Public Health

Health officials believe four Michigan residents infected with a coronavirus strain linked to minks are the first known animal to-human COVID-19 cases in the U.S., the Detroit Free Press reported April 17. 

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising nationwide for the first time since January as the omicron subvariant BA.2 accounts for 85.9 percent of U.S. cases. Health experts say it is still unclear whether BA.2 will cause a COVD-19 surge that…

The White House's COVID-19 lead took to Sunday talk shows April 17 to discuss China's "zero COVID-19" strategy, boosters for older adults, vaccines for young children and more. 

COVID-19 hospitalizations increased nationwide last week for the first time since late January, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published April 15.

Mississippi is projected to have the highest rate of COVID-19 cases of any state by April 25, according to forecasts from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. 

Two sublineages of the BA.2 omicron subvariant are circulating in New York and are likely factors in the state's rising COVID-19 cases, state health officials said April 13. 

In a departure from CDC guidelines, California health officials are no longer recommending quarantine for people who were exposed to COVID-19 but don't have symptoms, the Los Angeles Times reported April 13.

The U.S. is extending its mask mandate for public transit through May 3, the CDC said in a statement April 13. The rule had been set to expire April 18. 

Despite a rise in infections nationwide, the White House new COVID-19 response coordinator, Ashish Jha, MD, expressed optimism about the current state of the pandemic in the U.S. during his first week on the job. 

Reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases fell during the start of the pandemic — likely due to a drop in screenings — but most rose by the end of 2020, new CDC data shows.