While Deaths Still Rare, Covid Is Eighth-Top Cause Of Child Mortality

NPR: COVID-19 Is The Eighth Leading Cause Of Death Among Children In The U.S.
COVID-19 was the eighth leading cause of death among children in recent months, according to a study published Monday. In a yearlong period from August 2021 to July 2022, 821 children ages 0 to 19 died from COVID-19 at a rate of 1 per 100,000. Children's deaths of any kind are rare, researchers noted. (Archie, 1/31)

CIDRAP: Studies Estimate COVID And All-Cause Deaths In Youth, Pregnancy
Two new studies published in JAMA Network Open assess causes of death in US youth and pregnant and recently pregnant women during the pandemic, with the former finding that COVID-19 was the eighth-leading cause of death among children, and the latter showing that non-White pregnant women were significantly more likely to die of any cause than their White peers. (Van Beusekom, 1/30)

The Mercury News: California Saw Nearly 20% More Deaths Since 2020, And COVID Alone Can’t Explain It
Since 2020, California has recorded 130,000 more deaths than in the three previous years, a nearly 20% increase in mortality, the largest sustained spike in more than a century, and the reversal of a decades-long trend of decreasing death rates. In essence, experts say, that’s 130,000 more burials, cremations, viewings and funerals than there should have been. (Blair Rowan, 1/30)

In other pandemic news —

Reuters: All Countries 'Dangerously Unprepared' For Future Pandemics, Says IFRC 
The world is "dangerously unprepared" for future pandemics, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) say in a report published on Monday, calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end. In its World Disasters Report 2022, the IFRC said "all countries remain dangerously unprepared for future outbreaks" despite COVID-19 killing more people than any earthquake, drought or hurricane in history. (1/30)

San Francisco Chronicle: Record Number Of Americans Missing Work Due To Illness
About 1.5 million Americans missed work due to illness in December, with over 1 million calling in sick every month for the past three years, according to the latest federal data. The last time the absentee number dipped below 1 million was in November 2019, according to a report from the Guardian that cites the prevalence of long COVID as contributing to increasing worker absences. (Vaziri and Beamish, 1/30)

CNBC: Long Covid Has ‘Underappreciated’ Role In Labor Gap: Study
Long Covid is keeping people out of work and may reduce on-the-job productivity for others, contributing to a labor shortage and weighing on the U.S. economy at large, according to a new study. (Iacurci, 1/30)

Minnesota Public Radio: COVID Response Turns Another Corner: MN Test To Treat Sites Are No More 
The Minnesota Department of Health has closed COVID testing sites that people once visited in droves. But the agency said use of the sites at places like St. Paul's Midway neighborhood and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had dropped. But that’s left some Minnesotans wondering where they’ll get a COVID test now. (Wiley, 1/31)

The Atlantic: Airplane Toilets Could Catch The Next COVID Variant
Airplane bathrooms are not most people’s idea of a good time. They’re barely big enough to turn around in. Their doors stick, like they’re trying to trap you in place. That’s to say nothing of the smell. But to the CDC, those same bathrooms might be a data gold mine. (Ladyzhets, 1/30)

KHN: It’s ‘Telehealth Vs. No Care’: Doctors Say Congress Risks Leaving Patients Vulnerable
When the covid-19 pandemic hit, Dr. Corey Siegel was more prepared than most of his peers. Half of Siegel’s patients — many with private insurance and Medicaid — were already using telehealth, logging onto appointments through phones or computers. “You get to meet their family members; you get to meet their pets,” Siegel said. “You see more into their lives than you do when they come to you.” (Tribble, 1/31)