As respiratory viruses strain US health care systems, Biden administration tells states how it's ready to help | CNN Nearly 20,000 people in the United States were admitted to the hospital for flu last week, almost double the number of admissions from the week before, according to data updated Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deidre McPhillips CNN

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Washington Post

Covid hospitalizations rising post-Thanksgiving after an autumn lull

A post-Thanksgiving uptick in covid-19 patients at U.S. hospitals is arriving even as health systems contend with waves of feverish, coughing people stricken with RSV and influenza infections.

Covid hospitalizations last week reached their highest level in three months, with more than 35,000 patients being treated, according to Washington Post data tracking. National hospitalizations had stagnated throughout fall but started rising in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. All but a few states reported per capita increases in the past week.

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Nearly 20,000 Americans were hospitalized with influenza during Thanksgiving week, the most for that week in more than a decade and almost double the previous week's count.

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China's Xi told EU less lethal Omicron opens way for fewer COVID restrictions Chinese President Xi Jinping blamed mass protests in Chinese cities on youth frustrated by years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said the now dominant Omicron variant of the virus paved the way for fewer restrictions, European Union officials said. Reuters Reuters

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COVID can live on groceries for days, scientists find in new study The virus is more likely to survive on certain foods, depending on the conditions in which they’re stored. YahooFinance

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US plans end to mpox public health emergency in January WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government plans to end in January the public health emergency it declared earlier this year after an outbreak of mpox infected more than 29,000 people across the U.S. AP NEWS

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Flu season worsens as 44 states report high activity NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. flu season keeps getting worse. Health officials said Friday that 7.5% of outpatient medical visits last week were due to flu-like illnesses. That's as high as the peak of the 2017-18 flu season and higher than any season since. AP NEWS

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The annual winter flu season usually doesn’t get going until December or January, but this one began early and has been complicated by the simultaneous spread of other viruses.

New Mexico issues public health order amid RSV case surge SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials are mandating hospitals revert to a “hub-and-spoke” model to ensure patients get the care they need amid an alarming rise in respiratory infections among children. AP NEWS

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Drop in COVID alertness could create deadly new variant - WHO Lapses in strategies to tackle COVID-19 this year continue to create the perfect conditions for a deadly new variant to emerge, as parts of China witness a rise in infections, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday. Bhanvi Satija Reuters

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What to do now that seniors account for 9 in 10 Florida COVID deaths | Editorial Florida has a lot of older residents. We should not forget that in our day to day living. Tampa Bay Times

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