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ABC Health News

Nursing homes struggle with low booster rates, staffing issues as omicron spreads
Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — As the omicron variant causes a surge in coronavirus cases, many long-term care facilities are facing challenges not seen in months, officials from around [Read More…]

San Francisco reducing COVID testing hours because of staff shortages
iStock/koto_feja (SAN FRANCISCO) — The San Francisco Department of Public Health said it is reducing hours at some COVID-19 testing sites due to staffing shortages. The decision comes despite warnings from experts about the importance [Read More…]

US hospitals strained with influx of patients amid latest COVID-19 surge, staffing shortages
Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Explosive COVID-19 surge strains hospitals and schools around the nation The number of hospitalized Americans who are positive for COVID-19 soared to more than 138,000. For nearly [Read More…]

CDC warns about rabies linked to bats after three Americans die in recent weeks
Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images (ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning Thursday about the risk of rabies after three Americans — including a child — died from [Read More…]

Only 1 in 10 adults eating enough fruits and vegetables, CDC finds
Oscar Wong/Getty Images (ATLANTA) — Most American adults are not getting enough of their fruits and vegetables, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with even greater disparities found [Read More…]

What to know about ‘flurona’
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — In the midst of a new pandemic surge, another seemingly new ailment is now grabbing headlines: flurona. Despite the catchy name, “flurona” [Read More…]

Staff shortages from COVID forcing some health care facilities to limit services
Johnny Louis/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — As U.S. COVID-19 cases continue to surge, some health care facilities have been forced to shut down facilities or departments as staffing shortages worsen. Holy Cross Health in Fort [Read More…]

CDC clarifies isolation guidance after criticism but still no call for testing
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images (ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday clarified its guidelines around what to do when you get COVID-19, a move that comes after criticism last week that [Read More…]

FDA authorizes Pfizer boosters for 12- to 15-year olds
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Pfizer boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds. The moves comes as schools reopen after the holiday break. In a release, the [Read More…]

Fauci: Testing negative to end COVID isolation now under consideration
Al Bello/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Amid pushback from some public health officials on new Centers for Disease Control guidance for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19, which does not require a negative test [Read More…]

Five ways to deal with anxiety during the holidays amid the omicron surge
Xesai/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — With the explosion of coronavirus cases in the U.S., fueled in part by the highly contagious omicron variant, Americans are once again facing a wave of sickness and the anxiety [Read More…]

Disabled community ‘left behind’ in vaccine rollout one year later
ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — Hundreds to thousands of calls come in to the Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) each week from disabled people across the country with questions about COVID-19, [Read More…]

COVID live updates: US breaks weekly COVID-19 case record
GETTY/Horacio Villalobos (NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 824,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s [Read More…]

COVID-19 stress may affect your physical well-being
Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — COVID-19 has touched all corners of the world — and fear, anxiety, and grief have followed in its wake. The pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health [Read More…]

How to celebrate New Year’s Eve safely
Rob Kim/Getty Images (NEW YORK) – New Year’s Eve celebrations for 2021 were significantly scaled back due to COVID, with hopes of larger celebrations to mark 2022. But with case numbers surging, are this year’s [Read More…]

Top COVID-19 test scientist says there’s no reason to stop using rapid tests
Hugh Hastings/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — With questions swirling about how well rapid COVID-19 tests work when it comes to detecting the omicron variant, leading scientists are now reassuring the public that they do work, [Read More…]

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective for children: Three CDC studies say
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images (ATLANTA) — COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for children, according to three new studies released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One study, which evaluated [Read More…]

Five tips for parents as omicron spreads and pediatric hospitalizations rise
Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — As the highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19 spreads across the country, children are being impacted, too. Last week, nearly 200,000 children in the U.S. [Read More…]

Two doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine 85% effective against hospitalizations, South Africa study shows
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — A real-world study of South African health care workers found that two doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine offer 85% protection against hospitalization from the [Read More…]

US shatters COVID case records, as experts predict infection rates will continue to grow
iStock/koto_feja (NEW YORK) — Amid a record-breaking surge, the U.S. is now averaging more COVID-19 cases per day than at any other point in the pandemic, according to new data updated on Wednesday from the [Read More…]