Since omicron first appeared in the U.S. nearly a year ago, the variant has maintained dominance, splintering into an increasingly complicated patchwork of sublineages.
Category: Public Health
AMA to lawmakers: Reconsider permanent daylight saving time
Permanently adopting permanent standard time — as opposed to daylight saving time — would offer more health benefits for the public, the American Medical Association said Nov. 15.
Be a shining example for your weight loss patients
How can you be an example of what’s possible for your patients on their weight loss journey? I got this question recently in a doctor’s social media group I like. The answer is simpler than you think. As their doctor, you aspire to perfecti…
Patients Complain Some Obesity Care Startups Offer Pills, and Not Much Else
A new wave of obesity care startups offer access to new weight loss medications. But do they offer good health care?
Medicare Plan Finder Likely Won’t Note New $35 Cap on Out-of-Pocket Insulin Costs
In August, Congress approved a $35 cap on what seniors will pay for insulin, but that change came too late to add to the online tool that helps Medicare beneficiaries compare dozens of drug and medical plans. Federal officials say beneficiaries who use insulin will have the opportunity to switch plans after open enrollment ends Dec. 7.
State of union on virus season: Where COVID-19, flu & RSV stand
It’s still unclear how a COVID-19 surge may play out this winter, but already, many U.S. hospitals are under capacity strain from an influx of patients sick with the flu and respiratory syncytial virus.
Public health failures spurred RSV surge, nurses say
The notion that rising cases of respiratory syncytial virus are due to children’s lack of exposure amid masking and stay-at-home orders is “flawed conjecture that is not based on science,” National Nurses United said Nov. 14.
Sick Profit: Investigating Private Equity’s Stealthy Takeover of Health Care Across Cities and Specialties
Private equity firms have shelled out almost $1 trillion to acquire nearly 8,000 health care businesses, in deals almost always hidden from federal regulators. The result: higher prices, lawsuits, and complaints about care.
Thousands of Experts Hired to Aid Public Health Departments Are Losing Their Jobs
As the covid-19 pandemic raged, an independent nonprofit tied to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hired an army of seasoned professionals to fill the gaps in the country’s public health system. Now, the money has largely run out, and state and local health departments are again without their expertise.
‘Escape variants’ now dominant in US
Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are now dominant in the U.S., accounting for more than 40 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases, CDC data shows.
