COVID: 2 Years and Counting; Ukraine’s High-Risk Pathogens; 1 Million Deaths in Asia

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Two years ago today, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

COVID has retreated in the U.S. to the degree that 98% of the population lives in areas where indoor masking is no longer recommended, according to the CDC’s new risk algorithm.

In a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, 13 governors, all Democrats, urged extension of the federal public health emergency and the associated resources the states depend on for various programs. (New York Times)

As hospital staffing shortages worsen, nurses spend months waiting months for licenses. (NPR)

As of Friday at 8 a.m. EST, the unofficial U.S. COVID toll includes 79,455,163 cases and 965,466 deaths, increases of 48,561 and 1,647, respectively, since this time yesterday.

Health experts look into their crystal balls to envision a post-pandemic world. (AP)

Congress, yet again, considers making daylight saving time permanent, as surveys show two-thirds of Americans want to stop changing time twice a year, with the support of several health organizations. (Washington Post)

An NIH-funded study of 1.1 million school children showed that mask mandates reduced COVID transmission by 72% during the Delta surge.

Some of the largest school districts in California will continue masking after the state requirement ends. (New York Times)

A Texas judge will rule today on whether to block child abuse investigations related to kids who receive gender-affirming care. (Reuters)

A year ago today President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill: Here’s how the money was used. (AP)

No casualties were reported following a Russian strike on a psychiatric hospital in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region; the 360 patients and staff were in a bomb shelter at the time of the attack, according to Ukraine’s State Emergencies Service. (Reuters)

The WHO advised Ukraine to destroy high-risk pathogens stored in public health laboratories to prevent potential disease-spreading spills. (Reuters)

Meanwhile, farming has come to a halt in Ukraine, including the nation’s large wheat crop, fueling fears of a global food shortage. (Reuters)

Asia passed the 1 million mark for COVID deaths. (Reuters)

Amid another surge in COVID cases, China has imposed a lockdown on the 9 million residents of the northeastern city of Changchun. (AP)

A primer on how to recognize mental health problems in the workplace and what to do about them. (NPR)

Parents face tough decisions about COVID protection after the FDA temporarily halted review of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for young children. (New York Times)

FDA ordered Phillips to notify patients about recalls of certain ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machines due to safety risks involving the degradation of a foam component that led to the recall.

Premiums for medical liability insurance surged for the third consecutive year, a survey conducted by the American Medical Association showed.

Patients who spent 10 minutes with a therapy dog in the emergency department reported having less pain. (NPR)

Concerns about inflation and the possibility of nuclear war, following 2 years of a pandemic, have driven mental stress to unprecedented levels. (NBC News)

Deaths among San Francisco’s homeless population more than doubled during the first year of the pandemic, but not because of COVID. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Luis Delgado, 81, who portrayed Luis on “Sesame Street” for more than 40 years, has died; Delgado was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2020. (CNN)