CDC Warns COVID and Flu Surge Could ‘Strain’ Hospitals Soon

Published on December 15, 2023

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday that hospitals and emergency rooms could be overwhelmed due to influenza and COVID-19. “COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising quickly,” the federal agency said in a weekly update. “Since the summer, public health officials have been tracking a rise in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which is caused by COVID-19. Influenza activity is growing in most parts of the country. RSV activity remains high in many areas.” According to CDC’s historical data, while U.S.-wide COVID-19 hospitalizations have ticked up in recent weeks, the increase is nowhere near previous “surges” during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 23,400 people were hospitalized for the virus as of Dec. 9, while on Dec. 11, 2022—about a year ago—more than 54,000 people were in the hospital for COVID-19....

Continue reading on website
Other news

Amazon, Target, Walmart to Stop Selling Water Beads Marketed to Children

December 15, 2023
The three top U.S. retailers—Amazon, Target, and Walmart—have announced they’re suspending sales of water-bead products marketed to young children due to growing safety concerns.The small, colorful balls—sometimes no larger than a pinhead—are made of superabsorbent polymers that can grow to 100 times their original size when exposed to water. They are often sold as toys, including in craft activit

Oregon Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Walkout-Related Election Ban

December 15, 2023
Oral arguments before the Oregon Supreme Court on Dec. 14 focused on semantics as five Republican state senators sought to delay the sanctions pending against them for boycotting this year’s legislative session.The senators are hoping for a quick resolution of their challenge to a new state law that could bar them from running for reelection after they staged a six-week walkout of the 2022 legisla