Across the country, they are quitting and the exodus is particularly pronounced in rural Kansas where opposition to mask mandates and other public health edicts remains strong.

Social distancing fell dramatically between spring and fall and the gap between Democrats and Republicans widened. But both ends of the political spectrum agree on some measures to fight COVID-19.

Compared to last spring, there's more clinical knowledge about how to treat COVID-19, and bigger stockpiles of protective equipment. But nurses worry about staffing shortages as patient numbers grow.

Heat waves, air pollution and extreme weather are making people sick and, increasingly, killing people. A key report by global physicians says fossil fuels are to blame.

The safest way to have Thanksgiving this year is to stay in your social bubble. But those traveling to gather with friends and loved ones should keep pandemic safety guidelines in mind.

The U.S. added more than 1 million cases in the past week. More than 85,000 people are hospitalized. Some states may have no choice but to lock down again. Others are trying a targeted approach.

Operation Warp Speed is allocating the first batch of 6.4 million COVID vaccines to states, based on population. This circumvents a CDC advisory committee, which proposed allocation based on risk.

In Kansas City, hospitals are treating local COVID-19 patients as well as patients transferred from rural counties in Missouri and Kansas, where there's no mandate or culture for wearing masks.

In 2017, a study reported one in three people in one rural Alabama county had been exposed to hookworm. Catherine Coleman Flowers says the study reveals big gaps in sanitation in rural America.

When Kansas issued a mask mandate, 81 counties opted out. Researchers found coronavirus infection rates rose sharply in the opt-out counties, while falling in those that required masks.

As COVID-19 hospitalizations surge, new data released by the federal government show how many hospitals are struggling with staffing.

Watch an expert panel discussion on the effort to develop and deploy safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 on Friday, Nov. 20, to be live-streamed here at 12 p.m. ET

The medicine is one of the few to win regulatory approval as a treatment for the disease, but has fallen out of favor with the health authority.

With COVID-19 cases surging and more than 250,000 dead, the CDC is recommending people not travel for Thanksgiving. And doctors worry the holiday could be a superspreader event.

Many faith leaders may believe churches are singled out for blame, but one Baptist pastor in Maine called for safety precautions after members tested positive for the coronavirus.