Data

Drug costs lead millions in the US to not take medications as prescribed, according to CDC | CNN Millions of adults in the United States are not taking their medications as prescribed because of costs, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deidre McPhillips CNN

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Most adults between the ages of 18 and 64 took at least one prescription medication in 2021. But more than 8% of them – about 9.2 million people – said they tried to save money by skipping doses, taking less than prescribed or delaying a prescription fill, according to the CDC data.

Global COVID-19 activity remains mixed CIDRAP

Cases and death continued to decline globally over the past 4 weeks, with hot spots reported in a few countries as XBB Omicron variant proportions continue to shift, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest weekly update.

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Activity is up, however, in two regions: the Western Pacific by 10% and Africa by 3%. Deaths declined or were stable in all six regions.

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Night shift work, binge drinking linked to increased COVID risk in nurses About 25% of 750 survey respondents met the criteria for alcohol misuse, with 5% classified as binge drinkers. CIDRAP

Working the night shift or binge drinking may double the risk of COVID-19 infection, according to a study of nurses published this week in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Poor sleep quality and binge drinking have been associated with COVID-19 infections, likely because both promote a pro-inflammatory state.

The Pandemic Caused a Baby Boom in Red States and a Bust in Blue States The COVID pandemic caused a U.S.-wide decline in fertility rates, but red states actually saw increases Tanya Lewis Scientific American

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