Alexander Tin

@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social

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Reporting for CBS News in D.C. on federal public health agencies. Raised in sunny Nevada. Email [email protected], ask for Signal.

More places you can find me: https://github.com/tinalexander

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Over weekend, Colorado said now four H5 bird flu cases confirmed in poultry worker outbreak and fifth presumptive CDC now says: - symptoms included "coughing and sore throat" - first U.S. poultry worker cases since 2022 - sequencing attempts underway tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

New today: CDC now estimates that SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater have reached "high" levels nationwide, for first time since past winter wave At state level, 26 now have COVID-19 levels that are "high" or "very high" in wastewater www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVI...

This morning, LA Times reported FDA tipped off to a possible H5N1 outbreak in dairy selling raw milk to public www.latimes.com/environment/... New Mexico says investigated this week: herd didn't have symptoms and was treated for feed change, not illness tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

So what was in these counterfeit Botox that led to so many illnesses? CDC's MMWR this week suggests investigators turned up no answers so far, notes "Further studies are needed to describe the clinical spectrum of cosmetic BoNT injection effects" www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...

This week, CDC announced it has closed investigation into counterfeit or mishandled Botox "Overall, 13 (76%) people were hospitalized and 6 (35%) were treated with botulism antitoxin because of concerns that the botulinum toxin could have spread" www.cdc.gov/botulism/out...

America's pertussis wave is continuing to grow, with 215 cases reported in latest week from CDC's NNDSS This is most whooping cough reported in a single week in years, and comes as cumulative YTD cases now more than 3x larger this year versus last data.cdc.gov/NNDSS/NNDSS-...

Are we in store for more whooping cough cases this year? CDC's Tami Skoff told NFID this week of pertussis "I’ve included case counts to date in 2024. And if we compare this to the same time period in 2023, we’re up about 140%" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

From FDA warning letter a look at how that Quaker Chewy granola bar Salmonella concern swelled into a nationwide recall spanning so many of brand's products "findings may indicate that the same strain of Salmonella Cubana has survived since 2020" www.fda.gov/inspections-...

In 2022, FDA inspected CSL's vaccine factory in North Carolina -- which this year was tasked to make bird flu shots They found a handful of issues, including delays in forwarding reports of serious unexpected adverse experiences as long as 323 days tinalexander.github.io/notes/attach...

A reminder CSL was tasked this month to fill-finish 4.8 million doses of H5N1 vaccine ASPR's Dawn O'Connell confirmed to reporters today: "timeline continues to hold, and we will begin seeing the doses middle of July continuing to roll off through August" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

More than half of states now reporting illnesses linked to Diamond Shruumz chocolates/cones/gummies per FDA States told us tally expected to climb as more investigated, including hospitalizations of children who ate products www.fda.gov/food/outbrea...

You'll recall FDA said last month Diamond Shruumz brand chocolates tested positive for - psilacetin (aka "synthetic shrooms") - desmethoxyyangonin, dihydrokavain, kavain (aka Kava derivatives) Company has blamed high levels of "muscimol" for recall www.fda.gov/food/outbrea...

In response to global shortage of BD's blood culture media bottles, used for diagnosing bloodstream infections FDA urging healthcare providers and labs to prepare "strategies to preserve the supply for patients at highest risk" www.fda.gov/medical-devi...

New from Puerto Rico's record dengue increase this year Confirmation of first two deaths of this year and two preliminary deaths also being investigated Puerto Rico hasn't reported more than three dengue deaths since 2013's surge of cases www.salud.pr.gov/CMS/DOWNLOAD...

If U.S. needed to ramp up production of bird flu vaccines, would it delay seasonal flu shots? Vaccinemakers told HHS last month that for now "manufacturing window to produce more H5N1 or H5N8 is there because our seasonal production has finished" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

Update from FDA's talks with sunscreen industry over ingredients it worries might not be safe Records show agency rebuked industry proposal to use an alternatives to animal testing for safety studies, warning validation would take "years and years" www.regulations.gov/document/FDA...

New draft recs by FDA for drugmakers looking to correct misinfo, including many updates from 2014 (e.g. adding "influencer") FDA Commissioner Robert Califf says updates to help industry "promptly and proactively" address misinfo, warns of "growing spread of rumors" www.fda.gov/news-events/...

What's different about H5N1 strain now spreading in dairy farms, versus previous bird flu viruses? Now published today in Nature from NIH-backed researchers "virus may have the ability to bind to cells in the upper respiratory tract of humans" www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This summer's COVID-19 surge isn't just out west, per new CDC figures out today COVID-19 emergency room visits in Florida have also climbed steeply in recent weeks, and are now near this past winter's peaks covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-t...

Last week, CDC's wastewater tracking of SARS-CoV-2 officially reached "high" across western states Some of worst levels in this region have been in Hawaii, which has also been seeing COVID-19 ER visits higher than recent peaks covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-t...

Per new CDC SARS-CoV-2 variant projections Nationwide picture similar to last update, with KP.3 in lead at 31.3% as of July 6 One new variant on rise is KP.4.1, which remains <2% across much of country but reached 17.9% as of June 22 in HHS Region 6 covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-t...

Per CDC's new report, both conjunctival and respiratory samples were taken from new Colorado bird flu case But while case reported had only pink eye symptoms, sounds like only their respiratory sample turned out to test positive for H5 virus www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/i...

More details from Colorado on new bird flu case: - no household contacts developed symptoms - not enough virus may be to blame for "inconclusive" testing results at state level - farm had been given PPE, but unclear if worker was wearing it when exposed tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

What ever happened to FDA's plan to propose front-of-package nutrition labeling? FDA's Jim Jones told WSJ event recently... "we hope to have a proposed rule on the street for public to comment on this fall" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

Califf later mentioned FDA's effort on front of package nutrition labeling, calling it part of "the baseline state" "How can we not do that? But, there are a lot of people opposed to it. I got to tell you." tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

Studies by FDA of tattoo and permanent makeup inks are still finding contamination, this time with anaerobic bacteria "no clear link between a product label claiming sterility and the actual absence of bacterial contamination" asm.org/Press-Releas...

This now marks the fourth straight week of norovirus test positivity increasing Per CDC's National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System June usually marks one of the lowest points of year for this stomach bug www.cdc.gov/nrevss/php/d...

It's not just Europe seeing an out-of-season surge of norovirus this summer CDC's NREVSS figures updated over weekend show test positivity from this notorious stomach bug climbing in June This is a time when trends are typically lowest of all year www.cdc.gov/nrevss/php/d...

An update from ASPR's Meghan Pennini on private insurance coverage of mpox vaccines, as commercial switchover looms "while they’re not fully obligated right now, we are hearing that they do intend to cover, and we are hearing that there is coverage" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

You'll recall that ASPR told IDSA webinar earlier this month that uninsured would be able to access mpox shots through: - CDC's 317 immunization program - HRSA vsupported clinics www.idsociety.org/globalassets...

Amid this year's bird flu outbreak, ASPR to fund $176M for "late-stage development" of Moderna's mRNA vaccine for H5N1 But don't expect it to be rolled out this year: "timeline may change, but we anticipate starting phase three trials in 2025" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

New from FDA and CDC on probe of those recalled "microdosing" Diamond Shruumz candies - now 1 death being investigated - 48 illnesses, 27 hospitalizations - 24 states, adds FL, ND, OK, SD www.cdc.gov/environmenta...

From FDA's update today on poisonings linked to Diamond Shruumz microdosing chocolates and other candies - now 26 cases and 16 hospitalizations - samples collected, "analysis is ongoing" - "discussions are still ongoing" about recall www.fda.gov/food/outbrea...

From CDC's Nirav Shah today on investigation of H5N1 detections in San Francisco Bay Area "area is not known for its dairy industry. So that’s not high on our list of hypotheses. What is higher on the list is at least one or two live bird markets" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

As shots near completion, talks have now begun on whether to vaccinate U.S. dairy workers for bird flu Per CDC's Nirav Shah, decision will hinge on: - expected demand, given perceived severity - whether antivirals will achieve goal better tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

As agricultural fairs get underway this summer, USDA has updated its guidance on bird flu outbreak in dairy cows to include a new plea "CDC recommends fair organizers stock and use NIOSH approved PPE, if needed" www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/defaul...

Why can't we vaccinate cows for bird flu? USDA said this week: "challenging" to develop and "going to take some time" still hoping "we will be able to eliminate this disease from the dairy herd in the absence of a vaccine" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

In the wake of the unprecedented spread of H5N1 between dairy cows this year USDA now confirms that it has "begun to assess the potential to develop an effective vaccine for H5N1 in bovine" www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/defaul...

Update from USDA this week on their lab study of infecting cows with H5N1: - evaluated aersol and intrammamary route - "can be replicated" via intramammary route - additional data "in the not too distant future" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...

How is H5N1 spreading in dairy cattle? We could get more answers soon from USDA ARS's BSL-3 lab, which has just finished weekslong study of cattle given H5N1 "was an inhalation study and an intra-mammary inoculation study in the containment facilities" tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...