Reporting for @CBSNews in D.C. on federal public health. Raised in sunny Nevada. Email is TinA@CBSNews.com, call/text/signal at 202-381-7107 or 202-817-6133
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From resignation letter by Dr Peter Marks to @US_FDA's acting commissioner:
While unvaxxed young kids remain at highest risk
@CDCgov's @nirav_uscdc cited patient confidentiality for vague explanation of why patient hospitalized ![A screenshot of text that reads in part: "Nirav Shah, CDC [00:26:45] No, this is not a situation where we think that their influenza manifested in these particular symptoms. However, the symptoms that are present here were perhaps caused by other underlying medical conditions. And then upon evaluation by medical personnel, became apparent that influenza and respiratory testing was also warranted. So this is not a new presentation of the flu. Those that I noted, the chest pain, the nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, which can be caused by any type of respiratory illness, were probably more ...](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GXTSHFHXcAABEhc.png)
@USDA has urged culling to continue at Colorado farm, despite mounting cases![A screenshot of text that reads in part: "Eric Deeble, USDA [00:14:10] Affected workers have been isolated and poultry depopulation efforts continue in order to stop the virus production and mitigate further spread. All decisions regarding this effort are being made while balancing human health and safety and animal health and welfare. Right now, USDA considers it very important for depopulation to continue to stop virus amplification and shedding prevent further spread and to reduce the viral load in the environment. If depopulation were to be paused, workers would still be required t...](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GSs8eOKWAAICSaz.jpg)
26 states and D.C. are also now seeing what @CDCgov classifies as "substantial increases" in COVID-19 emergency room visits
They were looking at a time and temperature combo that imitates "high temperature short time" pasteurization, widely used in U.S. dairy industry
This effectively turns down shots @pfizer and @moderna_tx had offered to target newer JN.1 descendant variant called KP.2
It comes as @US_FDA found PCR positive samples of H5N1 in milk from grocery shelves![A screenshot of text that reads in part: 'Don Prater, FDA [00:34:43] We are conducting that analysis now, and we will be ready to share results in the coming days. We have, I think confirmed, what some of the other groups have found that there are PCR positives, but we still are processing the current samples and we be ready to share that in the coming days. JoNel Aleccia, AP [00:35:06] I mean, just to be clear that milk from shelves in the U.S.– you are waiting for the results of that. You haven’t found it yet in milk, taken from grocery store shelves, is that correct? Don Prater, FDA [00:...](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GL9GEewXwAAMRMY.png)
You'll recall this is a term that @US_FDA has largely stripped out of its latest EUAs and approvals for this year's reformulated COVID shots
They ultimately settled on "universal" recs for COVID shots 
Nationwide, you'll recall @CDCgov's other NSSP surveillance has tracked 
This sounds a little later than the timeline @CDCgov had laid out last month, which anticipated "mid to late September 2023"
VRBPAC ultimately voted in favor of updating COVID shots to XBB monovalent
Meanwhile, while weekly COVID-19 deaths were on track for a record low last week, the pace of fatalities worsened slightly this week compared to last
An @US_FDA spokesperson said that they are continuing 
@GISAID's statement echoes what @mvankerkhove told reporters today
The @US_FDA had asked VRBPAC members whether "available data" were "adequate to support" the safety and effectiveness of @pfizer's RSV vaccine in adults 60 and older
@CDC_DASH's Kathleen Ethier said that this is the first YRBS survey results since COVID pandemic but
@DrCaliff_FDA said @US_FDA now has a "pretty good strategy" for developing tests for next pandemic outbreak