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Covid-19 was third leading cause of death in 2020, driving record rise in death rate and nearly two-year drop in life expectancy

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN Covid-19 claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the United States in 2020, driving a record increase in the death rate and a drop in life expectancy of nearly two years, according to final 2020 death data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

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Outgoing NIH director says Trump and other Republicans pressured him to endorse unproven Covid-19 remedies and to fire Fauci

By Deidre McPhillips and Devan Cole, CNN The outgoing director of the National Institutes of Health said Sunday that he faced political pressure from then-President Donald Trump and other Republicans to endorse unproven Covid-19 remedies such as hydroxychloroquine and to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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Omicron ‘is going to take over’ this winter, and Fauci says Americans should brace for a ‘tough few weeks to months’

By Dakin Andone and Susannah Cullinane, CNN The United States is likely in for a hard winter as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreads rapidly, Dr. Anthony Fauci says, straining a health care system already battered by the Delta variant. “It’s going to take over,” Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said of the

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Omicron ‘is going to take over’ this winter, and Fauci says Americans should brace for a ‘tough few weeks to months’

By Dakin Andone and Susannah Cullinane, CNN The United States is likely in for a hard winter as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreads rapidly, Dr. Anthony Fauci says, straining a health care system already battered by the Delta variant. “It’s going to take over,” Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said of the

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California school system is sending every student and staff member home with a Covid-19 antigen test for the holidays

By Lauren M. Johnson, CNN With the Omicron variant spreading quickly across the US, several school districts are sending Covid-19 antigen tests home for the holidays to help curb a spike when they return to school in January. The school systems include Marin County Schools in California, Chicago Public Schools, several cities in Massachusetts, and

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It’s not clear yet if Omicron is a milder variant. But its rapid spread is certain to overwhelm hospitals, experts say

By Aya Elamroussi and Dakin Andone, CNN The research is still early on the virulence of the Omicron coronavirus variant — but what’s abundantly clear, according to experts, is that it’s poised to spread rapidly across the US and will likely overwhelm a battered US health care system. The variant is expected to become the

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California school system is sending every student and staff member home with a Covid-19 antigen test for the holidays

By Lauren M. Johnson, CNN With the Omicron variant spreading quickly across the US, several school districts are sending Covid-19 antigen tests home for the holidays to help curb a spike when they return to school in January. The school systems include Marin County Schools in California, Chicago Public Schools, several cities in Massachusetts, and

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What is medication abortion?

By Jen Christensen, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration relaxed certain federal regulations Thursday on medication abortion, a two-medication process that has become one of the most commonly used abortion methods in the United States. What is medication abortion? Medication abortion, also known as medical abortion, is a method by which someone ends their

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What is medication abortion?

By Jen Christensen, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration relaxed certain federal regulations Thursday on medication abortion, a two-medication process that has become one of the most commonly used abortion methods in the United States. What is medication abortion? Medication abortion, also known as medical abortion, is a method by which someone ends their

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CDC recommends Pfizer, Moderna vaccines over J&J’s

By Maggie Fox, CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its recommendations for Covid-19 vaccines Thursday to make clear that shots made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are preferred over Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. The new recommendation: “mRNA vaccines are preferred over the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine for the prevention of Covid-19 for those

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Covid-19 is raging across the US, with a surge in cases and hospitalizations causing new disruptions

By Dakin Andone, CNN Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations are rising once again, prompting a new wave of cancellations and disruptions as the country prepares for another pandemic holiday season. With the US averaging 118,717 new Covid-19 cases each day — 40% higher than a month ago, per Johns Hopkins University data — some colleges and

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Dog

Can your pet get COVID-19?

By EMMA H. TOBIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say pets and another animals can get the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but the risk of them spreading it to people is low. Dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, otters, hyenas and white-tailed deer are among the animals that have tested positive, in most cases

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Is it worth gathering for the holidays if not everyone is vaccinated? Experts weigh in

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN Even in pre-pandemic times, holiday gatherings with loved ones could be a careful dance of dodging landmines on the way to wonderful memories. This year, we are adding potentially explosive conversations around vaccination status. About 61% of the United States population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the US Centers

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Substance use among teens dropped significantly in 2021, survey finds

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN Substance use among teens — including alcohol, marijuana, vaping and illicit drugs — dropped significantly in 2021, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s latest Monitoring the Future survey, published Wednesday. The researchers found the largest single-year decline in illicit drug use since the survey began in 1975, with drops

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FDA authorizes second antiviral pill to treat Covid-19

By Jamie Gumbrecht, Amanda Sealy and Jacqueline Howard, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized Merck’s antiviral pill, molnupiravir, to treat Covid-19 “for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including

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Can Marvel’s superheroes age well despite head traumas and explosions? A new scientific article investigates

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN As they swung from the skies, knocked out intergalactic super-villains and strutted away from an explosion with the perfect quip, we all probably thought the same thing: How would the Marvel superheroes fare in their old age? No? Well, a team of researchers in Australia did. An article published Monday in

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Covid-19 cases among children are on the rise again, with more than 164,000 new cases last week, pediatricians report says

By Jen Christensen and Amir Vera, CNN Covid-19 cases among children are on the rise yet again, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics published Monday. New cases reported among children last week were up nearly 24% over the previous week, the report said. For the week ending December 9, there were

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