US households can now order four free Covid tests from the government – latest guidelines

Nearly half of American adults say they will “definitely” or “probably” get the updated vaccine, according to a poll from KFF Health News

About 23 per cent of adults said they’d definitely get it, while another 23 per cent said they probably would. About 37 per cent of people who previously said they got the vaccine said that, this year, they definitely or probably wouldn’t get another dose.

Older adults, who are especially vulnerable to Covid-19 infection, have not been prioritised as the updated vaccinations have been rolled out, and some nursing homes have not yet vaccinated—and, thus, protected—all their residents, per reporting from The New York Times.

When the Biden administration ended the Public Health Emergency status in May, the federal government quit distributing Covid-19 vaccines, which has made it difficult for nursing home operators to get the supplies they need to protect their residents, the outlet reported.

About 1.8 million people in the US got an updated Covid vaccine last week, according to reporting from Reuters.

About 1 million people received the Pfizer vaccine, while just under 800,000 got the Moderna shot.

Health authorities have recommended the vaccine for everyone six months and older to protect them from severe disease and hospitalisation.

Dr Mandy Cohen, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recently tweeted a reminder that vaccines against Covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are now available. All vaccines can help protect against severe disease.

Many school systems are reinstating pandemic-era policies around masks as experts predict a possible uptick in Covid cases during the fall and winter months.

School systems in Maryland, Alabama, and Louisiana have begun to initiate conversations around masks, and face coverings are being required in some circumstances to slow the spread of Covid, per reporting from Newsweek.

Five hospitals in New Jersey have reinstated mask mandates as cold and flu season approaches, per reporting from ABC 7 New York.

Old Bridge Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center of Red Bank, Southern Ocean Medical Center of Stafford, Ocean University Medical Center of Brick, and Carrier Clinic of Montgomery will be requiring masks.

“The decision was made due to an increase in COVID-19 prevalence in these hospitals, facilities and communities,” a hospital spokesperson said in a statement given to ABC 7 New York.

A new study that looked at Covid’s impact on just 49 countries found that 85.6 million years of life have been lost to the virus.

“Between January 2020 and December 2021, we found that over 85,649,579 years of life have been lost to COVID-19 among the 49 selected countries, among which 2,724,463 deaths were caused by the disease,” the study said.

The study authors noted that the new report “provides evidence of the high impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of years of lives lost, which goes further than studies of specific mortality”.

Doctors and researchers have called on the Biden administration to more aggressively promote the use of masks to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Former US surgeon general Dr Jerome Adams recently wore a mask while attending an event, which sparked criticism of officials who will not mask up in public spaces.

Researchers are still looking for answers as to why Covid causes fatigue in some, but when it does strike, it’s important to give your body time to heal.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, long Covid researcher Dr Ziyad Al-Aly said, “The basic rule is rest. You don’t want to fight it.”

If fatigue lasts longer than 30 days, you should speak with your doctor, Dr Al-Aly said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided updated data on the Covid test positivity rate for the week of 17 September through 23 September.

During that time, test positivity decreased 1.1 per cent compared to the previous week. Per the data, 11.6 per cent of tests were positive from 17 September to 23 September.