COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are still increasing in the U.S. as the delta variant accounts for more than 98 percent of all cases in the U.S., according to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review published Aug. 20.
Public Health
The birth rate for Americans in their 20s is declining, particularly in areas with more economic growth, reports The New York Times.
The U.S. currently has a seven-day COVID-19 hospitalization average of 86,877, second only to last winter's surge, when the seven-day average hit 137,484 on Jan. 10, according to data tracked by The New York Times.
New legislation from Reps. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., and Don Beyer, D-Va., marks the latest effort to promote universal healthcare through Medicare.
Tapped in January to oversee the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Blue Shield of California largely has stepped back from that role, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Soon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will no longer allow any amount of chlorpyrifos — a widely used pesticide — on food, the agency said Aug. 18.
Of 514 patients in Israel hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Aug. 15, 59 percent were fully vaccinated, according to an Aug. 16 article from Science that cited national data tracked by Israel's largest health management organization. The figures suggest breakthrough infections…
U.S. health officials are hopeful COVID-19 booster shots will not only provide a higher level of protection for recipients, but also make the virus less transmissible, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said during an Aug. 19 interview on NBC's Today.
Following national guidance encouraging some vaccinated individuals to receive a COVID-19 booster, some Blue Cross and Blue Shield affiliates are already offering to fully cover the shots.
While breakthrough infections still account for a small proportion of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., early evidence suggests their prevalence may be increasing as Americans' immunity wanes and the delta variant continues to spread, The New York Times reported Aug.…