Science

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XEC, like countless others before it, is a part of the omicron family. The variant is closely related to KP.2, the strain targeted by the updated vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. And both XEC and KP.1 are descendants of the JN.1 strain, targeted by the updated Novavax vaccine.

“I think we have good reason to think that there will be substantial protection from the boosters that are available,” Hanage said.

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No increased risk of autism seen in pandemic-era children Children born during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic—with or without exposure to maternal infections—do not seem to be at increased risk for developing autism, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open. CIDRAP

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Q&A: The U.S. can, and should, do more on H5N1 bird flu, a top WHO official says The world is watching how the U.S. is responding to the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle, a top WHO official said. Helen Branswell STAT

More work needs to be done by the agricultural sector to get to the bottom of — and put a stop to — transmission of H5N1 bird flu in dairy cattle in the United States, a senior World Health Organization official said over the weekend.