Public Health Out Loud

What happened to the flu? 

Researchers and public health officials have seen an intriguing decline in influenza cases across the United States and most of the world. After countless awareness campaign…

It was evident early on in the pandemic that incarcerated individuals were at an increased risk for COVID-19. Many prisons, including facilities in Rhode Island, were simply not designed to prevent t…

Rhode Island recently reached an important milestone in its vaccine rollout. At the start of  February, the state counted over 100,000 vaccines administered to Rhode Islanders. 

Reaching this point ha…

There are many questions swirling around the B-117 variant of COVID-19—also dubbed the UK variant—that has appeared in more than 30 countries including the United States. 

As of right now, Rhode Islan…

Over the last 100 years, vaccines have become an important tool for helping prevent the spread of disease. Smallpox and polio claimed countless lives in the 1900s and were just a few of the diseases …

It is estimated that roughly 1.8 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. While there are several treatments for cancer available today, outcomes will vary because of …

While scientists and researchers worked relentlessly throughout 2020 to understand and respond to COVID-19 effectively, the general public at times had to navigate an avalanche of information that se…

College enrollment projections for Fall 2020 were expected to be around 19.7 million students nationally. Most of the students arriving on college campuses this year, however, would find a very diffe…

Testing positive for COVID-19 is a scary thought for most Americans. From the barrage of information on what to do next to the act of isolating in a separate room, the pandemic has changed the way pe…

From Rhode Island to California, the reverberations of the pandemic has forced musicians and artists to consider other career opportunities or adapt to the new reality we find ourselves in today. 

 So…

It’s that time of year again when most Americans have to navigate the health insurance landscape, either through their employer or through the state’s health exchange. 

But something is different this…

There is no denying that moms have it tough. If the pain of bearing a child isn’t enough, moms may also have to address a whirlwind of neurological and psychological changes that can impact their ove…

Rhode Island is one of four states selected to pilot the distribution of Pfizer’s vaccine candidate to treat COVID-19. While the development is welcome news for many, there is still a sense of restle…

As countries around the world contend with a second wave of COVID-19 infections, people have grown increasingly curious about one of the key cornerstones of pandemic responses. Luckily, Rhode Island …

 Vaccines seem to be top of mind several months into an evolving pandemic that has disrupted nearly every facet of everyday life. Few, if any, contagious diseases in recent memory have managed to shu…

Everyone has heard the word ‘pandemic’ by now. Whether you’re waiting in traffic or checking out the safety posters at your favorite restaurant, you’re probably going to hear or see ‘pandemic’ mentio…

As the world buzzed along at the start of 2020, trouble was brewing in other parts of world that would eventually arrive in the United States. We’re talking about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes CO…

Despite countless recommendations on the use of face masks, the scientific community ran into an unexpected hurdle that might have been inconceivable just a few years ago. Specifically, how the use o…