Public Health

Governments at the federal and state levels established opioid use disorder treatment programs during the pandemic, but few states took a comprehensive approach to treating the condition, according to a study published Nov. 19 in JAMA Health Forum.

Cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in the United States just before a Thanksgiving that most expected to be a return to pre-pandemic normal. 

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in New York is on the rise, with the state recording a seven-day average of 6,901 cases as of Nov. 21, a rate not reported since mid-April. 

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

For the week ending Nov. 13, New Mexico reported high flu activity for the second week in a row, according to data from the CDC's FluView report published Nov. 19.

The Missouri health department added data on breakthrough COVID-19 infections — cases that occur after full vaccination — to its COVID-19 dashboard. 

A lot has happened in one year, yet as the holiday season approaches, Americans are still facing similar challenges amid the ongoing pandemic. 

Health officials say two factors might signal a severe flu season is in store for the U.S.: outbreaks at college campuses and a dominant strain associated with particularly bad flu seasons, NBC News reported Nov. 19. 

Mental health crisis lines experienced a 35 percent surge in calls relating to fears and loneliness early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, a study analyzing over 8 million calls published Nov. 7 in Nature found.

Michigan is currently seeing the highest average rate of daily COVID-19 cases per capita in the nation, with higher rates than all other states as well as every major U.S. region, according to state and local health agency data cited…