The emergence of the highly transmissible omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 should serve as a wake-up call for the U.S. to reinvest in new vaccines, therapeutics and surveillance efforts, Eric Topol, MD, founder and director of Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego, wrote in a Jan. 8 op-ed for The Washington Post.

The CDC has lowered its estimate of omicron subvariant XBB.1.5's prevalence in the U.S., now saying the highly transmissible strain accounts for about 28 percent of COVID-19 cases. 

Flu activity remains high, but continues to decline in most parts of the country, the CDC's latest FluView report shows. 

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is the latest to report a rise in severe strep A infections, according to a Jan. 5 report from CBS affiliate WWMT. 

The omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is gaining dominance in the U.S., though its prevalence still varies greatly by region. 

New Jersey has set aside $15 million for healthcare facilities that offer a full spectrum of reproductive care to use for facility upgrades and security enhancements. 

Health officials are keeping a close eye on omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 due to its rapid growth in the U.S. 

The U.S. may see a higher amount of flu deaths this season compared to past years, preliminary data from the CDC suggests.

Loss of taste and smell were once the hallmark symptoms of COVID-19. Nearly three years later, physicians have seen a number of other strange symptoms reported by patients during or shortly after a bout with COVID-19, as well as conditions linked to treatments and vaccines. 

In one week, the prevalence of XBB.1.5 — an offshoot of omicron subvariant XBB — more than doubled in the U.S., according to the latest CDC estimates. 

As flu activity continues its descent from an unusually early and strong season, the past week saw a flu hospitalization rate four times higher than the same week each year since 2010, according to the CDC's FluView report. 

A "startling" surge in diabetes diagnoses among American youth is predicted by 2060, according to a Dec. 29 CDC report.

Less than 25 percent of neonatal intensive care units across the U.S. screen for universal social determinants of health, according to a study published Nov. 1 in Hospital Pediatrics.

COVID-19 hospitalizations appear to be leveling off in the U.S. after a steady month of growth, though it's still unclear how the holiday season may affect this trend.

Beginning Jan. 5, travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before boarding flights headed to the U.S., the CDC said in a Dec. 28 announcement. The move comes as concern mounts over a growing surge of cases in China. 

The COVID-19 crisis in China is creating more opportunities for the virus to change, spurring concern that a new variant could emerge, CBS News reported Dec. 25. 

A measles outbreak in Columbus, Ohio, is sparking concern among health officials who believe that increased vaccine hesitancy will intensify a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, according to The Washington Post.

The nation's worst flu outbreak in more than a decade is slowing down, though flu activity remains high overall, according to the CDC's latest FluView report. 

Omicron subvariant XBB is encroaching on BQ.1 and BQ.1.1's dominance, CDC data shows, as it accounts for 18.3 percent of U.S. cases and makes up more than 1 in 2 infections in the Northeast. 

The CDC issued a health advisory Dec. 22 to alert the medical community of a rise in severe strep A infections among children.