Oct 16 Up to 279,700 extra deaths have occurred in the U.S. so far this year By Ronald D. Fricker Jr., The Conversation Health statisticians keep careful tabs on how many people die every week. Based on what's happened in past years, they know what to expect – but 2020 death counts are surging beyond predictions. Continue reading
Oct 16 Virus surges in key battleground states as election nears By Scott Bauer, Associated Press The prospect of poll workers backing out at the last minute because they are infected, quarantined or scared of getting sick has local election officials in Midwest states such as Iowa and Wisconsin opening more early voting locations. Continue reading
Oct 16 Feds unveil plan to get coronavirus shots to nursing homes By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press Federal health officials on Friday unveiled a plan to get yet-to-be-approved coronavirus vaccines to nursing home residents free of charge, enlisting two national pharmacy chains to help. Continue reading
Oct 16 Belgium imposes COVID-19 curfew, closes bars and restaurants By Lorne Cook, Associated Press Belgium is one of the European countries hardest hit by the disease. Almost 6,000 new cases were recorded each day on average over the last week. Continue reading
Oct 15 Watch 4:55 A nurse practitioner’s Brief But Spectacular take on end-of-life care for children Pediatric nurse practitioner Deborah Fisher spent her early career working in intensive care units. The experience convinced her that more needed to be done to improve end-of-life care for children. Now specializing in palliative care at Children’s National Hospital in… Continue watching
Oct 15 Most voters expect intimidation at the polls. But they’re voting in record numbers By Laura Santhanam Amid concerns about the pandemic, safely voting and making sure all votes are counted, former Vice President Joe Biden maintains a double-digit lead among likely voters over President Donald Trump, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll. Continue reading
Oct 15 Dr. Fauci criticizes concept of ‘herd immunity’ By Associated Press Fauci says backing herd immunity — the idea that a disease will stop spreading once nearly everybody has contracted it — is “total nonsense.”… Continue reading
Oct 15 U.S. layoffs remain elevated as 898,000 seek jobless aid By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 898,000, a historically high number and evidence that layoffs remain a hindrance to the economy's recovery from the pandemic recession that erupted seven months ago. Continue reading
Oct 14 Watch 5:49 Why herd immunity is ‘dangerous’ as a COVID-19 strategy Across the globe, governments and health officials are grappling with how to contain COVID-19 while keeping society open. One idea that has been raised is seeking widespread immunity by allowing a larger and healthier segment of the population to become… Continue watching
Oct 14 As virus surges anew, Milan hospitals under pressure again By Colleen Barry, Associated Press Months after the government eased a strict lockdown, Italy on Wednesday reported its highest daily number of new cases with 7,332. For the medical personnel who fought the virus in the spring, the rebound has come too soon… Continue reading