Ramping up COVID-19 booster administration this fall could save up to 160,000 lives and prevent more than 1 million hospitalizations, according to a July 26 analysis from the Commonwealth Fund.

More than two years into the pandemic, researchers are still struggling to answer a crucial  question about the virus: How long is someone with COVID-19 infectious? Though the question seems simple, the answer is anything but, scientists and infectious disease experts told Nature.

The U.S. may need nearly $7 billion to adequately address the monkeypox outbreak, Biden administration officials told Congress this month, The Washington Post reported July 26. 

The world has experienced a slew of surges caused by an alphabet of variants since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Thankfully, none of the variants has led to a significant increase in disease severity. 

The White House is planning to name a coordinator to oversee the nation's response to monkeypox and is considering people with expertise in epidemic response and government operations, The Washington Post reported July 25. 

The highly transmissible omicron subvariant BA.5 continues to gain dominance in the U.S., now accounting for nearly 82 percent of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the CDC's latest variant proportion estimates.

The overall severity of the 2021-22 flu season was low, though elevated flu activity lasted longer than usual, according to the CDC's summary report of this year's flu season published July 22. 

As the highly transmissible omicron subvariant BA.5 rapidly spreads, national disease forecasting models show an uncertain trend for COVID-19 admissions over the next month.

The World Health Organization's director-general on July 23 declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern — its highest alert level — after the agency's emergency committee was unable to reach a consensus. 

Two children are among more than 2,500 people in the U.S. who have contracted monkeypox, according to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD. 

The U.S. reported modest increases in COVID-19 cases and admissions this week as the highly transmissible omicron subvariant BA.5 accounts for nearly 78 percent of infections nationwide, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published July 22.

The U.S. has reported 355 probable cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin among children in 42 states and jurisdictions as of July 20, according to the CDC.

While there will likely be new COVID-19 variants to worry about in the future, omicron relative BA.2.75 is not the next big one to fret over, experts predict. 

New York state has confirmed reports of the first U.S. polio case in nearly a decade, ABC-7 reported July 21. 

Nearly 14,000 people across the globe have contracted monkeypox this year, and five have died, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said July 20.

A combination of severe staffing shortages, financial challenges and rising hospital admissions are straining capacity at Oregon hospitals. Health officials are now asking residents to mask up to prevent further strain on the state's healthcare system. 

At least 18 cases of the newest omicron subvariant BA.2.75 have been confirmed in seven U.S. states as of July 20, early disease surveillance data shows. 

The omicron variant's evolutionary pattern differs from earlier variants and offers hints that the next new strain that emerges may also be in the omicron family, The New York Times reported July 20. 

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, a condition that spiked when COVID-19's alpha variant surged in early 2021, is now leveling off, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

The omicron subvariant BA.5's highly transmissible nature and ability to evade immunity is spurring health experts to revisit earlier assumptions about the typical time span between COVID-19 infections, The Wall Street Journal reported July 19.