- Covid was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States last year, dropping from its place as the third leading cause in 2020 and 2021 when virus fatalities were superseded only by heart disease and cancer, the National Center for Health Statistics reported on Thursday. The latest New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey illustrates the massive toll that COVID-19 has taken since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. According to the data, about one in four New Yorkers, or nearly 2 million residents, lost at least one person — defined as a friend, family member, colleague, or neighbor — to the illness, and more than one in 10 New Yorkers, almost 900,000 residents, lost three or more people. (Articles here, here, and here)
- Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra confirmed in a statement Thursday that an employee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was one of the victims of a shooting in Atlanta on Wednesday. He said that her work was focused on improving maternal health at the CDC, and declared that gun violence has become a “public health crisis” in America. Meanwhile, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist wrote in Forbes that lawmakers should consider raising the legal age for purchasing guns and ban high-capacity magazines and assault-style weapons. Frist used to be one of the top GOP leaders in the country — but now he sees gun-related injuries as a public health crisis. (Articles here and here)
May 5, 2023
Public Health/Prevention | Tea Leaves