Public Health

A fourth COVID-19 wave is driving hospitalizations in Washington state, with younger people accounting for an increasing proportion of patients, and some experiencing more severe disease than seen earlier in the pandemic, reports The Seattle Times.

COVID-19 cases in Oregon have jumped 54 percent in the last two weeks, prompting the state to move 15 counties to "extreme risk," the most severe level of restrictions, Gov. Kate Brown said April 28.

West Virginia is offering a $100 savings bond to residents ages 16 to 35 who receive a COVID-19 vaccination, Gov. Jim Justice said April 26. 

The University of Minnesota in Minneapolis will host the country's second organ and tissue preservation center, according to an April 22 announcement. 

Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 don't need to wear masks outside anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers, according to CDC guidance updated April 27. 

The CDC said its vaccine guidance for pregnant women has not changed, despite the agency's director last week advising pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine, CBS News reported April 27. 

About 0.4 percent of patients who previously tested positive for COVID-19 tested positive again after 90 days, according to Epic Health Research Network data released April 23. 

Sixteen U.S. senators signed a letter to President Joe Biden April 25 requesting an expansion of Medicare benefits and to lower the eligibility age to 50.

One-third of U.S. adults were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of April 22, and more than half had received at least one dose, according to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review published April 23.

Americans who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will likely be able to travel to Europe this summer, the president of the European Commission told The New York Times April 25.