Public Health

Nationally, new daily COVID-19 case, hospitalization and death rates are all declining.

Heightened discussions about the need for COVID-19 booster shots may be driving an uptick in antibody test requests at some hospitals, though experts say the test results are not a helpful indicator of immunity status, according to an Oct. 1…

About 275,000 Missouri residents are now eligible for Medicaid coverage following the state's Affordable Care Act expansion, according to an Oct. 4 CMS announcement. 

Nationwide, four COVID-19 patients are currently admitted to the hospital daily per 100,000 Americans, according to HHS data. 

The nation's seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases and deaths fell this week, while vaccination rates rose slightly, according to the CDC's COVID data tracker weekly review published Oct. 1.

More than 2 million U.S. teens say they use e-cigarettes, with a quarter of them saying they use them daily, according to the CDC and FDA's 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Although people with disabilities are less likely to report vaccine hesitancy, COVID-19 vaccination coverage is lower among this population compared to those without a disability, according to the CDC's Oct. 1 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 

Wyoming reported moderate flu activity for the week ending Sept. 25, according to the CDC's FluView report published Oct. 1.

The COVID-19 death rate is more than two times higher in rural parts of the country than it is in urban areas, Kaiser Health News reported Sept. 30.

Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. in Bethel has activated crisis standards of care, making it the second hospital in Alaska to take this action.