Travelers No Longer Need To Test Negative For Covid To Fly Into US
As of Sunday, the Biden administration has lifted its requirements that international flyers test negative for covid a day before arriving in the U.S. Other pandemic news reports on masking, employer safety measures, air quality in schools, and more.
AP:
US Lifts COVID-19 Test Requirement For International Travel
The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international travelers test negative for COVID-19 within a day before boarding a flight to the United States, ending one of the last remaining government mandates designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that the requirement will end early Sunday morning. The health agency said it will continue to monitor state of the pandemic and will reassess the need for a testing requirement if the situation changes. (Miller and Koenig, 6/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
What The Covid Testing Changes Mean For Air Travelers To The U.S.
The testing requirement ended June 12 at 12:01 a.m. Those crossing into the U.S. by land or by seaport already face no testing requirements. ... The CDC still recommends that travelers boarding a flight to the U.S. get tested as close to the time of departure as possible, meaning no more than three days before leaving. The agency says those who are sick shouldn’t travel. Isolation rules vary by country and can be very strict and closely enforced. (Pohle, 6/12)
And more on the spread of covid —
AP:
Las Vegas Area Health Agency Urges Mask-Wearing Indoors
With COVID-19 cases rising again, the public health agency for metro Las Vegas is advising a return to wearing masks in public, indoor settings. The Southern Nevada Health District said in a news release Friday that Clark County is at a “high community level” of the virus. (6/11)
North Carolina Health News:
Study Asks Black & Latino People About COVID Infection
From higher infection and hospitalization rates to disproportionate death rates, the COVID-19 pandemic hit people of color hard. Many academic studies and journalistic accounts have documented and analyzed why this might’ve been, but fewer pieces of academic research have looked at the subjective experiences of people from these marginalized communities who got sick with the SARS CoV2 virus. A new study from Duke University aims to start filling that gap. The researcher-clinicians who did the study interviewed Black and Latino North Carolinians who fell ill with COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic. They asked a range of questions: what did the patients know about the virus before their infection? What were their experiences getting tested and seeking medical care while they were sick? What lasting impact has the virus had on their well-being? (Donnelly-DeRoven, 6/13)
The Boston Globe:
Employers Piece Together A Hodgepodge Of COVID-19 Safety Policies To Stay Open And Healthy
One company devised color-coded bracelets so employees could signal their comfort level with being around unmasked colleagues. Others have upgraded ventilation systems. Some employers continue to test workers for COVID-19. Vaccination requirements, meanwhile, vary widely. Amid the ever-changing COVID landscape, businesses have adopted a panoply of approaches to help keep workers healthy and the doors open. (Lazar, 6/12)
KHN:
Covid Funding Pries Open A Door To Improving Air Quality In Schools
Many U.S. schools were in dire need of upgrades — burdened by leaking pipes, mold, and antiquated heating systems — long before the covid-19 pandemic drew attention to the importance of indoor ventilation in reducing the spread of infectious disease. The average U.S. school building is 50 years old, and many schools date back more than a century. (Szabo, 6/13)
In updates on covid treatments and the vaccine rollout —
The New York Times:
Ivermectin Has Little Effect On Recovery Time From Covid, Study Finds
The antiparasite drug ivermectin does not meaningfully reduce the time needed to recover from Covid, according to a large study posted online Sunday. It is the largest of several clinical trials to show that the drug, popular since the early pandemic as an alternative treatment, is not effective against the virus. The new trial, conducted by researchers at Duke University and Vanderbilt University, tested more than 1,500 people with Covid, about half getting the drug and the others a placebo. The study has not yet been published in a scientific journal. (Zimmer, 6/12)
CIDRAP:
Study: Health Workers Not Countering COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Well
Healthcare workers are a trusted source of COVID-19 vaccine information, but many aren't using that advantage on social media to encourage vaccination, a research team based at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health reported this week in the Journal of Community Health. The researchers based their findings on a survey of health workers conducted from April through June of 2021. They also examined a random sample of nearly 2,300 tweets about COVID-19 vaccination, of which 1,863 were written by individuals. The healthcare workers were from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Western Psychiatric Hospital, one of the nation's largest free-standing psychiatric hospitals. (6/10)
Bloomberg:
Should I Wait For Omicron-Specific Boosters?
The booster-timing game has become a familiar part of this stage of the pandemic. In much of the world, we’re back to business as (pretty much) usual. But while there’s little chance of severe illness if you’re vaccinated, Covid still threatens to upend all those fun things we’re planning. If you time your shot well, you’ll worry less about FOMO. (Brown, 6/12)
KHN:
Journalists Delve Into Vaccine Mandates And Surprise Billing
California Healthline correspondent Rachel Bluth discussed California’s doomed covid-19 vaccine mandates on iHeartPodcasts “The Daily Dive” on June 7. ... KHN contributing writer Michelle Andrews discussed her recent “Bill of the Month” feature about a surprise bill for a colonoscopy on KMOX on June 3. (6/11)
Myths about vaccines are still swirling on the internet —
AP:
NOT REAL NEWS: A Look At What Didn't Happen This Week
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. (6/10)
