Public Health

CDC director explains new Covid-19 guidance and discusses background to decisions

Wed, 2021-12-29 19:00 — mike kraft

(CNN) Sweeping new Covid-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines were spurred by scientific research and what Americans would likely tolerate, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

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U.S. COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations 'comparatively' low despite Omicron surge --health officials

Wed, 2021-12-29 18:51 — mike kraft

U.S. health officials say COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations 'comparatively' low despite Omicron surge COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations are "comparatively" low as the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday as cases in the United States reached a record high. Ahmed Aboulenein,Alexandra Alper Reuters

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Rapid COVID-19 tests are less effective at detecting Omicron, FDA says, citing new lab data

Wed, 2021-12-29 18:40 — mike kraft

Rapid COVID-19 tests are worse at detecting Omicron, FDA says, citing new lab data The results are preliminary but represent the "best way to evaluate true test performance in the short-term," the FDA said. YahooNews

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Federal district court judge rejects Oklahoma's effort to block National Guard vaccine mandate

Wed, 2021-12-29 13:04 — mike kraft

Federal judge rejects Oklahoma's bid to block National Guard vaccine An Oklahoma federal judge on Tuesday denied an attempt from the state to block the Department of Defense’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for National Guard members. Jordan Williams TheHill

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More U.S. children are being treated for Covid, but Omicron cases do not seem so severe.

Wed, 2021-12-29 12:56 — mike kraft

The latest coronavirus surge sweeping the United States, much of it driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, has produced a worrisome rise in hospitalizations among children, not to mention heightened anxiety among parents nationwide.

Several states have reported increases of about 50 percent in pediatric admissions for Covid-19 in December. New York City has experienced the most dramatic rise, with 68 children hospitalized last week, a fourfold jump from two weeks earlier.

But even as experts expressed concern about a marked jump in hospitalizations — an increase more than double that among adults — doctors and researchers said they were not seeing evidence that Omicron was more threatening to children.

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CDC chief says omicron cases in the U.S mostly mild so far.

Wed, 2021-12-29 12:23 — mike kraft

The AP Interview: CDC chief says omicron mostly mild so far | AP News ATLANTA (AP) — More than 40 people in the U.S. have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the CDC said Wednesday. AP NEWS

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Biden says if medical team advises it, he'll issue domestic travel vaccine requirement

Wed, 2021-12-29 10:23 — mike kraft

Biden says if medical team advises it, he'll issue domestic travel President Biden said Tuesday he would impose a mandate that Americans be vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel domestically if his medical team recommends it. Alex Gangitano TheHill

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Asia keeps omicron at bay for now, but worries about a surge that already hit Australia

Wed, 2021-12-29 09:25 — mike kraft

Asia keeps omicron at bay, but a surge may be inevitable | AP News TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Much of Asia has largely managed to keep omicron at bay even as the variant rages in other parts of the world, but the region that is home to most of the globe’s population is bracing for what may be an inevitable surge. AP NEWS

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Testing for Omicron may need re-evaluation--South African study

Tue, 2021-12-28 18:51 — mike kraft

Are We Testing for Omicron Wrong? South African study suggests nasal swabs aren't the best way John Gever medpagetoday

If confirmed in follow-up research and if the diagnostics industry can pivot quickly enough, findings from a South African study could make COVID-19 testing a lot easier for patients and healthcare workers, as the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant becomes the dominant source of infection.

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SOme U.S pharmacies are losing staff, can't keep up with prescriptions

Tue, 2021-12-28 18:08 — mike kraft

Pharmacies don't have enough staff to keep up with prescriptions Pharmacy technicians are quitting in waves, saying they’re being asked to do too much with too little pay, increasing the possibility of prescription mistakes. YahooNews

Heidi Strehl worked as a pharmacy technician at a Rite Aid in the Pittsburgh suburbs for more than 16 years. She loved her customers, enjoyed her job and thought of her co-workers as family. But this fall, Strehl abruptly quit, walking out in the middle of a shift — one of many in a wave of pharmacy technicians who are doing the same.

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