Amid criticism he has been slow to adequately respond to the fast-spreading outbreak of the monkeypox virus, a top U.S. health official Thursday declared an emergency response. “I want to make an announcement today that I will be declaring a public health emergency on monkeypox,” said Xavier Becerra, secretary of health and human services, told reporters on a conference call. “We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously.” The emergency declaration came after a similar …

One in eight people who get coronavirus develop at least one symptom of long COVID, one of the most comprehensive studies on the condition to date suggested on Thursday.  With more than half a billion coronavirus cases recorded worldwide since the start of the pandemic, there has been rising concern about the lasting symptoms seen in people with long COVID.  However, almost none of the existing research has compared long COVID sufferers with people who have never been infected, making it possible that some of the health problems were not …