Half of U.S. military bases in the country are in 'health care deserts' For hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops and their families, when the Pentagon orders them to find health care off base there is none. NPR

For hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops and their families, when the Pentagon orders them to find health care off base there is none.

Surgeon General demands warning label on social media apps | CNN Business Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in an op-ed in the New York Times Monday said the threat social media poses to children is an emergency, and he urged Congress to put a label on the apps as with cigarettes and alcohol. David Goldman CNN

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Micro communities for the homeless sprout in US cities eager for small, quick and cheap solutions In downtown Atlanta, shipping containers have been transformed into an oasis for dozens of previously unsheltered people who now proudly call a former parking lot home. AP News

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Bird flu tests are hard to get: Researchers warn US could be caught off guard by a pandemic Stanford University infectious disease doctor Abraar Karan has seen a lot of patients with runny noses, fevers, and irritated eyes lately. Such symptoms could signal allergies, COVID, or a cold. This ... Medical Xpress

U.S. healthcare spending rises to $4.8 trillion in 2023, outpacing GDP Healthcare spending in the U.S. is projected to have risen 7.5% in 2023 to $4.8 trillion, federal data showed on Wednesday, outpacing the projected annual gross domestic product growth rate of 6.1%. Ahmed Aboulenein Reuters

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Former CDC director predicts bird flu pandemic Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield said he predicts a bird flu pandemic will happen — it’s just a matter of when that will be. Redfield joined NewsNati… lirwin The Hill

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“I really do think it’s very likely that we will, at some time, it’s not a question of if, it’s more of a question of when we will have a bird flu pandemic,” Redfield said.

FDA modifies strain recommendation for fall COVID vaccine amid variant shifts, uptick in cases Though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week recommended that vaccine companies switch to the JN.1 variant for updated shots for the fall, yesterday it urged companies to focus on the KP.2 lineage if possible, based on recent shifts and a national rise in cases. CIDRAP

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Federal Government, Clinicians, Employers, and Others Should Adopt New Definition for Long COVID to Aid in Consistent Diagnosis, Documentation, and Treatment | National Academies

Yet Another COVID Uptick Hitting California, and the Bay Area Is Seeing the Worst of It The dread “two red line” COVID test results are showing up at rates we haven’t seen since January, as the new FLiRT variants and a surge in travel are creating another summer increase in COVID-19 cases. Joe Kukura SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports

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