The U.S. continues to report sporadic flu activity, with levels rising in some areas, according to the CDC’s FluView report published March 4.
Category: Public Health
90% of population now in communities where masks not needed: CDC
More than 90 percent of the U.S. population now lives in an area with low or medium COVID-19 community level, indicating masks are not needed, according to a March 3 update from the CDC.
When Teens Blow Off Parents’ Pleas to Get Vaccinated, the Consequences Can Be Deadly
Kennedy Stonum, a 17-year-old high school junior, resisted getting vaccinated against covid-19, as did 20-year-old Tyler Gilreath, whose mother had nagged him for months to get the shots. Both died.
No signs omicron subvariant will spur surge, Dr. Michael Osterholm says
Cases of the highly transmissible omicron subvariant appear to be doubling every week in the U.S., but there isn’t clear evidence BA.2 will cause another major surge, epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, PhD, told Becker’s March 2.
US suicides peaked in 2018: 6 CDC findings
The national suicide rate peaked in 2018, and then declined in both 2019 and 2020, according to CDC data released Feb. 25.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A Health-Heavy State of the Union
President Joe Biden spent a large portion of his first State of the Union address talking about foreign affairs, but he also spent time on an array of health topics, including mental health, nursing home regulation, and toxic burn pits. Also this week, the administration unveiled a strategy to address the covid pandemic going forward. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Biden Pledges Better Nursing Home Care, but He Likely Won’t Fast-Track It
CMS chief Chiquita Brooks-LaSure says the agency reserves its power to quickly institute new regulations for “absolute emergencies.” On staffing, nursing home residents might need to wait years to see any real change.
HIV Preventive Care Is Supposed to Be Free in the US. So, Why Are Some Patients Still Paying?
The Department of Labor issued rules in July clarifying that health plans need to cover the costs of prescription drugs proven to prevent HIV infection, along with related lab tests and medical appointments, at no cost to patients. More than half a year later, the erroneous billing continues.
NIH to review risks, benefits of experiments involving pathogens
The National Institutes of Health has ordered an advisory committee to conduct a broad review of federal policies for experiments that involve potentially dangerous pathogens, The Washington Post reported March 1.
CDC no longer recommends universal contact tracing, case investigation
The CDC no longer recommends universal COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing, instead encouraging health departments to now prioritize those efforts for high-risk settings.
