It took three years, two months and 19 days since the declaration of the pandemic, but COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit a record low in the U.S., CDC data shows.
While the effects from the pandemic will continue to be felt for years to come, the data reflects the virus and the healthcare sector's response turning a new leaf. Ongoing studies are continuing their aim to try and define some of the remaining unknowns about the virus.
Here are four other recent COVID-19 updates you may have missed:
- In a study of nearly 10,000 participants, Mass General Brigham and the National Institutes of Health identified 12 symptoms that define long COVID.
- Bivalent COVID-19 boosters are 62 percent effective at preventing hospitalization within the first week to two months. After that they decline to 24 percent effectiveness in preventing hospitalizations, a recent CDC study found.
- The FDA officially granted full approval to Pfizer's drug Paxlovid as of May 25.
- Unused COVID-19 vaccinations are being thrown away by the U.S. government after reaching their expiration dates, but scientists and researchers say they need these vaccines to improve future research, Science reported May 30.