Dec 22 Watch 6:47 U.S. life expectancy falls to lowest level since mid-1990s due to COVID and drug overdoses By William Brangham There is grim news about the state of America's health. The average expected lifespan for a person in this country shrank by over seven months last year, according to the CDC. That comes after an even steeper decline in 2020. Continue watching
Dec 22 Watch 8:12 Skyrocketing methamphetamine use poses new security threat in Iraq By Simona Foltyn The Middle East has long been plagued by conflicts, but now a crisis of a different sort is taking hold. The narcotics trade poses new security threats and risks forever changing societies whose conservative norms had usage in check. Special… Continue watching
Dec 21 U.S. releases more flu medicine from national stockpile as cases increase By Amanda Seitz, Associated Press The Biden administration says it will release doses of prescription flu medicine from the Strategic National Stockpile to states as flu-sickened patients continue to flock to hospitals and doctors' offices around the country. Continue reading
Dec 21 WHO concerned over increasing reports of severe COVID-19 cases in China By Associated Press It warned China's lagging vaccination rate could mean large numbers of vulnerable people are sickened by the omicron variant, the most infectious version yet seen of COVID-19. Continue reading
Dec 21 China narrows criteria for COVID-19 deaths included in official count By Huizhong Wu, Dake Kang, Associated Press A Chinese health official says the country only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 death toll, a narrow definition that limits the numbers of deaths being reported as the virus surges following the easing of… Continue reading
Dec 20 Watch 7:55 LGBTQ community works to bring acceptance and joy amid increasing threats By Amna Nawaz, Dorothy Hastings It’s been a year of increasing anti-LGBTQ sentiment, threats and attacks on drag events and queer spaces. All of this while new data from the Trevor Project found more than 50% of transgender and non-binary youth in the U.S. seriously… Continue watching
Dec 20 Kansas Planned Parenthood takes step toward telemedicine abortions By John Hanna, Associated Press A Planned Parenthood affiliate says it has started teleconferences with off-site doctors for patients seeking medication abortions at one of its Kansas clinics. Continue reading
Dec 20 Some Chinese authorities encourage people with mild COVID to go back to work By Dake Kang, Ken Moritsugu, Associated Press Several local governments in China have encouraged people with mild cases of COVID-19 to go to work this week. Continue reading
Dec 19 China reports 2 COVID deaths in Beijing as virus cases surge By Associated Press Chinese health authorities have reported the nation's first COVID-19 deaths in more than two weeks. Continue reading
Dec 18 COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid has been free so far. Next year, sticker shock awaits By Hannah Recht, Kaiser Health News Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk of severe illness and are… Continue reading