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Every household can get four free COVID-19 tests through the mail starting in late September
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Starting in late September, the federal government will relaunch its at-home COVID-19 test program that makes every U.S. household eligible for four free COVID-19 tests to be sent directly to their home. The test, which can be ordered from COVIDTests.gov at the end of September, will detect the current…
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Martin County Public Health board ends meeting abruptly, leaves agenda unfinished
BY LISA STAYTON MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Public Health District board’s quarterly meeting on June 18 ended after 8 minutes and 45 seconds, leaving agenda items unfinished. Board member Ed Daniels left the meeting early to attend an Inez City special meeting, resulting in the lack of a quorum. Before Daniels departed,…
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UK hosts national meeting to raise immunization rate for vaccine against cervical and other HPV cancers, in which Kentucky leads U.S.
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Kentucky leads the nation in the rate of cases of and deaths from cervical cancer, a disease that is largely preventable by a vaccine. The vaccine targets the human papillomavirus, which can cause cancers of the cervix, genitals, anus, neck and head. Kentucky also leads the nation in cancers…
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State’s health chief urges parents to get kids vaccinated against measles
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS A highly contagious childhood disease that was declared eliminated in the United States in the year 2000 is making a comeback, largely driven by a declining vaccination rate in the country. “Unfortunately, as the measles vaccination rate has decreased, it’s just one of those things where folks are opting…
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Seasonal respiratory illness in Kentucky declined for three weeks
Numbers still considered elevated BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Emergency department visits and hospital admissions for respiratory disease in Kentucky have dropped for three weeks in a row, but the Kentucky Department for Public Health still considers the rate of respiratory virus activity to be elevated and the number of hospitalizations to be high.…
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Federal government relaunches free, at-home COVID-19 tests, available Sept. 25
KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million to make new at-home tests for COVID-19 and relaunch the program that allows Americans to order up to four free tests per household through the mail. The Department of Health and Human Services says in a news release that orders can…
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New vaccines for COVID-19, flu, RSV expected to curb ever-mutating respiratory viruses
KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Americans will have access to several vaccines this fall to protect them against respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but effectively deploying them is expected to be challenging and confusing. With the latest major mutation of the COVID-19 virus, “We have to have a lot of humility .…
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National public-health emergency for COVID-19 ends Thursday
Experts warn that another Omicron-like outbreak is still possible KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, and the U.S. public health emergency ends May 11, but the pandemic is not over and the disease remains a threat, the World Health Organization said Friday. Experts recently warned the White House that “There’s…
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Unvaccinated attendee of big revival has state’s third case of measles in three months
Kentucky ranks very low in measles vaccinations KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS An unvaccinated Jessamine County resident who attended the large, spontaneous revival at Asbury University has Kentucky’s third reported case of measles in three months, the state Department for Public Health said Friday. “Anyone who attended the revival on Feb. 18 may have been exposed to…
Tag: Public Health
