US households can now order four free Covid tests from the government – latest guidelines
An updated Coronavirus booster is now being rolled out nationwide
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Your support makes all the difference.New Covid boosters from Pfizer and Moderna are now available at pharmacies nationwide, and the US has restarted its free Covid test program.
Tests can be ordered from COVIDTests.gov; you can order four per household.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are recommending one dose of the updated vaccine for everyone six months and older in the US; some children may be eligible for up to three doses depending on their age and previous vaccination status.
Hospitalisations and deaths rose steadily during the last weeks of summer, and global health authorities are monitoring two new variants, BA.2.86, known as Pirola, and EG.5, known as Eris.
First reported in February, Eris is now responsible for nearly 30 per cent of Covid cases in the US, per CDC estimates.
Some experts are urging Americans to wear a mask when necessary to slow the spread of the virus.
CDC Covid tracker
16,186 hospitalisations from 15 October to 21 October
Parents are suing California for eliminating religious expemtions to school-mandated vaccines
Parents are suing the state of Califnornia over a law that mandates vaccines for school children—and doesn’t allow for religious exemptions—as Governor Gavin Newsom is reportedly trying to add the Covid vaccine to the list of those that will be required.
Per Fox News, the parents are backed by a conservative group.
Many long Covid patients haven’t recovered 18 months after diagnosis, research shows
Long Covid will affect many people for more than one-and-a-half years after their diagnosis, new research has shown.
The study, published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, found that “more than 50% of long COVID patients failed to improve using any outcome measure” 18 months after their diagnosis.
New York City offers free at-home tests
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is offering free at-home tests at sites across New York.
US Covid booster rates are shockingly low
Very few people have received the updated Covid boosters that were released nationwide in September, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
US Covid booster rates are far too low and could contribute to a ‘tripledemic’
Experts have warned of a possible ‘tripledemic’ this cold and flu season
How long Covid changes lives
The condition can cause debilitating symptoms that affect one’s day-to-day functioning.
Tara Cobham reports:
Long Covid: The ‘wrecked’ lives of forgotten sufferers
Long Covid has over 200 symptoms, for many sufferers the pandemic is far from over
Experts slam anti-vaxxers for associating Matthew Perry’s death with Covid vaccine
Prominent anti-vaxxers have publicly speculated on whether Matthew Perry’s death was linked to the Covid vaccine. Now, experts are criticizing the exploitative comments.
Why pregnant people should get vaccinated
Pregnancy makes a person high-risk from severe disease for Covid-19, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The agency has released a bulletin that states, “Pregnancy causes changes in the body that could make it easier to get very sick from respiraotry viruses like the one that causes COVID-19.”
Severe illness from the virus could result in hospitalisation, admission to an ICU, or even reliance on a ventilator.
Anti-vaxxers falsely blame Matthew Perry’s death on Covid vaccine
Prominent anti-vaxxer Kandiss Taylor took to X, formerly Twitter, to falsely associate Friends star Matthew Perry’s death with the Covid vaccine.
Flu, RSV and Covid starting to circulate in the US amid fears of ‘tripledemic’
Experts have been urging Americans to stay up-to-date on their Covid, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines for weeks now, ahead of the worst of cold and flu season.
Now, reports show the viruses are already circulating in the US.
Flu, RSV and Covid starting to circulate in the US amid fears of ‘tripledemic’
Experts say it’s crucial to stay up-to-date on all vaccines
Experts say it’s still safe to get flu and Covid shots together
A recent study suggested older adults may have a slightly increased risk of stroke if they get the Covid and flu shots together, but experts say there’s not enough evidence to suggest the risk is so severe people should stop getting these vaccinations at the same time.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, recently told ABC News, “There is no need for panic, and emphatically no need to stop giving COVID and flu shots at the same time to older adults.”
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