Health

(WASHINGTON) — Amid a rise in COVID-19 infections — as seen by first lady Jill Biden’s recent bout with the virus — public health experts are tracking the numbers but aren’t “predicting that this is going to be a tsunami of hospitalizations and deaths the way we saw a year or more ago,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.

“Given the level of immunity that we all have … in other words, people who have been vaccinated, boosted, people who have been infected like you and I, where we have hybrid immunity, the chances of this being an overwhelming rush of cases and hospitalizations is probably low,” Fauci, formerly the White House’s top pandemic adviser and now a Georgetown University professor, told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

He said that while he isn’t “alarmed” by the uptick in cases, “I’m certainly keeping an eye on it.”

“There’s no doubt that this is going on, and since we’re now at the end of the summer it is likely that that will increase as we get into the fall and the winter, so we need to be prepared for it,” he said.

The next COVID-19 booster, expected to soon be authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will be an effective tool against the spread as it is “going to be pretty well matched to the kinds of viruses that are now circulating,” Fauci said.

“I think that we’re in reasonably good shape, but we all need to be prepared for it,” he said. “And that gets to what we were saying about the boosters being available, particularly for those who are vulnerable, namely those who are elderly and those who have underlying conditions.”

“Who should be taking that booster?” Karl asked.

Fauci said he didn’t want to speak ahead of the government bodies who will circulate recommendations to the public but added that “I would say make it available for everyone … certainly recommended for the high-risk people.”

The spread of the virus again reached the White House, when officials said late Monday that the first lady had tested positive. She subsequently isolated at the Bidens’ home in Delaware and has since tested negative.

While President Joe Biden did not test positive, he did often resume wearing a mask when in close contact with other people — but not always.

At the Medal of Honor Ceremony honoring Larry Taylor on Tuesday, he joked about not wearing a mask as he removed his face covering when he stepped up to the podium to deliver remarks.

The current federal guidelines recommend that people wear a mask when around others for 10 days after exposure to COVID-19.

Karl asked Fauci on Sunday if he believes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should revamp the masking guidelines, in light of the president not always following them.

“I don’t want to get ahead of them and say that they should, you know, change them,” Fauci said. “But certainly they revaluate them intermittently to make sure that they’re up to date with the current scientific knowledge.”

Karl also pointed to a new study suggesting that masks were, in the broadest sense, ineffective in containing the pandemic. “What is your sense looking back at all this?” Karl asked.

“People have commented on that study saying, ‘Absolutely masks don’t work,’ which is absolutely not the case because there are a number of studies that show that masks actually do work,” Fauci said. “And there’s a lot of confusion where you take a broad series of studies and you look at them in a meta analysis. Only a couple of those studies were specifically looking at COVID. So I think we’d better be careful that that study that people keep talking about can be very, very misleading.”

Cochrane, the U.K.-based organization which published the study in question, released a statement on its website in March that “given the limitations in the primary evidence, the review is not able to address the question of whether mask-wearing itself reduces people’s risk of contracting or spreading respiratory viruses.”

“There’s a lot of good data that masks work,” Fauci said on “This Week.”

Nonetheless, he said he didn’t foresee a return to government-imposed mask restrictions, which became a political flashpoint, especially among conservatives who argue they are too restrictive.

“I can see that if we get a significant uptick in cases that you may see the recommendation that masks be used under circumstances, in indoor crowded settings, but I don’t see there be[ing] certainly not federal mandates,” he said. “I would be extremely surprised if we would see that. There may be local organizations that may require masks.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise across the United States, many Americans may be wondering how to best keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

In the years since the pandemic began, protocols and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been updated as new information and interventions have become available.

ABC News spoke to public health experts about what’s the latest to know about vaccine availability, when to test, who should receive treatment and if people should be masking in any situations.

“COVID-19 has never really left us,” Dr. Graham Snyder, medical direction of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said. “There have been ups and downs throughout the pandemic…but with this uptick, we’re seeing that steady churn pattern again where there’s a mix of variants and the variants are constantly changing and reemerging.”

“But the disease itself — and, for the most part, the impact that the virus has on us — is much the same as it’s been for the last year plus,” he continued.

Which vaccines and boosters are available?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is soon expected to greenlight updated boosters targeting currently circulating COVID subvariants.

This will be followed by a meeting of the CDC’s advisory committee, scheduled for Sept. 12, who will they vote on whether to approve, and the final step will be a sign off from CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen.

Provided there are no hiccups, this should make the boosters available by mid-to-late September.

Data from Moderna has shown the new boosters offers additional protection against EG.5 and FL.1.5.1 — which are currently the two most prevalent variants — and against the newer variant BA.2.86,

The experts have said that most people can wait to get the updated booster but specific groups who are not up to date may want to consider getting vaccinated sooner.

“I’ve been telling people who are medically vulnerable, older people, if they’re not up to date on their vaccines now and there’s a chance that they could be exposed to the virus in between now and next week, it’s probably best that they get the vaccine that they that they can get today,” Dr. Denis Nash, a professor of epidemiologist at the City University of New York School of Public Health, told ABC News.

For people who are not up to date who want to receive a primary series first, they can receive either one of three vaccines, made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Novavax.

When should I take a test?

CDC guidelines recommend that people take a COVID test if they are experiencing symptoms or if they were exposed to someone with COVID.

Those with symptoms should take a test right away and those exposed should take a test a full five days after the last interaction with the positive person.

If someone tests positive, they don’t need to take a confirmatory PCR test but should stay home and isolate, experts say. They should stay home for five days and can end isolation if they have no symptoms, if symptoms are improving or are fever free for 24 hours without medications.

Those who were positive should wear a mask for 11 days when indoors and around others at-home in public and those exposed should do so for 10 days.

Nash said that if someone has symptoms and they test negative on an at-home rapid test, they shouldn’t assume they don’t have COVID.

“If your symptoms are persisting, it’s possible that it’s still COVID and you need to test again a day or two later, just to be sure,” he said. “And also, I would add, if it’s not COVID, you still might have something that you don’t want to spread to your loved ones who might be vulnerable.”

Who is eligible for treatment?

Not everybody needs to be treated if they test positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Sarah Hochman, a hospital epidemiologist and infectious diseases physician at NYU Langone Health, said treatment is recommended for those who are at higher risk of severe illness including those who have underlying lung disease, underlying heart disease, are immunocompromised, are very young or aged 65 and older.

There are currently three treatments available, according to the CDC. Two of them — Paxlovid and Lagevrio — are antivirals taken orally at home. The third, Velkury (remdesivir), is an IV infusion taken at a healthcare facility for three consecutive days.

However, the CDC and experts stress that these medications should be taken as soon as symptoms start.

“We know these treatments are most effective if they’re given earlier in the disease, so it’s important as soon as you have symptoms that might be a respiratory virus infection and ask your doctor about treatment,” Snyder said.

Should I be masking?

Currently, the CDC only recommends wearing a high-quality mask or respirator if the COVID-19 hospital admission level where someone lives is in the high category and says certain high-risk groups should consider masking.

Hochman said data shows masks are effective at reducing the odds of contracting COVID or spreading it to others, but she believes that people should assess their own risk tolerance when it comes to wearing masks in public.

“I think it’s really up to the individual and how much what their comfort level is in potentially either being exposed to COVID or exposing others to COVID,” she said. “It’s a risk benefit decision that people can make.”

However, Snyder said people should consider masking in high-risk settings, such as being in crowded indoor settings or areas with poor circulation, and in healthcare settings.

“Obviously, in the healthcare setting, it’s very particularly important for us to provide a safe setting for people to get care,” he said. “We have a different threshold as well for masking in healthcare settings and that’s why we’re starting to hear reports…about hospitals adopting universal masking, again.”

Snyder added, “I don’t know if there was one right approach to that. Always in healthcare, we’ve made an assessment and put in place protection, depending on the level of risk that our community has seen. So, it’s understandable that there might be some variation in hospitals adopting or not yet adopting that approach.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — The Florida state Supreme Court heard arguments Friday morning in a legal challenge seeking to throw out the state’s 15-week abortion ban, claiming it violates the state’s constitution.

The hearing was part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights and other abortion providers against the state of Florida.

In July 2022, a lower state court ruled that the ban violated the state’s constitution and it was temporarily suspended. The law went into effect again later that same day when the state appealed the judge’s decision. The state Supreme Court took up the case in January upon request from the plaintiffs.

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Whitney White, was the first to speak before the Supreme Court. Justices interrupted her opening statement several times with questions about the suit and whether the state constitution’s privacy protections include protections for abortion rights.

Justices asked White why the privacy clause — passed in the 1980s via voter referendum — did not arouse debate between anti-abortion groups and pro-abortion groups at the time, suggesting the right to abortion was not implied in the privacy clause.

“This is a 50-year reflection by our society, by our state, that people’s elected representatives believe that there’s a compelling interest in protecting human life. Why should we as a court not defer to that?” Chief Justice Carlos Muniz asked White.

White argued that Florida’s privacy clause gave wider privacy protections than the U.S. Constitution.

The lawyer appearing for the state, Henry Whitaker, started his opening statement by arguing that the Florida Constitution does not provide protections for abortion rights, before being interrupted with questions from justices.

Muniz asked Whitaker how the state believes justices should determine what voters who approved the privacy amendment to the constitution would consider to be an intrusion into their private life.

Whitaker also argued that Floridians had not internalized Roe v. Wade in the 1980s.

“Roe v. Wade may have been an abomination. It may have been semantically absurd to talk about that in terms of privacy, but for better or worse, that was part of our cultural kind of lexicon,” Muniz said.

Justice Jamie Grosshans asked Whitaker how the state will address the fallout of the court overturning 30 years of precedent if it upholds the ban.

“If we as a court adopt your legal approach to this amendment, it affects dozens of other cases outside the abortion context, dozens of other subjects that relate more to a decisional autonomy,” Grosshans said.

Whittaker responded, “I think there’s a lot less of that concern than meets the eye, your honor.”

When White responded to the arguments made by Whittaker — that the privacy clause only refers to the protection of information from government snooping — by saying the court has repeatedly applied the privacy clause outside of that context, in cases such as parental rights and medical decision making.

“So you’re asking us to essentially take a whole class of human beings and put them outside of the protection of the law, essentially, in the sense that if the legislature wants to protect those human beings, they are precluded by the constitution of Florida from doing that,” Muniz asked White. “And at the end of the day, the argument as to why that would be right would be based on a sort of legal meaning — kind of understanding — of right of privacy.”

“The court repeatedly emphasized that nothing in the Dobb’s decision displaces pre-existing state constitutional protections for abortion that were more protective than the federal law,” White said.

In a statement released after the hearing concluded, White said the ban has been in effect for over a year, defying four decades of established protections under the Florida Constitution.

“The state has now asked the court to wipe out any constitutional protection for Floridians’ ability to have an abortion at all, clearing the way for Florida to enforce Gov. DeSantis’ ban on abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, a time when many people don’t even know they are pregnant,” White said. “The Florida Supreme Court should respect the rule of law and protect the right of people to make personal medical decisions during pregnancy for themselves.”
The lawsuit before the court

A lower court judge had ruled that the Florida state constitution grants explicit protections for the right to privacy that do not exist in the U.S. Constitution, and that the Florida Supreme Court has established that this grants protections for a woman’s right to get an abortion.

Florida’s 15-week ban has been in effect since July 2022. The ban grants exceptions for abortions if the pregnancy poses a risk to the mother’s life and if the fetus has a fatal anomaly, but not for rape or incest.

After the lawsuit was filed challenging the ban, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban, seeking to further restrict the procedure. If the court upholds the abortion ban, a six-week trigger ban will go into effect in Florida 30 days after a decision, prohibiting abortion care before most women know they are pregnant.

Florida shares a border with several states that have ceased nearly all abortion services.

Data collected by WeCount — a national research project focusing on abortion and contraception led by the Society of Family Planning — and the Guttmacher Institute estimates that there was an uptick in the number of abortions provided in Florida since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. This suggests that access to abortion for women across the South would be further restricted if Florida were to uphold its bans.

“The attempt by Gov. DeSantis and his allies to overturn established law, in defiance of the Florida Constitution, the will of voters, and the rule of law, is deeply misguided and dangerous,” plaintiffs said in a joint statement Thursday.

“We hope the Florida Supreme Court will recognize that politicians’ thinly veiled attempt to uproot the rule of law would needlessly put people’s health and lives at risk and decide to preserve the long-established right to abortion Floridians have relied on for decades,” plaintiffs said.

 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — The Florida state Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Friday in a legal challenge seeking to throw out the state’s 15-week abortion ban, claiming it violates the state’s constitution.

The hearing is part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights and other abortion providers against the state of Florida.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

In July 2022, a lower state court ruled that the ban violated the state’s constitution and it was temporarily suspended. The law went into effect again later that same day when the state appealed the judge’s decision. The state Supreme Court took up the case in January upon request from the plaintiffs.

A lower court judge had ruled that the Florida state constitution grants explicit protections for the right to privacy that do not exist in the U.S. Constitution, and that the Florida Supreme Court has established that this grants protections for a woman’s right to get an abortion.

Florida’s 15-week ban has been in effect since July 2022. The ban grants exceptions for abortions if the pregnancy poses a risk to the mother’s life and if the fetus has a fatal anomaly, but not for rape or incest.

After the lawsuit was filed challenging the ban, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban, seeking to further restrict the procedure. If the court upholds the abortion ban, a six-week trigger ban will go into effect in Florida, prohibiting abortion care before most women know they are pregnant.

Florida shares a border with several states that have ceased nearly all abortion services.

Data collected by WeCount — a national research project focusing on abortion and contraception led by the Society of Family Planning — and the Guttmacher Institute estimates that there was an uptick in the number of abortions provided in Florida since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. This suggests that access to abortion for women across the South would be further restricted if Florida were to uphold its bans.

“The attempt by Gov. DeSantis and his allies to overturn established law, in defiance of the Florida Constitution, the will of voters, and the rule of law, is deeply misguided and dangerous,” plaintiffs said in a joint statement Thursday.

“We hope the Florida Supreme Court will recognize that politicians’ thinly veiled attempt to uproot the rule of law would needlessly put people’s health and lives at risk and decide to preserve the long-established right to abortion Floridians have relied on for decades,” plaintiffs said.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that ConAgra Brands Inc. is recalling approximately 245,366 pounds of frozen chicken strip products due to possible contamination with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of plastic.

According to an announcement Saturday on the Food Safety and Inspection Service website, the potentially affected Banquet brand frozen chicken strip entrees were produced on June 20, July 11, and July 17, 2023.

The recalled 8.9-ounce frozen food cartons are labeled “Banquet Chicken Strips Meal” and have “Best If Used By” dates of Dec. 11, 2024, Jan. 01, 2025, and Jan. 07, 2025.”

The affected lot numbers, which are printed on the sides of the cartons, include 5009317120, 5009319220, and 5009319820. The products were shipped to retail locations nationwide and also sold online, according to the FSIS.

According to the FSIS, the agency was alerted by ConAgra that it had received a consumer complaint about “plastic in the chicken strip portion of the product,” which resulted in an oral injury associated with consumption of the product.

As of time of publication, the FSIS had received no additional reports of injury or illness related to the recalled products.

Due to concerns that the product could be in consumers’ freezers, the FSIS is urging shoppers who have purchased the items not to consume them, but rather throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

ConAgra Brands Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned this week that cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are rising among young children in some parts of the Southeastern United States.

Traditionally, RSV season begins in the fall and continues through the winter, similar to the flu and other respiratory viruses. However, RSV infections this time of year are much higher than usual, in Florida and Georgia, particularly.

Over the past four weeks, the three-week average of PCR test positivity for RSV in Florida has been above 5%, which exceeds the threshold of 3% typically seen at the start of the RSV season, the CDC said in a heath advisory.

In Georgia, RSV-linked hospitalizations among those under age 4 have risen from 2.0 per 100,000 for the week ending Aug. 5 to 7.0 per 100,000 for the week ending Aug. 19, the CDC said. What’s more, the majority of those hospitalizations were among children less than a year old.

“Historically, such regional increases have predicted the beginning of RSV season nationally, with increased RSV activity spreading north and west over the following 2-3 months,” the agency wrote in its advisory.

The CDC said it wants clinicians and caregivers to be aware of RSV because it can be particularly dangerous for babies, young children and older adults.

Last year, RSV also appeared earlier than usual, spiking in October before declining in November. At the time, experts told ABC News that this might have occurred because children were not exposed to potential infection between 2020 and 2022 due to lockdowns, or because they were born during the pandemic.

RSV symptoms typically appear between four and six days after infection and include fever, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, wheezing and a decrease in appetite, with the symptoms usually occurring in stages, according to the CDC.

An estimated 58,000 to 80,000 children under age 5 are hospitalized with the virus every year, as well as 60,000 to 160,000 people aged 65 and older, the CDC said.

Moreover, some infants and young children are at an even greater risk of severe illness from RSV, including those born prematurely, immunocompromised children and those suffering from congenital heart and lung diseases.

Between 100 and 300 children die every year from RSV, as do 6,000 to 10,000 senior citizens, according to the CDC.

However, this season there will be protection against RSV offered to many Americans for the first time ever. Firstly, adults over 60 will be able to get vaccinated. Similar to flu shots, the vaccines will be available at major pharmacy chains such as CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens.

There’s also a new RSV drug available this season. Called Beyfortus, it was recently approved for infants younger than eight months experiencing their first RSV season, with some high-risk infants eligible to receive a second shot the following year.

Beyfortus is a one-dose injected drug made of monoclonal antibodies, which are proteins manufactured in a lab that mimic antibodies the body naturally creates when fighting an infection. Though given as an intramuscular injection, Beyfortus works in a different mechanism than a vaccine to activate the immune system.

A third type of RSV treatment may also become available, an immunization that would be given during late pregnancy in the hopes of passing on protection to newborns. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration last month, it’s currently awaiting CDC approval before becoming available.

ABC News’ Dr. Evgeniya Jenny Rakitina contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — With COVID-19 cases rising across the country, you may be inclined to pull out one of those leftover at-home rapid tests received months ago from the Biden administration.

Even if the box says the tests have passed their expiration date, experts told ABC News you may want to think twice before throwing them away.

They say the expiration date may have been extended by the federal government and they could come in handy if you need them in a pinch.

How is the expiration date determined for an at-home COVID-19 test?

Expiration dates are determined by the manufacturer, typically with a shelf life of about four to six months from the manufacturing date, which is then authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic, told ABC News that earlier in the pandemic, expiration dates were conservatively set due to unknowns about how long they would be effective for.

“Now that we have been in the pandemic for over three years, the manufacturers have had a better opportunity to determine the true expiration dates of those kits,” he said.

“And the FDA has actually published extended expiration dates based on additional data from manufacturers, so the expiration date that’s on a test or on a box of antigen tests may not actually be the true expiration date. People should go on to the FDA website,” Binnicker said.

To check for an extended expiration date, visit the FDA webpage on at-home tests, which indicates the brands that have an extended date, and a PDF for each test with new expiration dates.

You can find the lot number on the package, near the expiration date, and then check the PDF to see if it’s among those dates.

What does it mean if my test is expired?

If you confirm an at-home expired and has not been extended, it is best to find a new COVID test that still has an existing shelf life.

However, it doesn’t mean it can’t be used.

“The further you get from the expiration date, the less likely it is to perform exactly the way that you expected it to perform so you might want to be slightly more suspect,” Dr. Emily Landon, an associate professor of medicine at UChicago Medicine, told ABC News. “But honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using a test that’s a little bit past its expiration date.”

She said if the test performs strangely — such as the liquids used in the test looking cloudy or a first line not appearing — those tests should be thrown away. But it could be helpful to use in a pinch.

“But if you have old tests, I certainly think that using old tests is better than using no tests,” she said.

Binnicker added, “if you do [used an expired test] and you get a positive result, it’s typically going to be a reliable result. If it’s negative, it might not be reliable.”

Do old tests work against the new variants?

The FDA and experts say that older at-home tests work for detecting COVID infections caused by new variants, most of which are omicron offshoots.

What makes most of the newer variants different is mutations in the spike protein, which is what the virus uses to enter and infect cells, Binnicker explained.

But “the antigen tests typically look for a different protein on the virus called the nucleocapsid protein,” he said. “So the data that are available suggests that the antigen test should continue to be effective in detecting the more recent circulating strains.”

When should I test for COVID-19?

If you are experiencing symptoms, experts recommend taking a COVID test right away.

For those recently exposed to someone who tested positive, take a test five full days after you last interacted with the person, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

If you plan to come into contact with those who may be at high-risk of severe disease, such as elderly individuals or those with compromised immune systems, you may opt to take a test, the experts say.

“The number one thing to remember is that if you have any symptoms or respiratory virus, you really need to stay away from others or wear a mask when you’re around them,” Landon said.

If positive, try to stay home, isolate yourself from others, and follow-up with your health care provider.

Binnicker said a person with a positive rapid test and symptoms does not need a confirmatory PCR test but that it could help for a person with a positive test who is asymptomatic.

I got a negative test result on an at-home COVID-19 antigen test. Do I need to take another test?

Despite a negative test, you may want to test again in the coming days, as some tests may not detect the virus early in an infection.

Try testing 48 hours after your first negative test if you have symptoms. Those without symptoms should test 48 hours after the first negative test and then 48 hours after the second negative test.

“This is where I think most people make the mistake is they feel that the tests are less reliable because it takes until their second or third day of symptoms for them to have a positive test,” Landon said. “But that is expected…The home tests are not meant to detect the very first signs of COVID. They’re supposed to be able to tell if your respiratory illness is COVID or isn’t COVID.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Newly released data from the Guttmacher Institute shows a sharp increase in the first six months of 2023 in estimated abortions performed in states bordering those with abortion bans and in states that have protections for access to abortion.

States that saw an increase in the number of abortions performed over that six-month period included Kansas, New Mexico and South Carolina, which Guttmacher said is likely due in large part to out-of-state patients who traveled to access care.

“The study has documented substantial increases in abortions in many states bordering those where abortion has been banned, indicating that significant numbers of residents of states with abortion bans are traveling to neighboring states for abortion care,” Guttmacher researchers wrote in a policy analysis.

The state with the largest estimated increase in abortions from January to July 2023 compared to the same period in 2020 was Illinois; Guttmacher estimates the state saw 18,300 additional abortions.

California had the second largest increase in abortions, with Guttmacher estimating it had 12,300 additional abortions in the 2023 period compared to the same period in 2020. The third largest increase was in New York, where there were 9,950 additional abortions, according to Guttmacher.

North Carolina closely trails behind New York, with 9,000 additional abortions being performed in the state. A 12-week abortion ban was allowed to mostly go into effect in July, further restricting the limit from 20 weeks. North Carolina borders several states in the south that have ceased nearly all abortion services.

Florida had an estimated additional 4,950 abortions performed in that period. Abortion access could become severely restricted in Florida as the Florida Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on a challenge to the state’s 15-week abortion ban on Friday. If the ban is upheld, a six-week trigger ban will go into effect.

The data collected by Guttmacher only accounts for abortions performed in brick-and-mortar health facilities and medication abortions provided over Telehealth or virtual providers, according to the Institute. The study does not include data on self-managed abortions, which Guttmacher defined as abortions that occurred without in-person or virtual contact with the formal health care system.

The Guttmacher data indicates the magnitude of the disruption caused by the Dobbs ruling. Guttmacher estimates that in 2020, there were 113,630 abortions across the 14 states where abortion services have ceased since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year, indicating that tens of thousands of people may now be traveling for abortion, seeking abortions by other means or unable to obtain an abortion at all.

Guttmacher said it collected data from samples of providers, which it combined with “extensive historical facility-level data on variations in caseloads over time,” according to Guttmacher.

WeCount — a national research project focusing on abortion and contraception led by the Society of Family Planning — released data on abortions that it collected by surveying clinicians providing abortions throughout the country, documenting the total volume of abortions performed in the U.S.

WeCount data revealed a similar trend in an uptick of abortions being performed in states bordering bans.

Guttmacher said it is launching a new study that will track abortions month-to-month to monitor the impact restrictive and protective state laws have on access to abortion care.

“For instance, we now have baseline data for the number of monthly abortions we would expect to see in North Carolina in 2023, which we can use to help estimate the impact of the 12-week ban that went into effect July 1,” Kelly Baden, vice president of public policy at the Guttmacher Institute, said in a statement.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — COVID-19 hospitalizations are continuing to rise in the United States but there is hope that the uptick could be stemmed with the new boosters.

Hospitalizations increased 15.7% for the week ending Aug. 26 from 15,050 to 17,418, according to data updated Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These are similar to levels seen in late March of this year and it marks the seventh consecutive week that hospitalizations have increased.

However, hospitalizations remain relatively low compared to other points during the pandemic. During the peak of omicron, the week of Jan. 15, 2022, there were 150,674 hospitalizations.

Additionally, during the same week over the past three years, weekly hospitalizations have sat at 28,209 in 2020, 85,785 in 2021 and 36,922 in 2022.

What’s more, the overwhelming majority of U.S. are reporting fewer than 10 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 people.

Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Duke University School of Medicine, said there has been an uptick at his hospital — 50 to 60 COVID patients compared to 20 to 30 earlier in the summer — but there are fewer people who are in the intensive care unit compared to years prior.

“So, I think whilst the numbers have gone up, the intensity is not quite there like it had been in the past,” he told ABC News. “We’ll see what that looks like in a couple of weeks, but I don’t see anything here that points to sort of an imminent or dramatic increase.”

Wolfe added that if the trend reflects previous years, there will be a dip before another spike comes in December and January.

There may be hope that a potential winter wave will not be so severe due to the upcoming COVID booster, which is expected to be available as early as next week.

Recent data has indicated the shot could offer additional protection against currently circulating variants, most of which are related to XBB — which is an offshoot of omicron — and even the newer subvariant BA.2.86.

The updated COVID vaccine booster generated a nearly nine-fold increase in antibodies against BA.2.86, according to early results in a Moderna press release published Wednesday.

It’s a good sign considering the CDC recently warned the new variant “may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines.” Previous results from Moderna indicated the new booster offered additional protection against the subvariants EG.5 and FL.1.5.1, which are currently dominating in the U.S. and make up an estimated 36% of new cases, according to CDC data.

The updated booster also appears to protect against severe disease and death — the most important metric, particularly for those who are elderly or immune compromised.

“This sort of release of a new booster in late September is actually really well timed because it gives people a good chance to get it ahead of what I would expect will be a wave coming again in January or February,” Wolfe said. “I see no reason to think that that won’t be here. It’s been there for the last three winters.”

He added, “If we’ve had the chance to kind of jack up at-risk patients’ protection ahead of that, then that just seems perfectly logical.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A California mom is being remembered for her selflessness, even in death, after she collapsed on the field during her son’s football game.

Lucinda Daniels, a mom of four, ran to the side of her son Dillon, a varsity football player at Mountain View High School in Mountain View, California, when he was injured in game on Aug. 25.

While by Dillon’s side, Daniels collapsed after suffering a stroke, the high school’s principal Kip Glazer told ABC News’ Good Morning America.

She was rushed to a local hospital, where she later suffered a second stroke, according to Glazer.

Less than a week later, on Aug. 30, Daniels died, leaving behind four children ranging in age from 10 to 20, as well as her husband Dale.

Her husband declined to be interview by GMA, authorizing Glazer to speak on his behalf.

Glazer said the family wants to raise awareness of organ donation to honor Daniels’ memory, noting that she helped save the lives of four people through organ donation on the day she died.

In the United States, more than 100,000 adults and children are currently on the waiting list for organ donations, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

“On Wednesday when she passed, she already saved four lives, and she will continue to [save] more with her organ donation,” Glazer said. “[Dale] really wanted to emphasize Lucinda being an organ donor and the number of lives that she saved. He’s very proud of that.”

On Friday, the Daniels family was present at Mountain View High School’s first home football game of the season, where Daniels was remembered as the team’s biggest cheerleader.

Two of her sons currently play on the team, while her oldest son is an alumni of the program, according to Glazer.

“You [knew] Mrs. Daniels was in the stands because she was the most cheerful, loudest spectator,” Glazer said. “The whole family is always there in the stands, cheering for the boys.”

At Friday’s game, the opposing team presented a donation to the Daniels family, with funds raised from the high school as well as the community.

A photo of Daniels greeted spectators at the game, along with information about a GoFundMe account that has already raised over $140,000 for her family.

The GoFundMe was started by four of Daniels’ fellow “football moms,” who all have kids on the team.

“Anyone who knows Lucinda knows that she has one of the biggest hearts you’ve ever seen and in keeping with that spirit, she is an organ donor,” they wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Whilst we are losing Lucinda, we hope you find some solace in knowing that her passing will give the gift of life to numerous others and allow her love to continue to spread through the world.”

Glazer said Daniels worked full-time at a local elementary school and had a second job at a local retail store in order to help support her family.

She described the Daniels’ children as “amazing kids” who are hardworking, just like their mom.

She said it is no surprise to her that both the school and local community have rallied to support them after Daniels’ death.

“As the principal of Mountain View High School, I’m so proud of our staff and families for how much they stepped up,” Glazer said, adding that Daniels’ husband has also told her how appreciative the family is of the support.

“He wanted to express just his enormous gratitude to the school community,” she said.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.