Potentially Game-Changing Test Can Detect Your Covid Immunity

NBC News: How Strong Is Your Covid Immunity? A Blood Test Could Offer Some Insight
A newly developed blood test that measures a specific immune response in the body could help doctors gauge how much protection a person has against Covid-19, according to a new study. The test, which focuses on the part of the immune system that confers long-term protection by prompting the body to "remember" the virus, could help make sense of the complex tangle of Covid immunity that now exists from person to person. The test can, for instance, measure immunity regardless of whether someone has developed a level of protection from one or more natural infections or from vaccinations and booster shots. (Chow, 6/14)

On stopping this pandemic and others —

Bloomberg: Another Pandemic Coming? White House Prepares To Unveil Biodefense Plan
The Biden administration, applying lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, will soon unveil a new defense strategy against biological threats that puts the White House at the center of any future US response. A senior administration official, speaking under the condition of anonymity as the strategy has not yet been released, said that the government has paid close attention to research that suggests there’s a 50/50 chance of another Covid-like pandemic — or one that is more deadly — over the next 25 years. The Biden plan is the result of more than a year of work by US national security and public health experts to improve the nation’s framework for preparedness, response and recovery. (Griffin, 6/14)

KHN: Will The US Overcome Its Covid Complacency Even As The Threat Returns? 
A few months ago, it seemed as though the country was poised to finally tame the pandemic, after two years of restrictions and tens of billions in government spending. The Biden administration in March released the first national covid-19 preparedness plan to help Americans safely “return to normal,” a strategy to live with the continued presence of the virus and the emergence of new variants. In response, elected representatives and much of the country essentially sighed, seemingly preferring to move on and give up the fight. (Rosenthal, 6/15)

In other news about the spread of covid —

WUSF Public Media: Florida Leads The Nation In Percentage Of Residents Living In High-Risk COVID Counties
While many Floridians are living their lives without COVID-19 precautions, the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the state is on the rise. As of this past week, more Florida residents are living in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "high-risk counties" than anywhere else in the country. Florida has 86 percent of people living in high-risk counties, compared to the national average of 22 percent. High-risk level counties are largely determined by the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations. Jason Salemi, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida, said this news is not shocking. (LeFever, 6/14)

CIDRAP: Study Spotlights Omicron's Impact On Unvaccinated, Rural Americans 
Though it causes less severe disease than the Delta variant, the highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant has been twice as deadly in unvaccinated people and has therefore hit rural Americans harder than those living in cities, a study today in Frontiers in Medicine finds. Because low-vaccination parts of the country are mostly rural, those living in less densely populated areas continue to bear the highest COVID-19 burden, according to the study authors, who hail from universities in four US states and Zimbabwe. They worry that rural America will face a disproportionate long-term impact from lingering symptoms known as long COVID. (Wappes, 6/14)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Facial Coverings Not Required At State’s Casinos By Regulators
While visitors to Nellis Air Force Base and other facilities will need to wear masks to protect against the spreading of COVID-19, the state’s casinos won’t require them. A spokesman for the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Monday said administrators would only issue directives for facial coverings at casinos if directed to under an order from Gov. Steve Sisolak — and that hasn’t happened. Nellis and the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area visitors center are requiring indoor mask-wearing, regardless of vaccination status, now that Clark County has been federally designated as having a high community level of COVID-19. (Velotta, 6/14)

AP: Great Plains Zoo Vaccinating Animals For The Coronavirus 
The Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls is in the process of vaccinating its most susceptible animals against the coronavirus. A global animal health company, Zoetis, has developed an experimental vaccine for COVID-19 and is working with zoos across the country to distribute its limited supply to vaccinate the most at-risk species as soon as possible. (6/14)

Also —

WUSF Public Media: Survey Show That Half Of Region's Health Workers Are Dealing With Compassion Fatigue 
More than half of the health professionals and first responders in Sarasota and Manatee counties have experienced compassion fatigue, according to a community impact report released by a nonprofit that helps people deal with trauma. Resilient Retreat collected the data to demonstrate the need for trauma-based services in Sarasota and Manatee for health care workers and first responders. Lisa Intagliata, executive director of the Sarasota-based organization, says the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected people who help others. (Carter, 6/14)