Americans without college degrees die faster
According to Forbes, Americans without a college education live on average much shorter than Americans with a BA, and that gap is widening as it develops during the COVID-19 pandemic. A paper published by the Brookings Institution in September found that the 2.5-year lifespan gap between those with a college degree and those without a college degree in 1992 had more than tripled in 2021. Several factors are thought to contribute to this disparity, such as disparities in access to health care. People without a college degree are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors, differ in the safety of their living environments, and are more likely to be involved in suicides, drug overdoses, and The “Death of Despair” of Alcoholism.
Black women have limited access to PrEP
Physicians, public health researchers and professionals who provide HIV treatment and prevention services say persistent systemic factors such as stigma and racism are huge barriers to cisgender black women receiving pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), NPR reported. Black transgender women face additional barriers to receiving PrEP, particularly discrimination related to gender identity. Many researchers have focused their attention on cisgender Black women, who they say are often overlooked by the health care system and encounter barriers, such as non-inclusive marketing leading to a lack of awareness of who will benefit and women having fewer treatment options than men. , and some medical professionals are wary of prescribing PrEP. These changes are more pronounced in the South, which has the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the country.
Get new vaccines to eliminate COVID-19 record card
According to Reuters, about 4 million Americans received updated COVID-19 vaccinations in September, according to HHS, although some people found it difficult to book a vaccination appointment or get a free vaccine. Newer vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna are single-target vaccines against the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant, which dominated the U.S. for much of 2023 but has changed as the virus has changed has been surpassed by other variants. Additionally, white COVID-19 vaccination cards are being phased out, according to AP News. With the federal government no longer distributing new COVID-19 vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stopped printing new cards. Federal and local health officials don’t expect the card’s discontinuation to bring major changes, as the requirement for proof of vaccination to enter venues such as festivals and bars has ended and vaccination records can be requested like any other vaccine.