Friday, May 20, 2022

Virus roundup: Most 'long Covid' victims not hospitalized at first; job losses hit rural areas still recovering from recession

Here's a roundup of recent news stories about the pandemic and vaccination efforts:

The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has surpassed 1 million people in the U.S., the highest total of any nation in the world. An outstanding multimedia piece from The Washington Post aims to help readers visualize such a staggering number. Read more here.

A new study underscores the danger of even a mild Covid infection. Researchers found that 76% of long-Covid patients were not initially hospitalized. Read more here.

An overwhelmingly white, conservative and rural county in Tennessee was once touted as a coronavirus vaccine success story. But it turns out a state data error incorrectly attributed tens of thousands of vaccinations to the county, artificially inflating its vaccination rate from the correct 43% to 65%. Read more here.

Pro-Trump counties continue to suffer far higher Covid death rates. Read more here.

Pandemic job losses hit rural areas still recovering from the recession a decade ago. Read more here.

States have yet to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid meant to tackle pandemic health disparities. Read more here.

No one really knows how big the latest coronavirus wave is, because states have relaxed reporting requirements, and many people self-diagnose and self-treat without ever reporting their illness. Read more here.

The federal government is offering another round of free coronavirus tests. Read more here.

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