Loosened COVID-19 guidance from the CDC was met with mixed reactions from the healthcare community, with some calling the less rigid recommendations appropriate at this stage of the pandemic, and others highlighting risks.
Category: Public Health
US COVID-19 cases fall for 3rd week: 8 CDC findings
The nation’s seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases decreased by nearly 14 percent this week, marking the third consecutive week of decline, according to the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published Aug. 12.
Surge in infectious diseases was inevitable, Dr. Michael Osterholm says
From COVID-19 to polio to monkeypox, infectious disease threats have dominated the headlines and public discourse in recent weeks.
CDC does away with quarantine: 6 notes on updated COVID-19 guidance
People exposed to someone infected with the coronavirus, vaccinated or not, no longer need to quarantine, according to updated CDC guidance released Aug. 11. The new COVID-19 recommendations focus on mitigating the risk of severe disease, rather than i…
Abortion Is Just the Latest Dividing Line Between the Twin Cities of Bristol and Bristol
The community of Bristol straddles the border between two states with very different abortion laws. Tennessee prohibits most abortions at about six weeks and will soon ban them nearly outright. Virginia allows them at least through the second trimester. To maintain abortion access in the area, staff at a clinic on the Tennessee side of the state line are helping open a clinic about a mile down the road on the Virginia side.
Johns Hopkins debuts free course on infectious disease transmission
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has launched a free virtual course on infectious disease transmission models for public health officials and practitioners who make policy decisions.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A Big Week for Biden
Congress is leaving for its annual summer break having accomplished far more than many expected, including, barring unforeseen snags, a bill to address the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and extend the enhanced subsidies for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the abortion issue continues to roil the nation as Indiana becomes the first state to ban the procedure in almost all cases since the Supreme Court overruled the constitutional right to abortion in June. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
10 COVID-19-related research findings
Here are 10 COVID-19-related studies Becker’s has covered since July 18:
Reinfection with BA.2.75 unlikely after bout with BA.5, experts say
Countries in the middle or just past the peak of a surge driven by the BA.5 omicron subvariant, such as the U.S., likely won’t experience a subsequent wave from BA.2.75, another omicron relative, some experts predict.
US monkeypox cases top 10K amid concerns with new vaccine strategy: 4 updates
The manufacturer of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine, Bavarian Nordic, voiced concerns to federal health officials about efforts to expand vaccine supplies by allowing the administration of fractional doses, The Washington Post reported Aug. 10.
