Top in ID: Free at-home COVID-19 tests; malaria prevalence
The Biden administration announced that U.S. households will again be able to order four free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests from the U.S. Postal Service.
“As expected, we’re seeing COVID cases rising in parts of the country following Thanksgiving, and while COVID isn’t the disruptive force it once was, we know that the virus will circulate more quickly and easily as folks gather indoors for the winter holiday season,” a senior administration official said on a call with reporters.
It was the top story in infectious disease last week.
Another top story was about the global prevalence of malaria. Although there were 247 million cases of malaria globally in 2021, infections increased at a slower rate from the 245 million cases in 2020 — which was a leap from 232 million cases in 2019.
Read these and more top stories in infectious disease below:
US offering free at-home COVID-19 tests again
The Biden administration is offering free at-home COVID-19 tests again as part of a winter preparedness plan announced by the White House amid an increase in cases that officials linked to indoor gatherings. Read more.
Malaria cases remain relatively stable after sharp increase at start of COVID-19 pandemic
After a sharp increase in global malaria cases and deaths as COVID-19 spread in 2020, WHO reported that both cases and deaths remained relatively stable in 2021. Read more.
10-year study finds nearly half of S. pneumoniae in US adults drug resistant
Nearly half of all Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates collected from U.S. adults as part of a large study were resistant to at least one drug, researchers found. Read more.
High percentage of uncomplicated UTI not susceptible to initial treatment
New antimicrobial dispensing within 28 days of initial treatment was associated with uncomplicated UTIs where the uropathogen was not susceptible to initial treatment, according to a recent study. Read more.
Studies indicate bivalent boosters reduce risk for severe COVID-19
Findings from two real-world studies published Friday in MMWR indicate that bivalent COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccines reduce the risk for severe outcomes from the disease, including hospitalization. Read more.