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While COVID has now claimed more than one million lives in the United States alone, these aren't the only fatalities caused at least in part by the virus. A small but growing number of Americans are surviving acute infections only to succumb months later to the lingering health problems caused by long COVID. Much of the attention on long COVID has centered on the sometimes debilitating symptoms that strike people with the condition, with no formal diagnostic tests or standard treatments available, and the impact it has on quality of life. But new figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that long COVID can also be deadly. At least 4600 Americans have died from long COVID since the start of the pandemic, according to new estimates from the CDC. (Rapaport, 1/3)

Tests you may have in your bathroom cabinet, like the iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test or the BinaxNOW, are among those with extended expiration dates. For iHealth kits with printed expiration dates ranging from February 2023 to September 2023, the extended dates have since passed. BinaxNOW kits with printed dates prior to June 2023 have also passed their extended expiration dates. You can find the full list of COVID tests with extended expiration dates on the FDA’s website. (Bink and Martichoux, 1/3)

The latest variant of the COVID-19 virus, JN.1, is now responsible for an estimated 15% to 29% of cases in the U.S. as of Dec. 8, according to a posted update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Rudy, 1/2)

Hospitals are packed with sick patients, as the surge of respiratory infections continues to grow. It's the post-holiday spike of COVID, flu and RSV and it's expected to increase. Doctors have said now that people are back to work and school after the holidays, the infections are expected to become even more widespread. (Stahl and Nau, 1/2)

In 2021 and 2022, the proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 and influenza patients admitted to a US intensive care unit (ICU) were similar, but COVID-19 patients admitted during the Omicron BA.5 variant period were more likely to die in the hospital, according to a study published late last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 1/2)

One of the most reliable sources of COVID-19 tracking in Minnesota is coming to an end. David Montgomery started his thorough tracking of COVID-19 numbers as a data reporter at MPR News. He has since left the newsroom, but he kept up his COVID-19 tracking for more than three years. That tracking has come to an end with the new year. (Wurzer and Kuznetsov, 1/2)

"This COVID thing has done a doozy on people. They're avoiding even the flu shot. We already had a horrible flu season in pediatrics. These old illnesses are going to come back. These viruses and bacteria that we put the kibosh on are going to come back if people don't get vaccinated," Yazdi said. The doctor said all children should be vaccinated against pertussis, and recommends parents get a booster shot every 10 years. (Moore, 1/2)