Public Health

Since people shed the coronavirus in their feces before showing symptoms or testing positive, wastwater surveillance of virus levels is intended to serve as an early warning system for upcoming surges or new variant detection. But these efforts are patchy…

At least nine states have cut back on daily COVID-19 reports that provide information on new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, The New York Times reported March 19. 

U.S. health officials are closely monitoring COVID-19 activity in the U.K., where cases and hospitalizations are simultaneously rising due to omicron subvariant BA.2, though many experts say it's too soon to accurately predict if or when a similar uptick in…

The BA.2 omicron subvariant now accounts for about 30 percent of new cases in New York City, health officials said March 18. Nationwide, the CDC estimates the variant accounts for about 23 percent of new cases. 

Daily COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. are falling, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published March 18, amid concerns the omicron subvariant BA.2 may fuel another uptick in cases.

Flu activity continues to rise across most of the U.S., according to the CDC's FluView report published March 18.

COVID-19 deaths are falling nationwide, but eight states are still seeing higher daily death averages than recorded two weeks ago. 

Local and state public health officials faced widespread harassment in the pandemic's first year, according to a study published March 17 in the American Journal of Public Health.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the U.S. are still on the decline, but based on what is unfolding in some European countries, Anthony Fauci, MD, predicts that could soon change, Bloomberg reported March 17. 

An estimated 105,752 Americans died from overdoses in the 12-months ending October 2021, the highest number of overdose deaths recorded in the U.S. in a single 12-month period, according to provisional CDC data released March 16.