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
How Covid put the National Institutes of Health at the heart of partisan debates
During the Covid-19 pandemic, issues rooted in science—such as the benefits of vaccines and infection prevention techniques—quickly became partisan issues.
A new comment published by Nature shows how the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 affected the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy explained, “The NIH became a lightning rod for partisan debates during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that eroded trust between the NIH and the public.”
Hospitalisations from Covid continue to decline, CDC says
From 8 October to 14 October, hospitalisations from Covid decreased 5 per cent, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Emergency department visits from the virus went down during that time, as did the test positivity rate. However, deaths from the virus increased 4.3 per cent during that time.
Study pinpoints why some refuse to get the Covid vaccine
Despite the fact that health authorities like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recommended the latest Covid vaccines for everyone six months and up, vaccine hesitancy remains a public health issue in the US.
A new study from JAMA Network Open found that “building trust in health authorities, promoting vaccine confidence, and countering misinformation” are crucial next steps for leaders to take to get more Americans vaccinated.
Emergency department visits from Covid continue to decline, CDC says
From 8 October to 14 October, emergency room visits from Covid decreased 11.9 per cent, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Hospitalisations from the virus went down during that time, as did the test positivity rate. However, deaths from the virus increased 4.3 per cent during that time.
A petition to make healthcare workers wear the most protective masks is circulating online
Healthcare systems across the country have implemented varying policies on mask mandates, but now some are asking the CDC to require healthcare workers to use N95 masks, which provide more protection than other types of masks.
A petition is circulating, and has been promoted by Project N95 on social media:
Experts slam Pfizer’s Paxlovid price
Pfizer said the company’s antiviral treatment Paxlovid will cost $1,390 per course, according to reporting from Reuters.
It is the most commonly prescribed at-home treatment for Covid, and is often recommended for people who test positive who are at high-risk for severe disease from SARS-CoV-2, including people who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised.
Experts have criticised the move, which will likely prevent some who need the lifesaving treatment from getting it.
Covid test positivity rate continues to decline, CDC says
From 8 October to 14 October, the Covid test positivity rate in the US went down 0.7 per cent, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Hospitalisations from the virus went down during that time, as did emergency department visits. Deaths from the virus, however, increased 4.2 per cent.
Barack Obama alters schedule due to ‘Covid-like symptoms’
Former president Barack Obama, 62, cancelled a trip to Harvard this week after experiencing “Covid-like symptoms”, according to reporting from CBS News Boston.
He was set to visit the Applied Social Media Lab at the university, which issued a statement saying, “Out of an abundance of caution, he is not attending his public events today.”
Deaths from Covid are rising again, CDC says
From 8 October to 14 October, deaths from Covid rose 4.2 per cent, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Hospitalisations from the virus went down during that time, as did emergency department visits and the test positivity rate.
The cost of long Covid in the US
Doctors and scientists are pushing public health authorites to take long Covid seriously, highlighting the financial toll the disease will take alongside the suffering it can render.
According to a new paper published in Nature, “For the United States alone, the economic cost of long COVID is estimated to be $3 trillion over the next five years.”
The authors of the paper argue that the US needs to invest $1 billion into long Covid research annually for the next 10 years to “improve the lives of millions and save trillions in economic costs.”
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