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.

The United Nations has drafted a document outlining preparations for a future pandemic. The plan is expected to cover international coordination and readiness measures, though details of its contents have not been widely reported. The news was carried by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and discussion so far remains limited.

France's pharmacists' union is warning about an early resurgence of Covid-19 and is calling on the government to move forward the vaccination campaign scheduled for mid-October. Hospitals are already feeling the strain: emergency room visits are reported to have jumped 67% among adults and 16% among children. The union's appeal puts pressure on health authorities to speed up autumn booster plans as infections climb sooner than expected.

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 long-running standoff between Republican lawmakers and Fauci over documents and testimony connected to the federal response to Covid-19 and the origins of the pandemic. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades before retiring in 2022, remains a frequent target of congressional scrutiny, and the move is likely to deepen partisan fights over pandemic-era decisions.

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.

A new survey from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases finds that most US adults support vaccines, yet many remain unclear about current recommendations for respiratory vaccines, such as those for flu, COVID-19, and RSV. The findings highlight a gap between general trust in vaccination and public understanding of which shots are advised and when.

The updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccine is now available in the United States, with people booking annual booster appointments at pharmacies such as Walgreens, including for the Moderna shot. The rollout comes amid reports of a 13th COVID wave, with outbreaks in 40 states and territories and millions of cases cited in a September 2026 update from pandemic data tracker Michael Hoerger.

A government minister has called for the protection of families and children as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to a report carried under a family and parenting focus. The appeal underscores concerns about how the pandemic affects household welfare, parenting and child safety. Details of the minister's identity, country and specific measures were not provided in the available report.

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.