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CORONAVIRUS

Boston officials report elevated virus levels in wastewater

BOSTON (AP) — Boston health officials said Friday they're concerned about elevated levels of the coronavirus in the city's wastewater. The concentration of the virus in local wastewater has increased by 3.1% over the past week and by nearly 100% over the past two weeks, according to new data from this week from the Boston Public Health Commission. New COVID-19 cases in Boston have decreased slightly over the past week, though the data does not include positive results from at-home tests, the commission said. Boston hospitals had 170 new hospital admissions related to COVID-19 this ...

Amid end to COVID help, homelessness surging in many cities

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In California's capital, massive tent encampments have risen along the American River and highway overpasses have become havens for homeless people, whose numbers have jumped a staggering nearly 70% over two years. Among the 9,300 without a home is Eric Santos, who lost his job at a brewery and was evicted from his apartment in July. Now he carries a list of places where free meals are available and a bucket to mix soap and water to wash his hands, and to sit on. "The bucket is part of my life now," the 42-year-old said, calling it his version of Wilson, ...

NUMC care schemes revert to pre-pandemic setup

NEW ULM — New Ulm Medical Center is changing the name of its Urgent Care Department and moving back to its pre-pandemic location. Effective Thursday, Oct. 13, NUMC’s Urgent Care will be rebranded “Express Care” and moved back to the Primary Care Clinic. The actual service will ...

COVID mobile vaccination clinics, home visits resume in NH

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire has resumed COVID-19 mobile vaccination clinics and a homebased vaccination program. "As we move into the fall and winter, we want to make sure everyone has access to the updated COVID-19 booster doses that better protect against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variants," Patricia Tilley, the state's director of Public Health Services, said in a statement Tuesday. Three mobile vaccination vans are available to provide free COVID-19 vaccine, both primary series and update booster doses. Public and private clinics will be available ...

Vaccine appears to protect against monkeypox, CDC says

WASHINGTON (AP) — At-risk people who received a single dose of the monkeypox vaccine in U.S. efforts against the virus appeared to be significantly less likely to get sick, public health officials announced Wednesday, even as they urged a second dose for full protection. It was the first look public health officials have offered into how the Jynneos vaccine is affecting monkeypox, a virus that is primarily spread among men who have sex with infected men. "These new data provide us with a level of cautious optimism that the vaccine is working as intended," Rochelle Walensky, ...

New COVID vax available

NEW ULM — People age 12 and older are encouraged to get the new COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, which is now available to Brown County residents. Brown County Public Health Director Karen Moritz told the County Board Tuesday the updated COVID-19 booster can help restore protection that has decreased since previous vaccination and provide broader protection against newer variants. The new, updated — or bivalent — booster targets the most recent Omicron subvariants, BA 4 and BA 5, which are more contagious and resistent than earlier Omicron strains. Studies have found these variants ...