Disease Prevention

Texas House approves ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private empl… Violations could bring a $50,000 fine under an amendment adopted Wednesday. The bill’s sponsor said the ban would be the strongest in the nation. Karen Brooks Harper The Texas Tribune

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AstraZeneca, maker of FluMist, seeks to allow at-home administration of vaccine People eligible to use the only needle-free flu vaccine available in the United States may be able, next year, to give it to themselves or to eligible children at home. Helen Branswell STAT

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Moderna doses 1st participant in phase 3 clinical trial of combo flu, COVID vaccine Moderna announced the first participant has been dosed in the company's phase 3 clinical trial of its combination flu and COVID vaccine. ABC News ABC News

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In a press release, the biopharmaceutical company said the combination vaccine has "the potential to efficiently reduce the overall burden of acute viral respiratory disease" by giving simultaneous protection against flu and COVID in a single dose.

Study: Kids with COVID shed virus for median of 3 days, supporting school-isolation policies iStock CIDRAP

Children who tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022 were contagious for a median of 3 days, regardless of vaccination status, suggesting that 5-day school isolation policies are sufficient amid Omicron variant predominance, University of Southern California (USC) and Stanford University researchers report today in JAMA Pediatrics.

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