Nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical community is still a long way from being able to effectively treat and diagnose the long lasting symptoms millions of Americans experience. In turn, many who are desperate to find relief are spending thousands of dollars on new remedies with little data to support their use, The Washington Post reported Nov. 25.

Researchers found nearly 1 in 7 older adults die within a year of undergoing major surgery, shedding light on the risk older adults face when having invasive procedures, Kaiser Health News reported Nov. 28.

Thirty-five states and regions are now reporting "high" or "very high" flu activity levels, according to the CDC's latest FluView report.

The CDC has begun tracking omicron subvariant XBB, which is now estimated to account for 3.1 percent of U.S. cases. 

The pandemic spurred major setbacks in global efforts to eliminate measles, making the disease an "imminent threat" for every part of the world, the CDC and World Health Organization said Nov. 23.  

The nationwide surge of respiratory syncytial virus — now at a critical point as pediatric hospitals request additional beds — may be at or near its peak, Anthony Fauci, MD, told CBS News' Face the Nation on Nov. 27. 

The Joint Commission has updated its timeline for how often it will evaluate licensed practitioners' ability to provide care from two years to three.

Nearly 9 in 10 COVID-19 deaths in 2022 occur in people 65 and older, The Washington Post reported Nov. 28.

COVID-19 cases are projected to increase by 80 percent over the next two weeks, though it's still unclear whether hospitalizations and deaths may follow suit in December, according to national disease modeling. 

Heightened travel and indoor gatherings for Thanksgiving could accelerate the spread of respiratory viruses and magnify the threat of a "tripledemic" this winter, health experts told NPR in a Nov. 22 report.

The White House aims to reinvigorate national COVID-19 vaccination efforts through a six-week campaign announced Nov. 22. 

The World Health Organization will rename monkeypox "MPOX" in an effort to destigmatize the virus amid growing pressure from senior Biden administration officials, Politico reported Nov. 22. The name change could be announced as early as Nov. 22. 

Bacterial infections accounted for nearly 14 percent of deaths globally in 2019, trailing heart disease as the world's second-leading cause of death, according to a study published Nov. 21 in The Lancet.  

Houston Methodist received national Magnet recognition for nursing excellence at all seven of its acute care hospitals.

Researchers found more than 10 percent of fungal infections are diagnosed outside regions where the pathogens were known to be endemic, NBC News reported Nov. 21.

Although COVID-19 positivity rates are up, there have been fewer coinfections with other respiratory viruses than expected, according to recent findings from Helix, a lab that assists the CDC with variant tracking. 

HHS on Nov. 21 released an 88-page report on how the healthcare and public sector can best support the estimated 7.7 million to 23 million Americans living with long COVID-19.

Several colleges and universities recently have launched nursing programs and partnerships to address persistent shortages nationwide.

Researchers found a novel respiratory syncytial virus variant responsible for prolonged infection in infants.

The University of Washington Medical Center-Montlake in Seattle has become the nation's first hospital to receive seven consecutive Magnet designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.