to dole out fentanyl testing strips for injection-drug users. (Reuters)

More cases of hepatitis among children have been detected in four European countries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said. (CBS News)

An avian flu outbreak on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania forced authorities there to order the killing of 1.4 million chickens. (Lancaster Online)

Delta Airlines was forced to revise its statement saying it had dropped its COVID-19 mask mandate because the coronavirus was now “an ordinary, seasonal virus.” (NPR)

The Navy is investigating the deaths of three sailors within a week; all three had served on the same aircraft carrier. (NBC News)