COVID-19

Spain is recording a sharp rise in COVID-19, with estimated incidence climbing 69% in a week to 85 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, up from 50.4 the previous week. Test positivity for SARS-CoV-2 also rose steeply, from 19% to 25.8%. The figures point to a new wave of infections gaining momentum across the country.

France is seeing an early resurgence of Covid-19, and the pharmacists' union is urging the government to move the vaccination campaign, currently scheduled for mid-October, to an earlier date. Hospital emergency departments are under strain, with visits among adults rising 67% and among children 16%, according to health data cited by the union.

The updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccine rollout has begun in the United States, with people booking Moderna booster appointments at pharmacies such as Walgreens. The news comes as analysts report a 13th COVID wave underway, with outbreaks in 40 states and territories and roughly 3.8 million new infections, prompting calls for timely vaccination.

The United States and European Union have rejected a UN General Assembly resolution backing an international pandemic collaboration treaty. The move undermines efforts to create a binding global framework for coordinating responses to future health emergencies. Critics of the treaty have raised concerns over national sovereignty, while public health advocates argue global cooperation is essential to prevent a repeat of the COVID-19 crisis.

The United Nations General Assembly convened its second High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, bringing member states together to strengthen global defences against future health emergencies. The World Health Organization is highlighting the meeting as a key moment for international coordination, three years after the first such session and amid ongoing negotiations over a global pandemic agreement.

Moderna has begun a Phase 1 clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine targeting the Zaire strain responsible for the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The trial marks the first human testing of the candidate, which uses the same mRNA technology behind Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. Coverage is highlighting the company's growing pipeline and the urgent need for new Ebola countermeasures in central Africa.