Category: Public Health

$11M for North Carolina Work-Based Rehab Raises Concerns

As overdoses surge and opioid settlement dollars flow, funding to North Carolina rehab foreshadows national discussion about the best approaches to treatment.

The ‘so what wave’: Why the US is so blasé about BA.2

CDC estimates show the omicron subvariant BA.2 now makes up 72 percent of U.S. cases, but the nation’s mood surrounding another potential wave is much different than previous COVID-19 surges. 

US COVID-19 cases to jump 64% in 2 weeks, Mayo projects

Daily COVID-19 cases are projected to increase 64.5 percent over the next two weeks as the omicron subvariant BA.2 continues to spread nationwide, modeling from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic shows.

CDC to undergo structural review

The CDC plans to undergo a one-month review beginning April 11 to inform strategic change and modernizations at the agency, The Washington Post reported April 4. 

Flu hospitalizations rise for 8th week straight: 8 CDC notes

Flu activity appears to be declining slightly in central and south-central states but is still highest in these regions, according to the CDC’s April 1 FluView report. 

COVID-19 cases fell by just 3% last week: 10 CDC findings

The rate in which COVID-19 cases are falling nationwide has been slowing over the last month as the omicron subvariant BA.2 gains prominence, according to the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published April 1.

Omicron XE variant: 5 things to know

The World Health Organization is monitoring a new omicron variant — dubbed XE — that’s a hybrid of BA.1, the original omicron strain, and BA.2, a highly transmissible subvariant.

Scant guidance on 2nd booster leaves physicians with questions

Physicians have been bombarded with questions from patients and colleagues regarding second booster shots, which the U.S. cleared for people 50 and older March 29, The Washington Post reported April 2. 

Travel in the Time of Covid: Getting There Is Easy — It’s Getting Home That’s Hard

The part of my London visit that I didn’t plan was testing positive for the coronavirus. I couldn’t get back to the U.S., but the U.K. didn’t care what I did or where I went.

Teens’ mental health suffered amid COVID-19, CDC warns

New CDC data shows teenagers’ mental health took a significant hit during the pandemic, with 44 percent reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness in the past year.