Public Health

The Harris County (Texas) Health Department rushed to administer more than 5,000 vaccine doses Feb. 15 after a harsh winter storm left the Houston facility without power, ABC News reported. 

Feb. 15 marked the nation's lowest COVID-19 case count since Oct. 18, along with the lowest daily death count since Nov. 30, reports The COVID Tracking Project. 

Most U.S. health systems saw a reduction in elective procedures in the spring of 2020, which resulted in significant reductions in Medicare claims, according to a study from healthcare business consulting firm Avalere.  

Rush University Medical Center will open an advanced molecular laboratory to detect new coronavirus variants through a $3.5 million contract with the Chicago Department of Public Health. 

The World Health Organization is working to establish a clinical description for the lingering symptoms, known as long-COVID, some people experience months after being cleared of their initial COVID-19 illness, CNBC reported Feb. 13. 

The nation's weekly COVID-19 case average is falling at a much faster rate than the number of tests taken, reports The COVID Tracking Project. 

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices released its recommended immunization schedule for those 18 years and younger Feb. 12. 

The CDC updated its guidelines Feb. 12 for safe K-12 school reopenings, explaining that proper mitigation can help keep everyone safe, but also urging areas with low community transmission rates to still enforce mask-wearing and socially distanced classrooms.

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to trend downward in the U.S., though the number of coronavirus variant cases is rising, according to a new weekly CDC report published Feb. 12.  

Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health opened the region's first COVID-19 resource clinic Feb. 8, offering COVID-19 vaccinations, testing and antibody treatments under one roof.