COVID-19

As holiday season gets underway, here’s how to protect yourself and your family from respiratory viruses | CNN With Thanksgiving just days away, people across the United States are finalizing travel plans or racing through grocery stores in search of the perfect turkey, but there’s another plan to consider ahead of the holiday season: how to stay healthy and avoid the mix of seasonal viruses in circulation. Amanda Musa CNN

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US to offer more free COVID tests nationwide The U.S. government on Monday will start taking orders for another round of free COVID-19 tests for delivery across the country, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson said. Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters

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COVID aid fuels telehealth expansion in rural America - Roll Call As rural hospitals deal with workforce shortages and declining populations, some say telehealth offers a chance to bridge the gap. Lauren Clason Roll Call

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Federal pandemic aid also helped slow the rate of rural hospital closures. But as facilities contend with lingering inflation, workforce shortages and declining populations, the pace of those closures is picking up again.

Telehealth offers a chance to bridge the gap in hospital deserts.

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Nearly half of US veterans had long-COVID symptoms up to 6 months later Risk factors for long COVID were Black race, ages 50 to 64, diabetes, and severe infection. CIDRAP

Nearly half of 363,000 US veterans who tested positive for COVID-19 still had symptoms up to 6 months later, and the risk factors for this condition were Black race, older age, diabetes, and severe infection, concludes a study published yesterday in the Annals of Epidemiology.

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