Public Health

All states reported minimal flu activity for the ninth consecutive week in a row, according to the CDC's FluView report for the week ending March 27.

COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths might have been prevented last summer had pandemic restrictions remained in place, researchers from San Diego-based Scripps Health and New York City-based Columbia University found.

Researchers at Stanford (Calif.) Clinical Virology Lab have confirmed one case of a coronavirus variant, first detected in India, that carries two mutations, the San Francisco Chronicle reported April 4. 

COVID-19 deaths have fallen for the last 11 weeks, excluding a small increase March 27-28, according to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review published April 2. But new cases and hospitalizations are rising.  

As Michigan reports more than 8,000 new COVID-19 cases in one day, some experts say the Midwest is entering its "fourth wave," reports CNN. 

Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can travel "at low risk to themselves," both within the U.S. and internationally, but must still continue social distancing and mask-wearing, according to new CDC guidance.

Many experts believe variants are largely driving the recent upticks in COVID-19 cases across the U.S., with the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the U.K., now accounting for about 26 percent of all U.S. infections, according to recent CDC estimates. 

The race between vaccines and coronavirus variants continued this week, spurring continued warnings about a potential fourth surge, alongside more hopeful news of the Pfizer vaccine's strong efficacy in adolescents.

President Joe Biden's administration focused on promoting recovery and reducing overdoses in its first-year drug policy plan, released April 1.

Months after the official COVID-19 vaccine rollout began, systems of all sizes have adjusted their strategy to become more efficient and match the community they serve.