Flu activity is unusually low for this time of year, but may increase in the coming months, according to the CDC's FluView report for the week of Nov. 28.
Public Health
The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in America will test a deeply divided society, and not just because of mistrust in vaccinations, Atul Gawande, MD, told New Yorker Editor David Remnick.
A well-rounded approach that includes universal face mask use is needed to combat the spread of COVID-19 as the U.S. approaches a "phase of high-level transmission," according to the CDC's Dec. 4 "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report."
The Gates Foundation has poured nearly $500 million into COVID-19 pandemic response efforts and despite the challenges ahead, Melinda Gates remains optimistic about the battle against COVID-19, according to a New York Times interview.
President-elect Joe Biden's transition team received its first formal, hourlong briefing Dec. 3 from Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, discussing vaccine distribution and the state of the pandemic, reports CNN.
A couple tested positive for COVID-19 at San Francisco International Airport and were told by airport authorities not to fly, but boarded their United Airlines flight to Lihue, Hawaii, Nov. 29 anyway, The Washington Post reports.
The Mayo Clinic Health System temporarily suspended operations at one of its Minnesota clinics and will do the same at four others, the health system said Dec. 3.
Some epidemiologists say it could be years before a safe lifestyle akin to pre-pandemic normal returns, according to a New York Times survey.
The U.S. reported 2,706 new COVID-19 deaths Dec. 3, marking the third consecutive day with more than 2,400 deaths, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project.
The United States saw all-time highs for COVID-19 cases this week, but the increases do not yet reflect expected increases resulting from Thanksgiving weekend exposures, according to the COVID Tracking Project.