The U.S. reported double-digit increases in both COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations last week, according to the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published May 5.
Category: Public Health
Rising hospitalizations put CDC’s COVID-19 prevention guidelines to the test
When COVID-19 cases were on the decline in February after reaching pandemic peaks in January, the CDC updated its guidance for informing COVID-19 prevention measures to rely more on hospitalizations and strain on the healthcare system, rather than the …
15M global deaths tied to COVID-19, WHO estimates
Approximately 14.9 million people have died of COVID-19 since January 2020 directly or indirectly, described as “excess mortality,” according to a May 5 report from the World Health Organization.
Sweeping, Limited, or No Powers at All? What’s at Stake in the Mask Mandate Appeal
Dictionaries, public comments, and even an old court case that involved underwear pricing could play a role as the government appeals a ruling that sharply limits federal authority during pandemics.
A Guide to Help You Keep Up With the Omicron Subvariants
How different are the seemingly endless stream of emerging omicron subvariants from one another and how protected are we?
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Leaked Abortion Opinion Rocks Washington’s World
The unprecedented early leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the landmark abortion-rights ruling Roe v. Wade has heated the national abortion debate to boiling. Meanwhile, the FDA, after years of consideration, moves to ban menthol flavors in cigarettes and cigars. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Shefali Luthra of the 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Paula Andalo, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a family whose medical debt drove them to seek care south of the border.
228 unusual hepatitis cases identified worldwide: 4 updates
At least 228 probable cases of severe hepatitis in children have been reported in 20 countries, the World Health Organization said May 4. Another 50 cases are under investigation.
6 updates on the US’ human bird flu case
Health officials on April 28 confirmed the nation’s first human bird flu case after a Colorado man who had been working on a commercial farm with infected poultry tested positive for an H5 virus.
Opinion: It’s time to call a surge a surge
The recent rise in COVID-19 cases has led to a series of euphemisms to describe the uptick, but it’s time to refer to the situation as what it is: a surge, The Atlantic writer Katherine Wu wrote May 5.
Sex Education Update in Texas Still Lacking, Say Some Students and Educators
The last time Texas updated its sex education curriculum was in the ’90s. Students will now learn about contraception and STIs — but not gender or consent. And parents must opt in to the classes for their children.
