Health

A win for healthcare workers and patients: The CDC returns HICPAC’s draft recommendations on infection control

Health, Policy & Advocacy

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By

Fiona Lowenstein

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January 30, 2024

Last summer, the federal Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) began meeting to update their guidance on infection control in healthcare settings for the first time in sixteen years. The committee’s draft recommendations, released in November, argue that surgical masks are adequate protection against airborne viruses, and allow employers to decide whether to implement…
This artist is memorializing the Covid-19 pandemic through textiles, and you can help

Arts & Culture, Health

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By

Miles W. Griffis

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January 30, 2024

A blue stitch for a case. A red stitch for a death. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Boulder-based artist Heather Schulte wanted to turn the case and death tallies into something tangible. She had grown up in Nebraska and had been “embedded in textiles since birth,” she said. As the virus spread, she…
What recovery? Long Covid’s deep impact on Latinos

Health

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By

Lygia Navarro

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January 16, 2024

It’s called a mass-disabling event: One in five COVID-19 infections results in long COVID, with Latinos the most affected. As society and medicine largely ignore this lingering crisis, how prepared are we to care for a looming avalanche of Latino long-haulers? Editor’s note: This story is part of a series produced in partnership between palabra.,…
New CDC data identify more than 5,000 Long Covid deaths, but tally is likely a significant undercount

Health, Science

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By

Betsy Ladyzhets

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January 9, 2024

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data on deaths caused by Long Covid, reporting that more than 5,000 Americans have died from this disease since 2020. The CDC’s numbers most likely represent significant undercounts of Long Covid-related deaths, experts say, highlighting a need for better reporting standards and education…
HHS gave million-dollar grants to nine Long Covid clinics; here’s how they plan to use the funding

Health, Policy & Advocacy

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By

Betsy Ladyzhets

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December 12, 2023

This fall, the federal government announced a new grant program to support Long Covid care: the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) awarded million-dollar grants to nine Long Covid clinics across the country, designed to help these centers extend their reach and develop best practices for addressing this complex chronic disease. Each clinic can…
HIV may increase the risk of Long Covid. Why aren’t major advocacy groups addressing it?

Health, Policy & Advocacy

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By

Miles W. Griffis

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December 5, 2023

Advocates say that the government is not doing enough to support people with Long Covid, nor are most well-funded LGBTQ+ or HIV advocacy groups, even though Long Covid may be burdensome for their communities. Recent studies suggest that HIV may be an increasedrisk factor for Long Covid and that people with HIV have an elevated…
Project N95 ending mask store, free distributions by the end of 2023

COVID-19, Health

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By

Betsy Ladyzhets

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December 5, 2023

Project N95, the nonprofit organization that distributes high-quality masks and other Covid-19 safety equipment, announced last month that it will wind down its operations at the end of 2023. This closure marks the end of an effort that provided a trustworthy place to buy masks online and distributed millions of free masks to communities in…
What’s happening this week, November 21

Health, Science

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By

Miles W. Griffis

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November 21, 2023

The organizers of Long Covid Moonshot told The Sick Times that over 500 calls were logged from 36 states during last Tuesday’s telethon. Plus: new studies about veterans with Long Covid and a potential treatment for smell problems, new Long Covid publications, and more.