People in mental health crisis need more than emergency response, argues a leader in the field. They need a continuum of long-term care to put them on the path to recovery.
Mask mandates are going away around the country, so shops and restaurants are developing their own policies based on personal choice and risk tolerance.
The federal health agency released new guidance for when Americans need to mask up indoors, saying about 70% of the population lives in a place where it's safe to go mask free.
The omicron BA.2 variant spreads about 30% more easily and has caused surges in other countries. Its steady increase in the U.S. raises questions about the wisdom of rolling back COVID restrictions.
As the worst of the omicron surge fades around the country, health officials worry more Americans may end up with long COVID. The condition affects roughly one-third of COVID-19 survivors. For this episode, we hear from a Georgia mother of two who is living with long COVID.
Swamped by thousands of calls a day, contact tracing programs have been forced to adapt. Even though they can't call everyone, experts say it's too early to give up on this pillar of disease control.
Salem Health in Oregon is a major hospital, but the omicron onslaught has strained the staff like never before. Still, they show up. For the patients, and for each other. And some see signs of hope.
From hand-built wooden sheds to Conestoga huts to prefab shelters, tiny homes are cropping up to get people off the streets, especially during the cold of winter and amid the pandemic.
Parents of children too young for vaccines are exhausted. As omicron surges, they keep trying to protect their kids. But some feel isolated and even forgotten by those who just want to move on.
Three doctors present their proposal to get vaccines to everyone in the world. "We already have the resources, knowledge and systems," they write. Global leaders just have to make it happen.
Facing lost wages if they can't work, essential workers struggle to get timely COVID tests amid a nationwide testing crunch. Community clinics are struggling to meet the need.
Infections appear to have started to either crest or fall in some parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, but hospitalizations and deaths tend to lag.
Amid a surge in omicron cases and hospitalizations, public health leaders are grappling with how to get a tuned-out public to pay attention. Experts urge communicators to cut through the noise.
There are more patients and, in some places, not enough health care workers to go around. Research shows the crowding will impact care and increase mortality for all patients.
