US COVID-19 activity continues to rise steadily Two wastewater systems show high levels across most of the country. CIDRAP

The latest COVID indicators from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today showed more rises, with wastewater detections trending upward in all regions of the country, especially the West and South...

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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123 House and Senate Republicans deny climate science: Analysis A total of 123 members of the House and Senate deny the scientific consensus that climate change is occurring as a result of human activity, according to an analysis from the liberal Center for Ame… rfrazin The Hill

A total of 123 members of the House and Senate deny the scientific consensus that climate change is occurring as a result of human activity, according to an analysis from the liberal Center for American Progress. 

Our power grid can’t take the heat — can cooler heads in DC fix the problem? Amid all the horrors of last week’s assassination attempt against former President Trump is a dangerous ongoing heat wave that is engulfing the nation, making temperatures — and tempers — soar. … ckulat The Hill

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The question is, will we lose electricity in the days and years ahead at a faster and more dangerous rate due to factors like climate change? And what can be done about it? 

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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Misleading Ads Play Key Role in Schemes to Gin Up Unauthorized ACA Sign-Ups, Lawsuit Alleges - KFF Health News Misleading money-for-groceries ads helped lure people to call centers where some were enrolled in Affordable Care Act coverage — or switched from their existing plans — without their express permission, a new lawsuit alleges. khnkit KFF Health News

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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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