In this edition of “What They’re Watching,” Ingrid Ulrey, Regional Director of District 10 for the US Department of Health and Human Services, illustrates the importance of remaining vigilant on COVID-19 response efforts. “We really need to stay vigilant on the COVID response. It’s really critical that we all work together for high … Read more
The COVID-19 omicron subvariant BA.5 can be blamed for what is, according to The New York Times, California’s third-largest surge of the pandemic. With nearly 19,000 new cases being reported every day, and a test positivity rate that has doubled from 8.3% to 16.7% over the past five weeks, the current surge has achieved the … Read more
The BA.2 variant has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in Alaska, and is pushing a spike in case counts in the state. Alaska had 1,675 positive COVID cases from May 11th-17th. That was an 11% increase from the previous week (May 4th-10th), in which the state had 1,506 positive cases. Alaska had 1,433 … Read more
While the current case count data is largely unreliable due to several factors, Oregon health officials estimate that positive COVID-19 diagnoses are on the rise. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Patrick Allen updated Oregon Health Policy Board members on case counts Tuesday. “The nature of the numbers we’ve been tracking have changed quite a … Read more
In this edition of “5 Things We’re Watching,” we bring you some of the early conversations, issues, and health bills we are tracking during the 2022 legislative session. We have a detailed look at health policy being discussed in the House, a conversation with the chair of the Senate Committee on Health Care, and an … Read more
As the Omicron variant continues to surge across Arizona, hospitalizations remain at an all-time high, and positivity for COVID-19 testing has reached a record 63%, indicating significantly high community transmission, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. As of Jan. 20, 39% of the state’s 8,763 general ward beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, … Read more
Leaders from University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine, shared the dire situation the hospital organization is facing due to the recent wave of COVID-19 cases, which has strained the system and affected patient care. “The bottom line is that the surge of COVID-19 is putting others at risk and keeping us from delivering lifesaving care,” … Read more
As COVID-19 hospitalizations increase at their fastest rate ever and facilities confront severe capacity strains, Texas hospitals are implementing measures to fight the impacts of the recent Delta variant-fueled wave of COVID-19 cases. Total hospitalizations in the state increased from 1,500 in June to over 10,000 in August so far. The seven-day average of COVID … Read more
It’s an odd time in COVID. Public opinion has turned gloomy, with Gallup reporting that more people are pessimistic about the future of COVID and getting the disease than are optimistic. That’s the first time since January that more folks are worried than hopeful. Moreover, 1 in 3 vaccinated individuals are now “somewhat” or “very worried” … Read more