New data shows long Covid is keeping as many as 4 million people out of work Since the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic through today, news about labor shortages and missing workers has dominated headlines. The question everyone still seems to be asking is: Why?  In January … Carie Muscatello Brookings

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Ebola vaccinations in east Congo to start on Thursday after new case An Ebola vaccination campaign will start in the Congolose city of Beni on Thursday after a new case of the virus was confirmed this week, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. Reuters Reuters

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China broadens visa availability as pandemic concerns ease BEIJING (AP) — China is easing its tight restrictions on visas after it largely suspended issuing them to foreign students and others more than two years ago at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. AP NEWS

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China still requires those arriving from abroad be quarantined at a hotel or private home and proof of a negative test is required for entry to many public and commercial spaces.

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New York counties gear up to fight a polio outbreak among the unvaccinated Polio is spreading in a few New York counties with low vaccination rates. Experts warn that other places in the U.S. could face the same challenge. NPR.org

Polio is the disease most people thought we had put behind us here in the United States. But earlier this summer, an individual in Rockland County, N.Y., contracted the virus likely from exposure in this country, and ended up paralyzed.

WHO: COVID deaths down by 15%, cases fall nearly everywhere GENEVA (AP) — The number of coronavirus deaths reported worldwide fell by 15% in the past week while new infections dropped by 9%, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. In its latest weekly assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.N. AP NEWS

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Study: Pfizer COVID pill showed no benefit in younger adults WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer's COVID-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk seniors, according to a large study published Wednesday. AP NEWS

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The researchers found that Paxlovid reduced hospitalizations among people 65 and older by roughly 75% when given shortly after infection. That’s consistent with earlier results used to authorize the drug in the U.S. and other nations.

These 8 states saw the sharpest declines in life expectancy in 2020 New York saw the biggest drop in life expectancy from 2019 to 2020: 3 years. Hawaii had the smallest change. NBC News

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COVID-19's negative impact on caregivers and 4 ways to help them The COVID-19 pandemic has had an outsized impact on caregivers. ABC News ABC News

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Per research conducted by the National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, family caregivers experienced more negative effects from the pandemic than those who weren't, including more emotional, physical and financial burdens. Female caregivers, younger caregivers and especially families with lower incomes experienced significant issues.