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Common Drug Shortage Hits US Common Drug Shortage Hits US
Common Drug Shortage Hits US There's a shortage of some commonly found medications as this cold and flu season is off to the worst start in more than a decade, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to VOX, the reason for the shortages could be either due a lack of raw materials or a problem at the manufacturing plant. The following drugs and medications might be more difficult to find on shelves this year, according to the FDA: Albuterol Sulfate Inhalational Solution: Caused by a high-demand for the drug at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, VOX says. Amoxicillin (Oral Powder for Suspensi…

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by Cecilia Levine
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CDC Encouraging Americans To Mask Up For The Holidays Amid Tripledemic Of COVID-19, Flu, RSV CDC Encouraging Americans To Mask Up For The Holidays Amid Tripledemic Of COVID-19, Flu, RSV
CDC Encouraging Americans To Mask Up For The Holidays Amid Tripledemic Of Covid-19, Flu, RSV The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is encouraging Americans to wear masks during the holiday season to help prevent the spread of the so-called tripledemic of COVID-19, influenza, and Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It's especially important for people living in areas with high levels of COVID transmission to mask up, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Monday, Dec. 5. “The past several years have certainly not been easy, and we now face yet another surge of ailments, another moment of overstretched capacity, and really one of tragic and often preventab…

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by Joe Lombardi
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New Extension For REAL ID Deadline Announced By DHS New Extension For REAL ID Deadline Announced By DHS
New Extension For Real ID Deadline Announced By DHS You won't have to rush out to get your REAL ID if you haven't already done so, as officials announced plans to extend the full official enforcement deadline for the new form of identification that will be used to board domestic flights. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday, Dec. 5, that it has extended the deadline for the REAL ID by two years, changing it from May 3, 2023, to May 7, 2025. This gives states additional time to make sure their residents have licenses and ID cards that meet security standards established in the REAL ID Act. After the enforcement deadline, f…

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by Nicole Valinote
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First Flu Death Of Season Confirmed In Connecticut As Person In 50s First Flu Death Of Season Confirmed In Connecticut As Person In 50s
First Flu Death Of Season Confirmed In Connecticut As Person In 50s Health officials have reported this season's first flu death in Connecticut. The individual who died in November was a resident of New London County and was in their 50s, the Connecticut Department of Health announced on Monday, Nov. 28. No further information about the patient is will be released, officials reported. Flu season occurs between October and May, and the highest levels of influenza are usually seen between December and March, according to the report.  “This is a tragic reminder that the 2022-23 flu season is already an active one. As we approach the holidays, I strongly…

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by Nicole Valinote
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COVID-19: CDC Says It's Now Tracking More Immune-Evasive XBB Variant Growing In Northeast COVID-19: CDC Says It's Now Tracking More Immune-Evasive XBB Variant Growing In Northeast
Covid-19: CDC Says It's Now Tracking More Immune-Evasive XBB Variant Growing In Northeast With more than 300 COVID-19 Omicron sublineages circulating around the globe, a new potentially more contagious variant called XBB is being closely monitored by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). XBB is considered more immune-evasive than other Omicron variants, Chief White House medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week. But government officials said they don't think XBB will become a threat at the level of Omicron, which first emerged on the global scene almost exactly a year ago. Though XBB now accounts for just over 3 percent of new cases in t…

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by Joe Lombardi
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'Tripledemic' Concerns Grow As Surge In Flu Activity Strikes Amid Ongoing RSV, COVID-19 Cases 'Tripledemic' Concerns Grow As Surge In Flu Activity Strikes Amid Ongoing RSV, COVID-19 Cases
'Tripledemic' Concerns Grow As Surge In Flu Activity Strikes Amid Ongoing RSV, Covid-19 Cases Concerns of a so-called "Tripledemic" are growing amid the most widespread flu activity nationwide at this point in the season in over a decade while respiratory illnesses, particularly among children, are straining hospitals as COVID-19 is still an ongoing issue.  "There’s no scientific definition for this term," according to Yale Medicine. "It simply refers to a collision of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), flu, and COVID-19 to the extent that it might overwhelm hospital emergency departments." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that, so far this season…

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: Repeat Infections Can Be Dangerous, Even Deadly, Brand-New Study Reveals COVID-19: Repeat Infections Can Be Dangerous, Even Deadly, Brand-New Study Reveals
Covid-19: Repeat Infections Can Be Dangerous, Even Deadly, Brand-New Study Reveals Repeat COVID-19 infections can be dangerous, even deadly, including for those who have been vaccinated and boosted, according to a brand-new study.  The study by the Washington University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care system found that "repeat SARS-CoV-2 infections contribute significant additional risk of adverse health conditions in multiple organ systems." The findings, published Thursday, Nov. 10 in Nature Medicine, reported that such outcomes include: hospitalization;  disorders affecting the lungs, heart, brain, and the body’s blood, mus…

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by Joe Lombardi
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COVID-19: Former CT State Representative Admits Stealing $1.2M Relief Funds COVID-19: Former CT State Representative Admits Stealing $1.2M Relief Funds
Covid-19: Former CT State Representative Admits Stealing $1.2M Relief Funds A former Connecticut state representative has admitted to stealing more than $1.2 million in COVID relief funds. New Haven County resident Michael DiMassa, age 31, of West Haven, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 1 to charges stemming from his involvement in schemes that resulted in the theft of more than $1.2 million dollars in COVID relief funds and other funds from the City of West Haven, said Vanessa Roberts Avery, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut. According to court documents and statements made in court, DiMassa was a Connecticut state representative who was also em…

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by Kathy Reakes
Lifestyle
COVID-19: Here's Name Of New Booster Targeting Omicron Strain, What To Know, How To Get Vaccine COVID-19: Here's Name Of New Booster Targeting Omicron Strain, What To Know, How To Get Vaccine
Covid-19: Here's Name Of New Booster Targeting Omicron Strain, What To Know, How To Get Vaccine Health experts are recommending the use of updated COVID-19 booster vaccines to protect people from the most prevalent subvariants of the virus currently circulating. The newly-approved boosters are officially named "bivalent vaccines" that target the original strain of COVID-19 and what is now the predominant subvariant of Omicron, BA.5., according to a report from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with Dr. David Tweardy, the head of the Department of Infectious Diseases. “The updated COVID-19 boosters are formulated to better protect against the most recently circulating C…

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by Nicole Valinote
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COVID-19: New Booster Shots Targeting Omicron Variant Approved By FDA COVID-19: New Booster Shots Targeting Omicron Variant Approved By FDA
Covid-19: New Booster Shots Targeting Omicron Variant Approved By FDA It’s time to roll up your sleeve and get another COVID-19 vaccine. On Wednesday, Aug. 31, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated versions of COVID booster shots made by Pfizer and Moderna that target the highly contagious BA.5 Omicron subvariant. The updated vaccine boosters are designed to give people broad protection against COVID and can help protect against severe illness, hospitalization, and death, the FDA said in a statement. Pfizer’s modified booster was authorized for people ages 12 and older, while Moderna’s shot was approved for those 18 and up. People who…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Americans 'Self Silencing' In Record Numbers, New Study Reveals: Here's What It Means Americans 'Self Silencing' In Record Numbers, New Study Reveals: Here's What It Means
Americans 'Self Silencing' In Record Numbers, New Study Reveals: Here's What It Means If you’ve ever found yourself hiding your true opinion just to avoid ruffling feathers, you’re not alone, according to a new study from the think tank Populace. Researchers wanted to find out how prevalent self-silencing, or preference falsification, is - defined as saying what you think others want to hear rather than what you truly believe. What they found is a tendency for people of all demographics to succumb to social pressures to have the “right” opinion when it comes to hot-button issues like abortion, mask wearing, and discussing gender identity in schools, despite their true feelin…

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by Michael Mashburn
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COVID-19: CDC Announces Sweeping New Guidance, Including For Schools, Quarantines COVID-19: CDC Announces Sweeping New Guidance, Including For Schools, Quarantines
Covid-19: CDC Announces Sweeping New Guidance, Including For Schools, Quarantines Federal health officials have announced sweeping new COVID-19 guidelines, including for schools and quarantines for those infected. In the updated guidance unveiled on Thursday, Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was no longer recommending that unvaccinated people quarantine after possibly being exposed to the virus. Instead, the CDC said they should wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested five days after they were exposed. The agency had previously said unvaccinated people and those who haven't received their booster shots should q…

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by Michael Mashburn