Public Health

Twelve states reported high or moderate flu activity for the week ending Dec. 11, according to data from the CDC's FluView report published Dec. 17. 

The nation's seven-day average for COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations increased slightly last week, according to the CDC's COVID data tracker weekly review published Dec. 17.

We celebrate the anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccines this winter—and progress in controlling the virus. With vaccines readily available and recommended for everyone age 5 years and older, more people are traveling and including travel in their holiday plans.

As new variants emerge, fully vaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19 won't be uncommon, Vin Gupta, MD, said Dec. 16 on the Today show.

At least four states have set COVID-19 records over the last week.

COVID-19 cases nationwide are surging as delta remains the dominant strain and the threat of omicron looms. 

More Americans are concerned about personally contracting cancer or heart disease than COVID-19, according to Gallup poll findings published Dec. 16. 

The omicron coronavirus variant infects and multiplies 70 times faster in the human bronchus than delta and the original strain, according to preliminary findings from researchers at the University of Hong Kong in China. 

At Houston Methodist, 32 percent of all COVID-19 tests for symptomatic patients are now omicron — an increase from 13 percent four days prior, according to new data sent to Becker's in a Dec. 15 news release.

More research is needed to understand the global "coronaviral universe" and use that information to develop vaccines that are broadly protective against coronaviruses, three leaders from the National Institutes of Health wrote in a Dec. 15 op-ed published in The…