President Joe Biden might have declared, “The pandemic is over,” but a new Omicron subvariant is a reminder that COVID-19 is still with us. The new culprit behind a rise in COVID-19 cases is the XBB.1.5 variant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, XBB.1.5 represents over 27% of COVID-19 cases nationwide. In […]
COVID-19
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What We Know About the Latest COVID-19 Spike in Georgia
Nearly three years into the pandemic, we’re still seeing new variants emerge. Recently, a new subvariant of Omicron, BA.5, has led to a spike in COVID-19 cases in metro Atlanta. The Omicron subvariant is even more transmissible than its predecessors. “It is a nightmare in its transmissibility, but it doesn’t seem to be more deadly […]
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How the New CDC Mask Guidance Affects You
Since the start of the pandemic, Black residents in metro Atlanta have been hit especially hard. Despite a drop in cases statewide, Black patients make up 40% of hospitalizations while representing one-third of the population in the state. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shifted the focus of its guidance for mask wearing, […]
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How This Decatur Nurse Brings Rapid Covid Tests to Black Communities
Paula Richardson was concerned. The ICU nurse at Emory Medical Center saw first-hand the disparities in access to COVID-19 testing, and worried that new variants would further impact Black and low-income residents. So, in February 2021, she took matters into her own hands. First, she started working out of the only space she had available: her […]
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How to Find Free at-Home COVID-19 Tests in Atlanta
Attempting to stay up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 news and recommendations sometimes lead you down a path that seems to involve more questions than answers. While the omicron peak may have recently passed, experts warn that now is not the time to ease up on the recommended safety protocols. Still, with the prices of recommended […]