FDA approves updated Covid boosters from Moderna and Pfizer set to arrive soon: Coronavirus guidelines 2023

The top three counties—all in Texas—are Wilbarger County, Hardeman County, and Foard County. All are seeing 22.4 new hospital admissions a week per every 100,000 residents.

Below those three are Seminole County and Pontotoc County, both in Oklahoma. Both are seeing 20.9 new hospital admissions a week per every 100,000 residents.

Covid hospitalisations and deaths have risen in recent weeks, with experts warning that Americans may need to wear masks and take actions to slow the spread of the virus in the coming days as cold and flu season approaches.

Health officials say that the Pfizer and Moderna shots likely to be available later this week.

Covid hospital admissions and deaths have been on the rise in the US for weeks. As cases climb, experts weigh in on the question of whether or not people should start masking again in public spaces. Olivia Hebert reports:

On Thursday, social media personality Danielle Miller was sentenced in federal court for “fraudulently obtaining over $1 million in pandemic-related loans…then using those funds for personal expenses, including chartering a private jet and renting a luxury apartment,” according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.

In the statement, Acting US Attorney Joshua S. Levy said: “Ms. Miller isn’t an influencer, she is a convicted felon.”

She was sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervised release.

China’s decision to end Covid restrictions led to almost two million excess deaths, according to a new study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, a federally-funded institute in Seattle.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:

Older people are among those who are at an increased risk of developing severe disease from the virus, per the CDC.

The Los Angeles County public health department tweeted a reminder that Covid vaccines are safe for pregnant people. Pregnant people are more likely than others to get severely ill with Covid-19.

As Covid cases rise, experts have been vocal about the need for accessible prevention tools, including masks and at-home tests.

University of New Hampshire associate professor Chanda Prescod-Weinstein tweeted Thursday: “Part of the current public health catastrophe is that there are poor people who want to mask regularly and literally can’t afford to now that masks are not being made widely available for free.”

New York Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald tweeted about the threats of rising Covid cases on Thursday. “If you test positive for COVID, stay home and stay away from other people, especially those who are vulnerable to serious illness,” he wrote. “To improve your chances of not having serious illness, speak with a health care provider about treatment.”

In a statement released earlier this week, he encouraged teachers, students, and parents to lean on available resources to slow the spread of the virus. “Remember COVID tests are easy to use as well as highly accurate,” he said. “Also know that COVID is a treatable disease.”

DeSantis said, “People are lurching toward this insanity again. As we see these things being orchestrated…there needs to be pushback.”

Florida’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, expressed his opinion that there aren’t good reasons to get the latest Covid vaccine. “There are a lot of red flags,” he said.

Health authorities around the world—including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—have publicly stated that Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective.