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Sold under the Xocova moniker—and available in Japan since 2022—Shionogi’s oral drug has been cleared for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) of COVID-19 in U.S. adults and adolescents ages 12 and older following contact with someone who has COVID. With the FDA's sign-off, Xocova has earned the distinction of becoming the first oral drug approved in the U.S. to protect against COVID after exposure, Shionogi noted in a June 1 press release.  The drug is taken over five days, beginning with three tablets on day one and just one tablet on the following four. (Kansteiner, 6/1)

Long COVID may be affecting far more Americans than current estimates suggest, with a study published last week in JAMA Network Open estimating that roughly one in six people infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop the condition, and nearly 90% go on to experience chronic health problems. (Bergeson, 6/1)

Doctors around the country say they are seeing more cases of serious, sometimes life-threatening illnesses that vaccines have long kept at bay, including whooping cough and bacterial infections that can cause pneumonia or meningitis. The concern among doctors comes on the heels of a resurgence of measles nationwide, fueled by distrust in vaccines that grew during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Trump have amplified. Public health experts have long seen measles as a harbinger: Because it is so exceptionally contagious, it can be the first disease to spike as vaccination rates broadly decline, and a sign of more to come. (Astor and Blum, 6/2)

Five of the 18 U.S. cruise ship passengers quarantined in Nebraska went home Monday, halfway through their quarantine after being exposed to hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson said. The five passengers were permitted to leave under the condition that they stay home — no quick runs for takeout or trips to the grocery store — for the second half of the virus’ full 42-day quarantine period, set to end June 22. (Edwards and Vespa, 6/1)

Late last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new efforts to address Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, including a pilot program to eradicate ticks on animals before they can bite people. As part of the pilot program, researchers at the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases will work with community partners, including the Indian Health Service and the Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts, on ways to reduce the tick population and interrupt breeding with the hope that fewer ticks will lead to fewer tick-borne infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and HHS will helm this initiative. (Holohan, 6/1)

Kids with autumn birthdays are more likely to get the annual flu shot and therefore less likely to catch the virus compared with those born in the summer, according to a study published today in JAMA Pediatrics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed the flu vaccine from its list of recommended childhood immunizations in January, citing a lack of evidence that the vaccine prevents serious illness and deaths in children. Now the agency recommends "shared clinical decision-making" between a clinician and a patient or their guardian, though that recommendation is currently on hold following a court ruling in March. (Boden, 6/1)