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Rise In Walking Pneumonia Cases Prompts CDC Warning Rise In Walking Pneumonia Cases Prompts CDC Warning
Rise In Walking Pneumonia Cases Prompts CDC Warning Cases of walking pneumonia have spiked significantly, especially among children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning in a brand-new advisory. The agency said increases in M. pneumoniae-associated pneumonia infections began late this past spring, peaked in August, and have remained high.  The CDC said it's using various surveillance tools "to better understand any differences in demographics, severity of illness, and outcomes as compared to M. pneumoniae infections prior to the COVID-19 pandemic." The agency said it's also contacting heal…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Here's What To Know About New XEC Strain That's Arrived In US From Europe COVID-19: Here's What To Know About New XEC Strain That's Arrived In US From Europe
Covid-19: Here's What To Know About New XEC Strain That's Arrived In US From Europe A new highly transmissible COVID-19 strain that first appeared in Europe is now beginning to spread in the United States. Called XEC, the offshoot of the Omicron strain was initially identified in Germany early this past summer before quickly spreading throughout Europe. It is not causing more serious symptoms than other COVID strains, but it is causing concern. “The rate of infections from XEC they're seeing in some countries rose pretty quickly compared to previous variants in those same places," Dr. Scott Roberts, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist said in YaleMedicine.…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
First Human West Nile Case Of Season Confirmed In Connecticut First Human West Nile Case Of Season Confirmed In Connecticut
First Human West Nile Case Of Season Confirmed In Connecticut It's time to protect yourself from mosquitoes, as the first case of the West Nile virus in a person in the state has been confirmed.  On Friday, Aug. 16, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced that a New Haven County resident had tested positive for the virus. A woman between 60–69 became ill during the first week of August with a WNV infection and has since recovered, the department said.  “Symptoms include fever, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, rash, or gastrointestinal symptoms for non-neuroinvasive disease, while neuroinvasive signs and symptoms can include high…

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by Kathy Reakes
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Fairfield County City Lifts Mask Mandate For Most COVID-19: Fairfield County City Lifts Mask Mandate For Most
Covid-19: Fairfield County City Lifts Mask Mandate For Most A city-wide mask mandate in a Fairfield County city will soon be lifted due to the falling number of COVID-19 cases. Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons announced on Friday, Feb. 11 that the city-wide mask mandate will be lifted on Wed., Feb. 16.  Masks are still required to be worn in hospitals, nursing homes, healthcare and childcare facilities, schools, municipal buildings, and on public transit, Simmons said. The announcement comes in response to a decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Stamford.  As of Thursday, Feb.10, Stamford’s current seven-day average in ca…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
COVID-19: Omicron Surge Affecting Staffing Levels For Essential Workers COVID-19: Omicron Surge Affecting Staffing Levels For Essential Workers
Covid-19: Omicron Surge Affecting Staffing Levels For Essential Workers The spread of the more-transmissible Omicron COVID-19 variant is leading to staffing shortages for some essential employers who have been hit hardest by the winter surge of the virus. Essential employees have been forced to call out of work en masse in recent weeks due to positive Omicron infections that have led to staffing shortages for first responders, healthcare workers, supermarket workers, flight crews, and other key professions. The shortages have led to hundreds of canceled flights, closed restaurants, and short-staffed retail stores, leaving workers frustrated and fatigued af…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: New Study Finds Significant Virus Spread Among Deer Population COVID-19: New Study Finds Significant Virus Spread Among Deer Population
Covid-19: New Study Finds Significant Virus Spread Among Deer Population A new study has found widespread COVID-19 infections among deer populations in Iowa. Researchers from the Penn State University found that more than 80 percent of white-tailed deer sampled in parts of Iowa between December of 2020 and January of 2021 tested positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement from the university on Wednesday, Nov. 3. “We found that 80 percent of the sampled deer in December were positive for SARS-CoV-2, which proportionally represents about a 50-fold greater burden of positivity than what was reported at the peak of infection in humans at the time,” said Sur…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: Drugmaker To Seek Emergency Approval For Pill To Treat Virus COVID-19: Drugmaker To Seek Emergency Approval For Pill To Treat Virus
Covid-19: Drugmaker To Seek Emergency Approval For Pill To Treat Virus A new pharmaceutical company is throwing its hat in the ring as the country continues its fight against COVID-19. Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced on Friday, Oct. 1 that it is planning to apply for federal emergency approval of a pill that can reportedly help prevent hospitalizations and deaths in COVID-19 patients. According to the company, trials have found that the pill - dubbed molnupiravir - could potentially reduce the risk of hospitalization or death in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 by approximately 50 percent. The results of the late-stage trial have bee…

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by Zak Failla
News
Lamont Picks Yale Physician To Be State's New Health Commissioner Lamont Picks Yale Physician To Be State's New Health Commissioner
Lamont Picks Yale Physician To Be State's New Health Commissioner Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has nominated a prominent Yale School of Medicine physician to serve as the state’s Health Commissioner. On Monday, July 26, Lamont announced that he is nominating Dr. Manisha Juthani to serve as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Earlier story. - Chief Of CT Schools To Join President-Elect Biden's Cabinet As Education Secretary, Reports Say Juthani is an infectious diseases physician at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, where she specializes in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of infections in older adults. Lamont s…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Here's When Teens Could Start Getting Vaccinated, Dr. Fauci Says COVID-19: Here's When Teens Could Start Getting Vaccinated, Dr. Fauci Says
Covid-19: Here's When Teens Could Start Getting Vaccinated, Dr. Fauci Says It may not be long until high school students and other teenagers can begin getting vaccinated for COVID-19, according to infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is President Biden's chief medical advisor. Fauci said on CBS News Sunday, March 7 that teens should be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccines by the fall, with younger students likely to become eligible for vaccinations early next year. High school students should expect to receive the vaccine at or near the beginning of the next academic school year, Fauci said. Tests are currently ongoing to ensure that the shots are s…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: CT Releases Travel Advisory List With 40 States, Including Neighboring Massachusetts COVID-19: CT Releases Travel Advisory List With 40 States, Including Neighboring Massachusetts
Covid-19: CT Releases Travel Advisory List With 40 States, Including Neighboring Massachusetts With COVID-19 cases spiking across the country as the holiday season fast approaches, Connecticut has added three states - including neighboring Massachusetts - to its travel advisory list. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced that California and Pennsylvania have also been added to the list, and travelers coming into the state will have to quarantine for 14 days due to high COVID-19 infection rates. There are now 40 states and two territories on Connecticut’s travel advisory list.  No states were removed in the latest update.  Officials have also asked for no non-essential tr…

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by Zak Failla
News
Two-Thirds Of Those Hospitalized In Stamford For Flu Didn't Get Vaccine, City Says Two-Thirds Of Those Hospitalized In Stamford For Flu Didn't Get Vaccine, City Says
Two-Thirds Of Those Hospitalized In Stamford For Flu Didn't Get Vaccine, City Says A simple flu shot is an easy way to prevent catching the nasty virus, and it can be easily found, but health officials say many aren't taking the time to get protected. Stamford Hospital’s Chief of Infectious Diseases Dr. Michael Parry said approximately two-thirds of patients who were recently admitted to the Stamford Hospital for influenza had not received a flu shot. It's not too late to get the shot and have it help even if you get the flu, Parry said. The current influenza vaccine is still considered to be a good match for the influenza viruses that are circulating.  Vaccina…

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by Kathy Reakes