President Joe Biden will receive his updated omicron COVID-19 booster Oct. 25 and launch several efforts aimed at getting more Americans to do so ahead of the holiday season, according to the White House.
Category: Public Health
An Abortion Rights Question on the California Ballot Revives the Debate Over ‘Viability’
California voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to explicitly protect abortion rights. But there is disagreement over whether the proposal, Proposition 1, would merely enshrine existing rights or expand them.
CDC tallies 6 monkeypox deaths: 3 updates
Health officials in Illinois, Maryland, New York and Nevada are the latest states to report deaths in residents who tested positive for monkeypox, CBS News reported Oct. 21.
HHS awards $21 million to 13 hospitals to fight emerging special pathogens
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response awarded $21 million to 13 healthcare facilities to help fight against special pathogens, like COVID-19.
CDC eyes oral polio vaccine not used in 20 years to halt New York outbreak
The CDC is considering the use of a novel oral polio vaccine that uses a live virus strain to stop an outbreak in New York, agency officials told CNBC in an Oct. 21 report. The vaccine has not been used in more than two decades.
‘Escape variants’ account for 16% of US COVID-19 cases: 10 updates
Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — dubbed ‘escape variants’ for their immune evasiveness — are gaining prevalence and now account for more than 16 percent of all COVID-19 cases confirmed in the U.S., according to the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker…
More than 1,600 people hospitalized for flu last week: 7 FluView notes
For the week ending Oct. 15, 1,674 patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza were admitted to a hospital, according to the CDC’s latest FluView report.
CDC’s push for quicker public health messaging faces obstacles
The CDC’s new plan to accelerate its response to health threats and simplify public messaging is already facing roadblocks, Politico reported Oct. 21
COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in New York as BQ.1 spreads
Health experts are carefully watching COVID-19 trends in New York amid signs the nation will face a winter surge. The state has seen an increase in hospitalizations over the last month.
Drivers in Decline: A Shortage of Volunteers Complicates Access to Care in Rural America
Public transit is already insufficient in rural areas, leaving residents with few options as they travel greater distances to access health care. But older residents who depend on volunteer drivers to get them to appointments face another challenge: The number of those volunteers is declining.
