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Long COVID affects more older adults; shots don’t prevent it

New U.S. research on long COVID-19 provides fresh evidence that it can happen even after breakthrough infections in vaccinated people, and that older adults face higher risks for the long-term effects. In a study of veterans published Wednesday, about one-third who had breakthrough infections showed signs of long COVID. A separate report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that up to a year after an initial coronavirus infection, 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older had at least one potential long COVID health problem, compared with 1 in 5 younger adults. Long ...

Vaccines bring optimism as COVID cases soar in South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — After a reprieve of months, confirmed cases of COVID-19 are surging in the southern tip of South America. But officials in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay hope high vaccination rates mean this latest wave will not be as deadly as previous ones. At the same time, there is concern that many people are not ready to once again take on the prevention measures that authorities say are needed to ensure cases remain manageable. Cases have been steadily increasing for weeks, largely fueled by the BA.2 version of the omicron variant. In Chile, the number of weekly ...

Pandemic-weary Americans plan for summer despite COVID surge

HONOLULU (AP) — A high school prom in Hawaii where masked dancers weren't allowed to touch. A return to virtual city council meetings in one Colorado town after the mayor and others tested positive following an in-person session. A reinstated mask mandate at skilled nursing facilities in Los Angeles County after 22 new outbreaks in a single week. A COVID-19 surge is underway that is starting to cause disruptions as the school year wraps up and Americans prepare for summer vacations. Many people, though, have returned to their pre-pandemic routines and plans, which often involve ...

Oregon COVID cases rise, hospitalizations to peak June 9

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon is reporting some of the highest numbers of new COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started more than two years ago. The Oregon Health Authority reported nearly 12,000 new cases last week and the state is averaging 1,685 new cases a day, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Tuesday. That's higher than all but 12 weeks since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Hospitalizations continue to lag behind the rising case numbers and remain far below previous pandemic highs. As of Monday, 278 people were hospitalized — up 11% from a week before — and 24 were in ...

China’s bet on homegrown mRNA vaccines holds back nation

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China is trying to navigate its biggest coronavirus outbreak without a tool it could have adopted many months ago, the kind of vaccines that have proven to offer the best protection against the worst outcomes from COVID-19. As early as the spring of 2020 a Chinese pharmaceutical company, Fosun Pharma, reached an agreement to distribute — and eventually manufacture — the mRNA vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech. It still has not been cleared in mainland China, despite being authorized for use by separate authorities in Hong Kong and Macao. Now health ...

Great Resignation hits home

NEW ULM— Sozial Restaurant & Bar is transitioning into a food truck operation. Effective Monday, June 6, the Sozial Restaurant & Bar will close and the focus will be on Sozial’s food truck, Big Red’s. Sozial co-owner Michele Seifert said the reason for closing the restaurant was due ...