Public Health

Search trends played a factor in the selection of Merriam-Webster's 2021 Word of the Year: vaccine, the company said Nov. 29. 

Amid rising concern over the new COVID-19 variant, omicron, the U.S. is tightening borders and limiting travel from eight countries, including South Africa, where the variant was first detected. 

While U.S. health officials recommend all adults get their COVID-19 booster shots, they're not currently required to be considered fully vaccinated. 

In a Nov. 23 update, the World Health Organization issued clinical management recommendations for the treatment of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare but serious condition tied to COVID-19. 

Between Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, 141,905 COVID-19 cases were reported among children in the U.S., marking a 32 percent increase since the week ending Nov. 4., according to a Nov. 22 update from the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

A large majority of Americans intend to gather with friends and family for Thanksgiving, though who is gathering differs by race/ethnicity and vaccination status, according to Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index poll findings published Nov. 23. 

Here are 22 COVID-19-related research findings covered by Becker's Hospital Review since Oct. 26:

There's some evidence indicating that COVID-19 is, or may become, a seasonal disease, which means understanding the seasonal patterns could help scientists anticipate surges in advance, The Atlantic reported Nov. 20.

Sothebey's auction house has teamed up with public health nonprofit Sostento to put on the biggest NFT auction ever, reported Observer Nov. 22. 

The nation's COVID-19 death tally has surpassed that of 2020, according to data from the CDC and Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.