CDC: Delta as contagious as chickenpox

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say the Delta variant (B1617.2) is as contagious as chickenpox in an internal document leaked to the Washington Post today.

Read more at CIDRAP

Tokyo records COVID-19 cases Saturday

Image/Gerd Altmann

The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed a record 4,058 daily coronavirus cases Saturday, with the figure topping the 4,000 mark for the first time and triggering concerns about an explosive surge in infections while the Olympics are held in the capital.

Read more at Kyodo News

Nanjing airport coronavirus cluster 

China’s  Covid-19  control measures are under intense pressure after an airport cluster in Jiangsu province’s Nanjing  is believed to have led to infections in 15 cities across the country in just over a week.

Read more at South China Morning Post

Milwaukee Police Food Poisoning Outbreak Sickens Eleven

Milwaukee police confirm that “several” officers had to seek hospital treatment after they were sickened in an apparent case of food poisoning.

Read more at Seehafer News

Dhaka dengue cases rise, Terminals and deports are Aedes hotspots

Major terminals and depots in the capital have become ideal breeding grounds for Aedes mosquito, the carrier of dengue virus, thanks to puddles formed in discarded tyres and plastic containers.

Read more at the Daily Star

Colorado: Two monitored for monkeypox

Two people in Colorado are being monitored for monkeypox after being on a flight with an infected traveler. A Texas man was diagnosed earlier this month after returning from Nigeria to Dallas.

Read more at CBS 4 Denver

FDA vows ‘all hands on deck’ effort to get Pfizer coronavirus vaccine full approval as quickly as possible

With coronavirus cases surging, the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official said Friday the agency is redeploying staff and adding computer and other technical resources to accelerate an effort to grant the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine full approval as rapidly as possible.

Read more at the Washington Post

Florida coronavirus cases jump 50% as surge continues

Florida’s coronavirus cases jumped 50% this week, the state Health Department reported Friday, continuing a six-week surge that has seen it responsible for 1 in 5 new infections nationally, becoming the outbreak’s epicenter.

Read more at Associated Press