DARK SECRETS: 2 - The Real Truth

Monkeypox cases more than double in LA County. One region is hit particularly hard

LOS ANGELES — The number of cumulative monkeypox cases has more than doubled in Los Angeles County in the last two weeks as officials race to better track the virus and more widely vaccinate more vulnerable communities.

Los Angeles Times · Aug 19, 2022

Biggest polio threat in years sparks alarms from New York to California

LOS ANGELES — Delays in getting children vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic and antivaccination sentiment in general may be fueling the most serious threat of polio in the U.S. in years, raising alarms from New York to California.

Los Angeles Times · Aug 13, 2022

Why it’s taking people with COVID-19 so long to finally get a negative test

LOS ANGELES — Health officials recommend that anyone infected with the coronavirus isolate for at least five days. But for many, that timeline is becoming overly optimistic.

Los Angeles Times · Aug 8, 2022

Cook County at high risk for COVID-19 but expected to improve this week

“I know everyone wants COVID to be over,” said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. “Unfortunately, we continue to see the COVID virus itself mutate quickly, with new, more contagious subvariants emerging every few weeks.”

Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 27, 2022

This new California coronavirus wave isn't sticking to the script: Big spread, less illness

LOS ANGELES — In the last two years, COVID-19 has followed a predictable, if painful, pattern: When coronavirus transmission has rebounded, California has been flooded with new cases and hospitals have strained under a deluge of seriously ill patients, a distressing number of whom die.

Los Angeles Times · Jun 21, 2022

Almost 2,000 homeless people died in LA during first year of pandemic, a rise of more than 50 percent

Majority of deaths were drug overdoses after mental health and substance abuse treatments were slashed to curb Covid spread

The Independent UK · Apr 24, 2022

LA County homeless deaths surged 56% in pandemic’s first year, with overdoses largely to blame

LOS ANGELES — Deaths of homeless people in Los Angeles County soared by 56% in the year after the start of the pandemic, driven primarily by an increase in overdoses, according to a study published this month.

Los Angeles Times · Apr 23, 2022

State public health officials move away from ‘outdated’ COVID testing positivity rate in favor of hospital metrics

The change in coronavirus data reporting follows new guidelines set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which place more emphasis on hospitalizations and case rates per 100,000 residents.

Chicago Sun-Times · Apr 12, 2022

Pritzker school mask mandate losing steam as school districts go mask optional

Despite lawmakers soundly rejecting the Illinois Department of Public Health’s bid to extend its COVID-19 rules for schools this week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday his executive order on masks and other virus protocol still stands and should be followed by Illinois school districts.

Chicago Tribune · Feb 17, 2022