Pandemics

COVID-19 has tested us. Will we be ready for the next pandemic? An infectious disease expert with insider access gives his take on what we did well, what we need to fix, and how to prepare for future outbreaks. Science

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Study: Hospital-based COVID-19 less serious after Omicron Wavebreakmedia/ iStock CIDRAP

Hospital-acquired (nosocomial) COVID-19 transmission was associated with higher rates of 30-day mortality and more severe disease during the early phases of the pandemic, but the risk has lessened in the post-Omicron landscape, according to a new study from JAMA Network Open based on outcomes seen in Sweden during the past 3 years.

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Dr. Tom Frieden: Covid-19 is still around, and so are these misconceptions Covid-19 hasn’t gone away, and it won’t any time soon. It’s now part of the landscape of health threats. Although the coronavirus continues to kill and cause lasting damage, our immunity, vaccines and treatments have tamed the pandemic. Opinion by Dr. Tom Frieden AOL

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Three widely held misconceptions reflect and contribute to polarization. For each, there’s a kernel of truth that appears to support the misconception, but the reality is clear.

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New pandemic-era stress scale aims to help identify at-risk adults, kids FamVeld/ iStock CIDRAP

A new study from researchers at Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program (ECHO) at the National Institutes of Health shows how a stress scale developed to identify who was most at-risk of needing mental health support during the pandemic has the potential to evaluate traumatic stress reactions to ongoing large-scale threats.

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