Public Health

The U.S. is still reporting unusually low flu activity, according to the CDC's FluView report for the week ending March 13.

As long as masks are worn, students in school can be 3 feet apart instead of 6, the CDC said in updated guidance March 19. The guidance applies to K-12 schools.

After coming off a winter surge, new COVID-19 hot spots are emerging across the U.S. Michigan is of particular concern, with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations jumping in the last few weeks, NPR reports.

A previous bout with COVID-19 provided 80 percent protection against reinfection in those younger than age 65, but just 47 percent protection for those 65 and older, according to findings published March 17 in The Lancet.

House Democrats introduced the "Medicare for All" Act of 2021 March 17, reviving efforts to establish a universal healthcare coverage program in the U.S.

There will likely be enough data on COVID-19 vaccine safety to start administering it to children ages 12 and under during the first quarter of 2022, CNBC reported March 17. 

Of 436 solid organ recipients who received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, antibodies were detected in 76 participants, according to a research letter published March 15 in JAMA.

There have been 3,561 known U.S. healthcare worker COVID-19 deaths as of March 17, according to an investigative report by The Guardian and Kaiser Health News. 

The federal government has allowed Oklahoma's Medicaid program to cover drugs designed to treat opioid addiction, News 9, a CBS affiliate in Oklahoma, City, reported March 16. 

While COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have fallen nationwide over the last few weeks, some parts of the country are starting to see an uptick in virus activity, reports The Washington Post.