CNN (January 18, 2023)— Vaccine rates for measles, polio, diphtheria and other diseases are decreasing among US children, according to a new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of immunizations for required vaccines among kindergarten students declined from 95% to approximately 94% during the 2020-21 school year. It dropped further — to […]
PENNSYLVANIA (WHTM) — According to Pennsylvania Department of Health data checked at 10:15 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2023, there were 15,177 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Pennsylvania from Wednesday, Dec. 28, through Tuesday, Jan. 3. The daily case breakdown from the most recent seven days, according to DOH data, is as follows: Dec. 28 — 3,143 […]
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Jan 5th, 2022) – COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey increased after the winter holidays as the latest variant of the virus becomes more prevalent in the region, data show. A new omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5, appears to be more transmissible than earlier forms of COVID and as of the end of […]
Jan 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Thursday launched a virtual program aimed at making antiviral treatments for COVID-19 available at home for those who test positive. Local and state officials from Berks County in Pennsylvania will be the first to pilot the program, known as Home Test to Treat, later this […]
According to MedPage Today (1/10, Frieden), the COVID-19 pandemic has “exacerbated existing trends in food insecurity” among older adults in the U.S. Before the pandemic, “food insecurity – generally defined as a lack of access to a sufficient amount of nutritious foods – was an issue in” this country, “a survey of about 2,000 older […]
USA Today (1/4, Weintraub) reports, “The latest COVID-19 variant to sweep across the country, XBB.1.5, doesn’t appear to cause more serious disease than its predecessors, experts say.” According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “as of Dec. 31, XBB.1.5 accounted for more than 40% of cases in the United States, up […]
Lancaster County Immunization Coalition: Lancaster Child Protect Clinics and Vacunas para Ninos (Vaccines for Kids) have released their 2023 clinic schedule. These clinics are for uninsured kids 0-18 years old or for children who have Medicaid insurance (no CHIP plans accepted). Children must bring their vaccine records with them. See the flyers below for more info: […]
The Washington Post (December 26, 2022) – Anti-vaccine sentiment has increased since the pandemic, driven by politicization around the coronavirus vaccine A rapidly growing measles outbreak in Columbus, Ohio — largely involving unvaccinated children — is fueling concerns among health officials that more parent resistance to routine childhood immunizations will intensify a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. […]
The Washington Post (Dec. 22, 2022) – Nearly every adult ICU bed in Oregon is occupied, driven by an uptick in respiratory viruses. Portland-area hospitals are operating at a “crisis” level for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The dire picture has prompted state health officials to implore people to slap their masks on, once […]
Medscape (Dec. 16, 2022) – It’s a story perhaps more appropriate for Halloween than for the festive holiday season, given its scary implications. Four Omicron subvariants of the virus that causes COVID-19 will be the most common strains going from person to person this winter, new research predicts. Not too dire so far, until you […]