At least eight hospitals in the U.S. have brought back mandatory mask rules as COVID-19 admissions tick up.

Despite the emergence of the latest COVID-19 mutation-heavy variant, BA.2.86, and a recent uptick in hospital admissions due to the virus, some clinicians are still optimistic that this fall and winter will not become a 'tripledemic' repeat.

More than 12,600 new COVID-19 hospital admissions were reported for the week ending Aug. 12, up nearly 22 percent from the week prior. 

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise week after week, according to the CDC's most recent data. That trend has prompted several hospitals across the country to reinstate mask policies to prevent further spread of respiratory infections.

The FDA on Aug. 22 issued a consumer warning on two eye drop products contaminated with bacteria, fungus or both. 

COVID-19 hospitalizations have gone up 21.6 percent and deaths have also risen by 8.9 percent from the week prior, according to the CDC's most recent data, which reflects updated numbers as of Aug. 12. 

Rapid advancements in technology have made nearly every facet of our day-to-day lives safer. 

New research from Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine found that 41 percent of long COVID patients initially tested negative for the virus, which may have led to several not getting the care they later needed for persistent symptoms, according to an Aug. 23 news release shared with Becker's.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has expanded its recommendations for HIV prevention, giving three medications its strongest endorsement, according to a policy statement published Aug. 22 in JAMA.

 Immunity protection from vaccination or prior infection may be "leaky" or less effective in crowded settings where people are exposed to high levels of the virus that causes COVID-19, new research has found. 

As part of Project NextGen, HHS has awarded more than $1.4 billion in grants to support the development of the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines and technologies. 

Most U.S. adults are uncertain about health misinformation claims, falling in a potentially "malleable middle," according to an Aug. 22 survey from KFF.

An uptick in COVID-19 admissions in the U.S. is reinvigorating focus on hospitals' masking policies. Now, 10 experts are calling for healthcare facilities to integrate masking as part of routine policies. 

COVID-19 indicators continue to tick up in the U.S., and the CDC has started tracking a new strain. 

Health officials have started monitoring BA.2.86 — a highly mutated version of the COVID-19 virus. Not much is known yet about the newly detected lineage, though its large number of mutations has prompted the World Health Organization and CDC to begin tracking the strain. 

After COVID-19-related disruptions last year, experts anticipate respiratory syncytial virus to follow a more typical seasonal pattern this year, with activity ramping up in the fall and peaking in December or January, CNN reported Aug. 17. 

Here are six rare diseases that experts have identified in the U.S. so far in 2023:

Three people in Connecticut and New York have died after contracting infections from a rare flesh-eating bacteria, The New York Times reported Aug. 16.

More than 10,000 people in the U.S. were hospitalized with COVID-19 for the week ending Aug. 5, up 14.3 percent from the previous week and marking the fourth straight week of increase. 

While 95 percent of people are immune to leprosy — also called Hansen's disease — multiple cases have popped up across Central Florida and the Southern U.S. in recent years, concerning physicians. One recent study concluded that the disease may even be endemic to the southeastern U.S.