Respiratory Infections News

Pregnant women in Oregon are avoiding the hospital for their birthing plans and turning to birthing centers or giving birth at home, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The quadrivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine — also known as the nasal spray vaccine — does not exacerbate asthma in children aged older than 4 years, according to data from a randomized controlled trial published in Pediatrics.

At-home testing for COVID-19 more than tripled during the omicron wave in the United States, but there were disparities in the tests’ use, according to a study published Friday in MMWR.

In 2014, the United Nations initiated the End TB Strategy, setting a goal of ending tuberculosis by 2035.

Among patients hospitalized with moderate COVID-19, those who received aspirin on the first day of hospitalization had a significantly lower risk for 28-day mortality than those who did not, according to a recent observational cohort study.

As of late February, just 64.5% of Americans were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and less than half of eligible people had received a recommended booster dose.

Last month, The New York Times reported that the CDC has withheld some of the data it has collected on COVID-19 boosters and hospitalizations.

As a prior history major, I was drawn to infectious diseases by the patient stories, by the high value that the field placed on patients’ narratives and social contexts.

CDC data show that the omicron BA.2 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2 accounted for approximately 35% of COVID-19 cases in the United States during the week ending March 19, up from around 22% the week before.

Moderna said Wednesday that it will submit a request to the FDA “in the coming weeks” seeking authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged younger than 6 years.