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Covid-19 update, common cold, ticks, and lotssss of good news

The Dose (June 2)

Katelyn Jetelina Jun 2 REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION

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Happy June! This week felt notably lighter to write about (knock on wood).

The Ebola outbreak continues overseas, but domestically, the common cold and ticks are commanding most of the attention. We’ll also check in on Covid-19 and the vaccine rollout, where the dominoes of the federal process are starting to wobble.

This left plenty of room today for good news and a time to celebrate (quite literally, as you will see below) scientific advancements, which have become my favorite section of the newsletter.

Let’s dive in.

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Disease weather report

Ticks are… increasing again

After a few unusually eventful weeks, ticks are still keeping us on a rollercoaster. Emergency room visits for tick bites dipped briefly, then rose significantly again. We haven’t hit a record-breaking peak, but the season is running earlier than usual, so the cumulative burden is mounting. If this pace continues, it’s shaping up to be a rough tick season overall.

Those in the Northeast are feeling the brunt of it, followed by the Midwest. Although ticks are really everywhere.

Data: CDC; Annotated by Your Local Epidemiologist.

What this means for you: Enjoy the outdoors! But if you’re in a tick-prone area, take that extra minute to do a tick check. The most important thing is removing the tick properly (use fine-tipped tweezers, grab close to the skin, pull upward, no twisting, no Vaseline, no matches).

Then watch for symptoms: fever, rash, fatigue, joint aches. If you find an attached tick and are in a high-risk area for Lyme disease, it’s worth calling your doctor if it was attached for more than 36 hours. Here is a YLE deep dive on ticks.

Common colds peaked

We are finally reaching a point where almost all respiratory viruses are on the decline. Common cold viruses appear to have peaked after a higher season than last year.

PIV (parainfluenza virus) is also nearing its peak, which is worth noting for a slightly different reason. Unlike the common cold, PIV is particularly significant for babies, as it is a leading cause of croup and bronchiolitis. As you can see in the graph below, it is less common, though.

Data: CDC; Annotated by Hannah at Your Local Epidemiologist.

What this means for you: If you’re sick, it’s likely the common cold. Rest and fluids really do help boost your immune system.

Measles keeps on ticking along

I haven’t given an update in a while. While the acceleration has slowed down, measles is still spreading. It’s basically endemic at this point: jumping from unvaccinated pocket to unvaccinated pocket.

In the U.S., there are three active outbreaks public health officials are paying attention to:

1. Utah is in its eleventh month with active community transmission.
2. Virginia is where my eyes are right now. The outbreak is still small (64 cases) but growing quickly, with 21 cases in the past week. The vaccination rate in the community (Buckingham County) is low (84.9%).
3. Pennsylvania outbreak with 38 cases (six new cases in the past week).

Source: PopHIVE; Annotated by Your Local Epidemiologist.

What this means for you: If you’re up to date on vaccines, you remain very well protected. If you have a child under 12 months old and are in/around these areas, they can get vaccinated early. Here are the top 10 questions on measles protection answered.

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Spotlight: Covid-19 virus and vaccines

Every summer since Covid-19 arrived, we have had a wave. And lately, summer waves are larger than winter ones (but continue to decline in severity due to immunity). Here’s where things stand.

What’s the current Covid situation? Levels remain very, very low. There may be a slight increase in some areas if you squint closely at the data (like in Texas and Florida, and maybe the Midwest), but it’s not showing up across all metrics. In other words, we’re not in a wave yet.

The Cicada variant (BA.3.2) received some attention a few weeks ago but has been circulating for some time without making much of an impact. The growing variant is XFG, which is still a descendant of Omicron.

Should I get a spring vaccine? The recommendation stands: vulnerable individuals, particularly those over 65, should still get both a fall and spring vaccine. Year over year, vaccination continues to provide 50–60% additional protection for high-risk individuals compared to those who skip it. If you’ve been trying to time a shot before the next wave, that window may be approaching.

Will we have a Covid-19 vaccine this fall? Yes, I think so, but the path to get there will be bumpy.

Think of our annual respiratory vaccine rollout as a giant domino setup. When the first domino falls—usually in February—the rest follow in a smooth, synchronized sequence, ending with shots in arms by early fall.

Last week, external advisors to FDA met to recommend an updated strain for this fall’s vaccine and voted to use the XFG strain. This differs from the WHO’s recommendation (LP.8.1). Strain differences between the U.S. and WHO aren’t entirely unusual—the U.S. typically targets the closest-matching strain for precision, while the WHO prioritizes broader coverage to accommodate countries with less flexibility to update quickly. Immunologically, the U.S. approach makes more sense.

But now the subsequent dominoes in the process of getting a vaccine may start wobbling.

The next step would normally be an ACIP meeting, but there is currently no ACIP, which is unprecedented. Two possible pathways are now in play, and both may end up being used:

1. The standard federal pathway (blue below). Either an ACIP is chartered (a long shot), or the ACIP step is bypassed entirely, and the CDC director signs off on the vaccine independently.
2. An alternative pathway (purple below) was developed last year by external organizations in response to federal disarray. Many states have already decoupled from ACIP and are instead following guidance from professional bodies like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP). VIP will be meeting soon to review the evidence, enabling professional organizations to issue their own recommendations, which will then prompt health systems and physicians to begin ordering vaccines.

   Key limitation: This pathway doesn’t resolve the issue of ordering and distributing vaccines purchased through federal programs, most notably Vaccines for Children.

Vaccine approval process with possible alternative pathways. Figure by Your Local Epidemiologist.

What this means for you: If you’ve been trying to time your Covid-19 spring vaccine before a wave, that moment may be getting close, though it’s still unclear. As for fall, I’m confident vaccines will be available, but expect some confusion and uncertainty in the run-up. But they will be there.

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Good news, and lots of it

1. Standing ovation for pancreatic cancer survival study. During a national cancer convention (ASCO) over the weekend, results from a Phase III clinical trial of a pancreatic cancer drug were announced, and the room erupted in applause. This is really rare, but it also signals the beauty of the discovery. What did scientists find? Patients taking a new, experimental drug lived nearly twice as long as patients offered standard chemotherapy. Daraxonrasib reduced the risk of death by 60% compared with chemotherapy. Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease, with a low survival rate, and is really hard to target with drugs. While this isn’t on the market yet, there seems to be major hope on the horizon.

Source: Scott Morgan/ASCO; STAT news

2. Major health insurers announced they will cover all vaccines at no cost through 2027, regardless of what ACIP, federal disarray, and ideological preferences say. This is incredibly abnormal, as they usually wait for federal guidance, but great news and, quite frankly, just the right thing to do.
3. Americans are increasingly treating mental health like physical health. This news is a little older, but worth celebrating as we close out mental health awareness month: More than one in three Americans said they planned to make a mental health-related resolution this year, with younger adults ages 18–34 leading the trend at 58%. Growing cultural normalization of mental health care is itself a public health win, as stigma has historically been a major barrier to treatment.
4. An obesity drug may not just “melt fat,” but also decrease inflammation that drives heart disease, joint pain, and diabetes. Lilly is testing a new drug called retatrutide, a weekly injection that targets three hormones for weight loss. In its latest clinical trial results, released this month, participants lost an average of 71 pounds over about a year and a half and also made significant improvements in markers of heart disease and overall inflammation. The addition of glucagon targeting helps the body to burn fuel, enabling greater weight loss and likely accounting for the additional benefits over earlier GLP-1 drugs. The drug isn’t approved yet, and more safety and effectiveness data are coming, but the early results are strong. If future trials hold up, this could become a single-shot treatment for obesity, diabetes, inflammation, and their related health problems all at once.
5. Global teamwork (without the U.S.) towards health. The 79th World Health Assembly—whose theme was “Reshaping global health: a shared responsibility”—ended with 193 member states (notably the U.S. is no longer a member) agreeing on 20 decisions and passing 13 resolutions on a variety of health issues, including stroke, liver disease, tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, diagnostic imaging, emergency care, precision medicine, and radiation.
6. Ebola patients were discharged from the hospital. Five patients were cured of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus: four left the treatment center today, and another had already returned home. As Helen Branswell, from STAT, noted, “communities can distrust treatment centers, because loved ones go in & often don’t come out alive. Hopefully, word of survivals will encourage people to seek care rather than staying home. Improves their survival chances & lowers risk to family members.” Ebola can be defeated.

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Bottom line

While ticks and common colds are brewing, the quieter week allows us to recognize the quiet science marching forward. This week brought results targeting the two leading killers of Americans, heart disease and cancer. That is always worth celebrating.

Love, YLE

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Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with one goal: to “Translate” ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. YLE suite of newsletters reaches over 475,000 people across more than 132 countries. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below:

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DID YOU CELEBRATE NATIONAL HAMBURGHER DAY MAY 28?

I DID AT CITY LIMITS WITH  THE ULTIMATE THE ONE THE ONLY “CITY LIMITS BURGER” MEDIUM RARE WITH BARBEQUE SAUCE LETTUCE CHEESE BACON LEAN, DEVELOPED THROUGH 32 YEARS OF RESEARCH BY CITY LIMITS HAMBURGER RESEARCH LAB

IT’S NOT TOO LATE! YOU CAN STILL FIT IN A SALUTE TO THE HAMBURGER TODAY!

A hamburger is therapy that works! Juicy, rich meaty taste creamy tangy cheese, the hot  western twang of barbeque, the melt-in your-mouth lean fatty bacon it lifts your mouth’s spirit, stampedes that remuda of problems, worries right out of your head. The City Limits Burger does that to you. It’s  a game-changer. Top it off with an Egg Creme and you’re a-rarin’ to go.   French Fries on the side a must not to avoid.

I had not had one in a long time when I stopped in at “The Limits” in White Plains New York USA, Friday, when it arrived like James Brown on stage Friday afternoon, all that was missing was the cloak.

I mean the very sight of it lifted my spirits.

And the first big bite with catsup– MAN Oh MAN! making a comeback in my mouth, the juiciness  the meaty spirited authority of burgerness  KABBURGER! YIPPEE-I-OH-KI-YEA!

Saunter in to the welcome hub-bub of City Limits with your burgher face on if you want some burger therapy it works! You know you need it! Always!

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. May 29, 2026:

White Plains Police have resumed “foot patrols” in Downtown White Plains, Commissioner of Pubwhlic Safety announced at Tuesday evening’s work session.  Mayor Justin brashed introduced the new Commissioner to report on the results of the city’s “Love May” effort to address bike and delivery issues in the downtown by acquainting delivery personal with city regulations.

Mayor Brasch who asked the Commissioner to devise the foot patrol initiative, commended Hardy and the Deputy Police Commissioner for devising the first foot patrols in the city in 27 years.

Hardy cited statistics on the number of  delivery personnel addressed in public meetings and on the street by foot patrol officers.

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SIGNS REFORMS TO EASE AND BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE.

Most Significant Reforms of the State Environmental Quality Review Act Since its Passage in 1975

Reforms to Environmental Review Could Save as Much as $82,000 in Per-Unit Building Costs

Cutting Red Tape Will Speed up Building of New Housing by as Much as Two Years

Governor Kathy Hochul today signed a key component of her FY27 budget, which includes her “Let Them Build” agenda, a sweeping set of common-sense reforms that cut red tape and remove duplicative environmental reviews for housing and other critical infrastructure.

The Enacted Budget includes significant reforms of the fifty-year-old State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), modernizing the law to expedite projects that meet criteria which ensure they have no significant environmental impacts and to let localities build the housing and infrastructure New Yorkers need in communities across the state.

“Red tape and duplicative reviews have stopped New York from doing the very building that made us the envy of the world, making our housing more expensive and our infrastructure outdated – that ends today,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “By removing these barriers and empowering communities across the state, we are working to drive down costs of critical housing and infrastructure and sending a simple message: now is the time to build.”

Today, it is too difficult to build major projects in New York: housing and infrastructure projects can take as much as 56 percent longer in New York State to get from concept to groundbreaking compared to peer states. Similarly, unduly burdensome requirements delay needed investment in clean water infrastructure, green infrastructure, New York City public schools, and parks and trails.

The Budget includes landmark reforms to slash through the red tape and government bureaucracy that has stymied desperately needed housing and crucial infrastructure projects by enacting Governor Hochul’s “Let Them Build” agenda. The Budget includes a series of common sense changes to modernize SEQRA and expedite categories of housing and infrastructure projects consistently found not to have any significant environmental impact, eliminating unnecessary costs, duplicative reviews and years of delay that raise costs for New Yorkers when they can least afford it.

Together, these actions will increase affordability by fast-tracking housing and infrastructure projects that communities want and that will not harm the environment. This fast-track makes it easier to build more of the vital projects that New Yorkers need while continuing to protect our environment and conserve New York’s natural resources.

Building Housing Faster By Cutting Red Tape

The FY27 Budget contains landmark reforms which will provide exemptions from duplicative environmental review to accelerate housing development that is desperately needed and meets criteria that ensures it does not have significant environmental impacts. Governor Hochul has vowed to tackle the housing crisis and bring down costs by building the housing that New Yorkers desperately need. However, too many projects in New York, including much-needed affordable housing developments, are forced to navigate a web of red tape created by state mandates that add unnecessary costs and years of needless delays, despite these projects consistently being found to have no significant environmental impact.

By cutting red tape and speeding up the timeline to construction, Let Them Build will help cut costs and speed construction for qualifying housing at the following unit caps:

• New York City: up to 250 units citywide and up to 500 units within medium and high-density areas
• Urbanized areas outside of New York City: up to 300 units
• Non-urbanized areas: up to 100 units, and up to 20 units in areas that do not have zoning

The housing projects must be on previously disturbed land and connected upon occupancy to existing water and sewer systems. The law does not supersede environmental requirements, permitting or local zoning.

These common-sense reforms will get more urgently needed homes built faster for New Yorkers. Studies have shown that for housing projects in New York State, SEQRA can slow down building by as long as two years.

These delays increase costs: analysis of housing projects demonstrate that SEQRA reviews increase the cost of building housing by $82,000 per unit in New York City, adding up to $8 million in additional costs for a 100 unit development. By eliminating duplicative reviews, Let Them Build will get projects from the planning process to the construction site faster and make it easier and more affordable for new homes to be built across the state.

Supporting Communities in Building Out Crucial Infrastructure

The legislation adds further SEQRA exemptions for critical categories of projects that New Yorkers need, including clean water infrastructure, public parks and trails, green infrastructure and public schools within New York City.

• Clean Water Infrastructure: Critical water infrastructure projects that avoid impacts to natural resources.
• Green Infrastructure: Nature-based storm water management.
• Parks and Trails: Public parks and recreational bike/pedestrian paths on previously disturbed land.
• Public Schools: New New York City Public School buildings built by the School Construction Authority.

Making Government a Partner in Growth

Currently, SEQRA review timelines vary greatly across projects, creating unpredictability for local communities, project sponsors, and state agencies alike. This uncertainty can contribute to significant project delays and add substantial costs to project budgets.

To create additional accountability for local communities and project sponsors, the bill establishes a two-year timeline to complete an environmental impact statement, creating clear project schedules and faster decisions.

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GILLIBRAND HAILS SENATE PASSAGE OF HER BIPARTISAN BILL TO PROTECT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) applauded the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements (TREY’S) Law, which she co-leads with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). The bill would void nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that silence survivors of child sexual abuse.

“For too long, nondisclosure agreements have been used to silence survivors of child sexual abuse and shield perpetrators from accountability,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Today, we are one step closer to correcting that injustice and allowing survivors to publicly tell their stories. I am grateful to Sen. Cruz for his partnership and leadership on TREY’S Law and am thrilled that it has now passed the Senate. I urge the House of Representatives to take up this bill and send it to the president’s desk as soon as possible.”

“Trey’s story is not the exception, but the pattern,” said Senator Cruz. “Non-disclosure agreements are too often used to bury abuse and silence survivors, with incalculable and catastrophic consequences for victims. We will never know how many child victims were silenced by these contracts or how many lives were lost because the law enforced that silence. I am thankful to Senator Gillibrand for helping get TREY’S Law across the finish line in the Senate. I now urge my colleagues in the House to pass this legislation and send it to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.”

TREY’S Law would void NDAs in cases of child sexual abuse or assault. NDAs can be used to silence survivors of child sexual abuse and shield perpetrators from accountability. This bill would make any NDA provision unenforceable if it prohibits or restricts someone from disclosing the sexual abuse of a minor or facts related to that abuse, regardless of whether the NDA was signed before a dispute arose or as part of a civil settlement agreement.

The bill is named in honor of Trey Carlock, a young man from Dallas, Texas who endured sexual abuse as a child while at a summer camp. He signed an NDA as part of a civil settlement, forcing him to silently carry the trauma of his abuse and barring him from publicly speaking out against the perpetrator. He ultimately took his own life at age 28.