• CDC COVID Tracker: updated. Scroll to COVID in Your Community. Search your county or state to view COVID data for your community.
  • CDC COVID Tracker — COVID-19 Integrated County View (Jefferson County, OH). Maps, charts, and data provided by CDC, updates Mon-Fri by 8 pm ET
• With Omicron’s Prevalence and the Testing Shortage, Anyone with Symptoms Should Assume They’re Positive. By Travis Caldwell, CNN | January 7, 2022. "The important thing is, when you feel symptoms, assume you’re positive at this point, especially with Omicron being so prevalent," epidemiologist Dr. Michael Mina said Thursday.
• CDC: COVID-19 Omicron Variant: The most commonly reported symptoms were cough, fatigue, and congestion or runny nose from Characteristics of the First Investigated U.S. COVID-19 Cases Attributed to the Omicron Variant.
• CDC: Answering Patients’ Questions About COVID-19 Vaccine and Vaccination
• Free Medical Power of Attorney Form (LegalTemplates) to let someone make medical decisions for you if you become incapacitated.
• CDC Finds Immunity from Vaccines Is More Consistent than from Infection, but Both Last at Least Six Months (11/1/2021). In comparing the two types of immunity, scientists said research shows vaccination provides a “higher, more robust, and more consistent level of immunity to protect people from COVID-19 than infection alone.”
• CDC: About COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questions (Updated July 16, 2021).
• CDC: Symptoms of COVID-19. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19: Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea or vomiting, Diarrhea, This list does not include all possible symptoms.
• CDC: The Possibility of COVID-19 after Vaccination - Breakthrough Infections (updated Aug. 23, 2021): COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing infection, serious illness, and death. Most people who get COVID-19 are unvaccinated. However, since vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, some people who are fully vaccinated will still get COVID-19. An infection of a fully vaccinated person is referred to as a “breakthrough infection.”
• CDC: Delta Variant (updated Aug. 19, 2021): What We Know About the Science. CDC released updated guidance on the need for urgently increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage and a recommendation for everyone in areas of substantial or high transmission to wear a mask in public indoor places, even if they are fully vaccinated.…Second, new data began to emerge that the Delta variant was more infectious and was leading to increased transmissibility when compared to other variants, even in vaccinated individuals.
• CDC Mask Decision Followed Stunning Findings from Cape Cod Beach Outbreak. A group of vaccinated beachgoers changed our knowledge of the delta variant.
• CDC: Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People (Updated May 28, 2021). Recommendations apply to non-healthcare settings: Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. Click on link for additional recommendations.
  • NCAA Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: 2021 Summer Activities. Original release: June 8, 2021
• CDC Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People (updates as of 5/13/2021): Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
  • CDC Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People: Summary of Recent Changes (Updated April 27, 2021)
  • CDC: Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People (Updated Mar. 8, 2021). For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to: 1)Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing; 2) Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease; 3) Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households. Read the CDC link for the full list of guidelines.
• CDC Updates Coronavirus Face Mask Guidance, Endorses 'Double Masking': The CDC updated its mask guidance on Wednesday to include data from a lab experiment using simulated respiratory breaths that found placing a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask or using a medical procedure mask with knotted ear loops and tucked in sides decreased exposure to potentially infectious aerosols by about 95%.
• CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Covers What You Should Know, Situation Updates, Information For and Latest news on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
• Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines (CDC): mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein — or even just a piece of a protein — that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies.
• CDC: When Vaccine is Limited, Who Gets Vaccinated First? (1/5/2021): CDC recommends that initial supplies of COVID-19 vaccine be allocated in Phase 1A to healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents. Phase 1B: Frontline essential workers such as fire fighters, police officers, corrections officers, food and agricultural workers, United States Postal Service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, and those who work in the educational sector (teachers, support staff, and daycare workers). And, people aged 75 years and older because they are at high risk of hospitalization, illness, and death from COVID-19. People aged 75 years and older who are also residents of long-term care facilities should be offered vaccination in Phase 1A. Phase 1C: People aged 65—74 years because they are at high risk of hospitalization, illness, and death from COVID-19. People aged 65—74 years who are also residents of long-term care facilities should be offered vaccination in Phase 1a. People aged 16—64 years with underlying medical conditions which increase the risk of serious, life-threatening complications from COVID-19. Other essential workers, such as people who work in transportation and logistics, food service, housing construction and finance, information technology, communications, energy, law, media, public safety, and public health.
• CDC Recommends People Wear Masks Indoors When Not at Home: The agency is urging "universal mask use" indoors for the first time as the country shatters records for coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths ahead of the holiday season. The new guidance, published Friday (12/4/2020), asks people to put on masks anywhere outside their homes.
• COVID-19 Guidelines for Personal and Social Activities (CDC): Includes dining at a restaurant, hosting gatherings or cook-outs, attending an event or gathering, using gyms or fitness centers.
• CDC Guidelines: Holiday Celebrations and Small Gatherings (Updated Dec. 11, 2020): As cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to increase across the United States, the safest way to celebrate the winter holidays is to celebrate at home with people who live with you. Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu.
  • CDC: Holiday Celebrations & Virus Spread Risk. CDC offers the following considerations to help protect individuals, their families, friends, and communities from COVID-19.
    
  • Domestic Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic (CDC – Updated Dec. 2, 2020): Travel can increase your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
  • CDC: Considerations for Events and Gatherings. CDC offers the following considerations for enhancing protection of individuals and communities and preventing spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
• How COVID-19 Spreads (CDC) – updated October 5, 2020. COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission.
• CDC: Colleges, Universities, and Higher Learning – Plan, Prepare, and Respond. Considerations for operating institutes of higher education | Cleaning and disinfection guidance | Covers Health Considerations and Tools | Information to Plan, Prepare, and Respond | Communication Resources | Guidance for student travel | FAQs for administrators.
• CDC: Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes. Reopening America requires all of us to move forward together by practicing social distancing and other daily habits to reduce our risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19.…This plan…focuses on cleaning and disinfecting public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools, and can also be applied to your home.
• 15 Days to Slow the Spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19): The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America
• CDC: How to Protect Yourself & Others From COVID-19
• Watch for Symptoms COVID-19: Coronavirus Watch for Symptoms (CDC)
• About Quarantine and Isolation (CDC): Isolation and quarantine help protect the public by preventing exposure to people who have or may have a contagious disease. Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.
• Caring for Someone at Home with COVID-19 (CDC)
• Cleaning And Disinfecting Your Home (CDC): Everyday Steps and Extra Steps When Someone Is Sick
• About Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – CDC: There is an ongoing investigation to determine more about this outbreak. This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available.
• Keeping Workplaces, Homes, Schools, or Commercial Establishments Safe — White House Coronavirus Task Force
• CDC: Plan, Prepare and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019. Interim Guidance for Administrators of US Institutions of Higher Education.
• Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• CDC: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019
• Prevention Steps for Close Contacts: If you have had close contact2 with someone who is confirmed to have, or being evaluated for, Coronavirus infection.
• Travel Related Information about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – CDC.
• When and How to Wash Your Hands (CDC). Hand washing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Learn when and how you should wash your hands to stay healthy.
• CDC: How to Remove Gloves Correctly. To protect yourself, use the following steps to take off gloves.
• CDC Mobile App: Important Public Health Information 24/7. Download it free today on iOS or Android. Check top left corner for Menu.

Johns Hopkins Hospital:

• JohnsHopkins: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Updates
  • JohnsHopkins: COVID Natural Immunity: What You Need to Know
• Redesigned: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center: Includes links to the World Map, new COVID-19 United States Cases by County Map & Explore Critical Trends, all in one easy to use location.
• Johns Hopkins Hospital – Mapping 2019-nCoV

Moral & Ethical Questions about the COVID-19 Vaccines:

• Conscience Rights and Conscientious Objection (Catholic Culture): Dr. Jeff Mirus | Dec 17, 2021. "The problem is that there can be many kinds of consciences—for example, a lazy conscience, an erroneous conscience, a malformed conscience, a dead conscience—that we actually have a moral obligation to try to correct. It is a myth to suggest that we are morally right if we follow our consciences, if we have paid no attention to forming our consciences properly."
• Cardinal Parolin Raps ‘Anti-vax’ Movement (CNA: Amid Protests Against Italy’s Vaccine Rules, Cardinal Parolin Says Church’s Message Is Clear. Nov 30, 2021.
• NCR: Does the Pope’s Support for Healthcare Workers Who Refuse to Assist in Abortion Apply to Those Who Object to COVID-19 Vaccines? Catholic experts: The Holy Father’s arguments in support of conscientious objection for health professionals might also have an application in the context of abortion-tainted vaccines.
• Religious Vaccine Exemption Stays for NY Health Care Workers (AP) by Michael Hill, October 12, 2021. New York health care workers will be able to seek religious exemptions from a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate as a lawsuit challenging the requirement proceeds, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
• Catholic Troops Can Refuse COVID Vaccine, Archbishop Declares. "No one should be forced to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience," Broglio wrote.
• 8 Prominent Doctors & Scientists Engage in a Remarkable Exchange — Oct. 2, 2021. Roundtable on COVID-19.
• “Is the Decision to Receive COVID-19 Vaccination for Each Person’s Conscience to Judge?”: Difficult Moral Questions by E. Christian Brugger, National Catholic Register | October 7, 2021.
• USCCB Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID-19 Vaccines: Chairmen of the Committee on Doctrine and the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• NCR: Conscience, COVID Vaccines and the Common Good. The Church helps us to find a common ground between the good of each and the good of all. Msgr. Charles Pope | 9/24/2021 | National Catholic Register. "We have come to a new chapter in the COVID-19 crisis and conflict that has gripped our Church, this nation and the world. The new chapter involves vaccinations, and the increasing mandates to receive them ‘or else.’ The price of refusal ranges from the irritating weekly testing to fines, and all the way to job termination and banishment from places of trade and restaurants."
• Vaccine Inquisitions? As COVID Vaccination Mandates Increase, Religious Exemptions Come Under Fire
• Massachusetts Bishop: Clergy Can Support Individuals’ Own Vaccine Exemption Requests. The bishop wrote his letter to assist his clerics who are receiving requests from parishioners seeking “religious exemption” from mandatory vaccination for COVID-19.
• Policing Religious Exemptions to Vaccines: As more colleges mandate COVID-19 vaccines, the issue of whether and to what degree to police requests for religious exemptions comes to the fore.
• Distinction Between a ‘Religious Exemption’ and a ‘Conscientious Exemption’: Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock (August 23, 2021): "A ‘religious exemption’ differs from a ‘conscientious exemption’ in that the former indicates that receiving the vaccine goes against the sincerely held beliefs of that person’s religion. "So, in the case of your Catholic parishioners, signing off on such a ‘religious exemption’ would indicate your support for the proposition that the Catholic Church teaches that receiving the vaccine is fundamentally immoral and impermissible."
  • Philly’s Catholic Archdiocese Advised Priests Not to Help People Seeking Exemptions from Vaccine Mandates.
  Jeremy Roebuck, The Philadelphia Inquirer 8/21/2021.
• Vatican Official Pleads with Catholic Critics of Covid Vaccines: ‘Listen to What the Church Has Already Said’. Archbishop Paglia took several questions from journalists representing secular and Catholic media highly skeptical of COVID vaccines who pushed back.
• FAQ's on COVID-19 Vaccine Development: The Archdiocese of Washington addresses
•  common concerns about the ethics and safety of available Coronavirus vaccines.
• Possible Clot Risk of Vaccine Points to Issues with the Pill: Aleteia | John Burger. Women were surprised to learn of blood clot dangers of hormonal contraception associated with use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19.
• Trust the Vatican’s Ethicists on Vaccines: "There is no ethical concern for a Catholic" who wants to be vaccinated, Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops…. The Frenchwoman invites those who are reluctant to get the Coronavirus vaccine to "open their eyes" and to trust the specialists, theologians or experts, who have contributed to the Pope’s reflection.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Ethics: Sorting Out the Statements (NCR). The FDA’s emergency approval of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine prompts disputes between Church authorities, scholars and activists, stirring controversy and confusion.
• The Catholic Answer to Vaccines by Kathleen Berchelmann, MD, a pediatrician and e co-founder of MyCatholicDoctor: What is the Catholic teaching on vaccination? Are some vaccines related to abortion? What about the coronavirus/COVID vaccine? This article summarizes official Roman Catholic teaching on vaccination with references to the original documents.
• Catholic Scholars: COVID Vaccines Can be Received ‘Without Fear of Moral Culpability’ for Abortion (NCR). A statement by pro-life, Catholic scholars published Friday says that the four major COVID-19 vaccines are not only acceptable to use, but also are themselves morally equivalent.
• Assessing the Morality of COVID-19 Vaccines Developed with Abortion-Derived Tissue: A Register Guide (NCR). Which vaccines appear to be most acceptable, in light of the U.S. bishops’ new guidance regarding vaccines that utilized abortion-derived tissues in their development and testing?
• New Orleans Archdiocese: Catholics Should Seek Ethical Alternatives to Johnson & Johnson Vaccine: NEW ORLEANS, La. — …The pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute had determined that the vaccine used abortion-derived cell lines in design and development, production, and lab testing. The New Orleans archdiocese on Feb. 26 stated that the vaccine was “morally compromised” because of its connection with abortion. However, the two other available COVID-19 vaccines are “morally acceptable,” the archdiocese said, while also not prohibiting Catholics from receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if no other ethical alternative is available.
• "Ways to Protest Morally-tainted Vaccines-and Why" by Dr. Jeff Mirus, Jan 19, 2021
• "How to Object to an Abortion-Tainted COVID-19 Vaccine" by Stacy Trasancos, December 21, 2020. The Pontifical Academy for Life has said that Catholics may use, in a narrowly defined limit, vaccines prepared with cell lines derived from aborted children, but with strong warnings regarding our obligation to protest. Here's how to demand ethical options in biomedical research.
• The Morality of the COVID-19 Vaccines (NCR) by Janet E. Smith, Ph.D. (12/24/2020): "If morally unproblematic alternatives were available, one should refuse anything produced or tested using cell lines made from aborted fetuses for the sake of honoring the inherent dignity of the aborted victim. The question remains, is it always and everywhere wrong for a person, to avail themselves of this benefit if no alternatives are available?"
• Catholic Conscience and the COVID-19 Vaccine (CRISIS) by Annamaria Cardinally 1/19/2021: "Yet, the Catholic conscience is resilient, if often misunderstood, sometimes even by those who possess it—and most certainly by the world. It bears two features which are especially misconstrued. First, it can not ask less than what the Church requires, but it can ask more. For instance, one person may feel bound to heroic charity in a situation where another does not. Second, in order to function at all, the conscience must be formed (and informed) by truth — the truth of Christ Himself and an accurate understanding of the surrounding world. Otherwise, we don’t have a conscience to follow, but simply our own inclinations."
• Must Catholics Refuse a Covid-19 Vaccine Made with a Cell Line from an Abortion? The Catholic Spirit | Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk | December 10, 2020. In the wake of announcements from multiple pharmaceutical companies about safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, many are expressing ethical doubts about whether it is OK to take these vaccines. Do Catholics have a moral duty to decline an inoculation if it was unethically produced using a cell line that came from an abortion? The short answer is "no."
• What You Need to Know about the COVID-19 Vaccines (Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI)): David Prentice, Ph.D., Tara Sander Lee, Ph.D. | December 8, 2020. Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) has published a new chart detailing whether the eight leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates supported by Operation Warp Speed are produced or tested using cells derived from abortions. The vaccine candidates evaluated are those produced by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, Sanofi/GSK, Inovio, and Merck.
• Vatican Publishes Note on Moral Acceptability of Using COVID-19 Vaccines: A note from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which was approved by Pope Francis, gives the green light during the pandemic to the use of vaccines produced with cell lines derived from two fetuses aborted in the 1960s.
• COVID Vaccines and Fetal Tissues: the Moral Calculus (CatholicCulture): Phil Lawler, Dec 04, 2020. Should Catholics accept a vaccine that has been developed using fetal tissue from abortions? Since Catholic moralists have expressed contradictory answers to this question, let me try to offer a bit of clarity.
• Four Pro-Life Medical Groups Say Pfizer, Moderna COVID Vaccines Not Made With Aborted Baby Cells: In a statement, the Catholic Medical Association, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Pediatricians and the Christian Medical and Dental Associations said the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna did not use cells from aborted babies in their production phases, the Catholic News Agency reports.

American College Health Association (ACHA):

• New COVID Guidance for Colleges Is Stricter Than CDC’s (1/20/2022 | InsideHigherEd): The American College Health Association (ACHA) recommends that students who test positive for COVID-19 not leave isolation until they receive a negative rapid antigen test — a departure from the latest CDC guidelines, which lowered the recommended quarantine period from 10 to five days and do not require a negative antigen test to end isolation. If a student tests positive after five days, they should test again on day seven or eight, said Gerri Taylor, co-chair of the ACHA’s COVID-19 task force. “And then if that is positive, they should stay through the full 10 days of isolation.” The new guidelines also recommend the use of N95, KN95 or surgical masks on campus, and amend the definition of “up-to-date” vaccination status to include a booster dose, in keeping with CDC guidelines.
  •  NB: ACHA’s Updated Guidance on COVID-19 Management on Campus
• Considerations for Reopening Institutions of Higher Education in the COVID-19 Era (American College Health Association )
• Preparing for COVID-19 - American College Health Association (ACHA)
  • Outbreak of COVID-19 - American College Health Association (ACHA)

Catholic Health Association of the United States:

MyCatholicDoctor:

• MyCatholicDoctor.com: Coronavirus. What you need to know about Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
• The Catholic Answer to Vaccines by Kathleen Berchelmann, MD, a pediatrician and e co-founder of MyCatholicDoctor: What is the Catholic teaching on vaccination? Are some vaccines related to abortion? What about the coronavirus/COVID vaccine? This article summarizes official Roman Catholic teaching on vaccination with references to the original documents.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center:

• The National Catholic Bioethics Center: Conducts research, consultation, publishing and education to promote human dignity in health care and the life sciences, and derives its message directly from the teachings of the Catholic Church.
  • NCBC Resources on COVID-19: Articles and essays on points to consider, such as, "Moral Choices When Not All Can Be Saved."
  • COVID-19 FAQ – The National Catholic Bioethics Center.

The White House & Govt. Offices:

• Vaccines.gov: Find COVID-19 Vaccines Near You. Includes check boxes to select either the Moderna COVID Vaccine or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine or Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID Vaccine.
• Opening Up America Again: White House Guidelines for Opening Up America Again, a three-phased approach based on the advice of public health experts.
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – White House, CDC, HHS, FEMA: How to Prepare & Protect Yourself, What to Do If You Think You Are Sick, FAQs.

World Health Organization (WHO):

• Omicron Largely Evades Immunity from past Infection or Two Vaccine Doses: Imperial College, London. 17 December 2021. The new report (Report 49) from the Imperial College London COVID-19 response team estimates that the risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant is 5.4 times greater than that of the Delta variant. This implies that the protection against reinfection by Omicron afforded by past infection may be as low as 19%.
  • Report 49 - Growth, Population Distribution and Immune Escape of Omicron in England (WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, Imperial College London).
• WHO: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic (World Health Organization). Advice, Technical Guidance, Response, Vaccines, Treatments, Tests, Research.
• WHO Identifies Omicron as New Highly Transmissible COVID-19 'Variant of Concern': The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Friday that it would classify the new B.1.1.529 COVID-19 strain as a "variant of concern," and labeled it with the Greek letter "omicron."
• Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation World Map - World Health Organization (WHO)
  • Coronavirus Outbreak (COVID-19) - (WHO): information and guidance from WHO regarding the current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Please visit this page for daily updates.
  • Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Advice for the Public: Videos (WHO)

Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA):

• COVID-19: What You Need to Know – Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA): the latest COVID-19 developments providing links to guidance from government health authorities and the World Health Organization, journal articles and more.

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
  • IHME COVID-19 US state-by-state projections
  • IHME COVID-19 model FAQs
  • IHME COVID-19 resources

Environmental Protection Agency:

• Key EPA Resources on the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Includes Information on Disinfectants, Federal COVID-19 resources, FAQs.

Journal of Internal Medicine:

• Those with Mild Coronavirus Experience Loss of Taste, Smell in 86% of Cases (Journal of Internal Medicine): "[Olfactory dysfunction] is more prevalent in mild COVID-19 forms than in moderate-to-critical forms," the researchers said in the study, noting that according to their research, 75% to 85% of people regained their ability to taste and smell two months after their infection, while 95% of patients regained their ability to taste and smell at six months.

Mayo Clinic:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Mayo Clinic: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Medline Plus:

• COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) from MedlinePlus: resources that describe the symptoms, testing, risks, and how you can protect yourself and your family.
• What Is the Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting? (MedlinePlus): Some people think that disinfecting is same thing as cleaning or sanitizing. But they are actually different.

Military Health System:

• Military Health System – Coronavirus: DOD will closely coordinate with our interagency partners to ensure accurate and timely information is available and encourage all appropriate measures are taken to limit the virus' spread.

National Institutes of Health:

• Coronavirus Can Persist for Months After Traversing Body: The N.I.H. researchers posit that infection of the pulmonary system may result in an early “viremic” phase, in which the virus is present in the bloodstream and is seeded throughout the body, including across the blood-brain barrier, even in patients experiencing mild or no symptoms.
• NIH Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Resources from the National Institutes of Health covering Severity, Risk Assessment, CDC Response and Recommendations.

National Safety Council:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration – OSHA:

• Coronavirus COVID – Employee Health and Safety Information (Occupational Safety and Health Administration – OSHA):  includes links to guidance and other resources for preventing exposures to, and infection with, the novel coronavirus—now officially named COVID-19.

Public Health Emergency: Mission of the HHS Office

• Public Health Emergency: The mission of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats.
  • COVID-19: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Public Health Emergency): HHS & Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

 Scripps Research:

• Mutated Coronavirus Shows Significant Boost in Infectivity (Scripps Research): COVID-19-causing viral variant taking over in the United States and Europe now carries more functional, cell-binding spikes. A tiny genetic mutation in the SARS coronavirus 2 variant circulating throughout Europe and the United States significantly increases the virus’ ability to infect cells, lab experiments performed at Scripps Research show.

U of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research:

• CIDRP Novel Coronavirus Resource Center: U of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy new online resource center to educate the public about the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19.

Yale Medicine:

• “5 Things To Know About the Delta Variant”: Kathy Katella | July 15, 2021 | Yale Medicine. “A major concern right now is Delta, a highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus strain, which was first identified in India in December. It then swept rapidly through that country and Great Britain as well. The first Delta case in the United States was diagnosed in March and it is now the dominant strain in the U.S.”

Ohio Department of Health:

• COVID-19 – Ohio Department of Health: Everything you need to know to prepare for, and protect yourself from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Information for Families and Individuals |Healthcare Providers and Local Health Districts | Employers and Employees.
  • Ohio Statewide Mask Order Beginning on Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 p.m. Governor DeWine announced that a statewide mask mandate will go into effect for citizens living in all 88 Ohio counties beginning on Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 p.m.,
  • Ohio COVID-19 Travel Advisory — Protecting Against COVID-19 (Created July 22, 2020). Those entering Ohio after travel to states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher for COVID-19 are advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.
  • Ohio's Public Health Advisory Alert System: a color-coded system designed to supplement existing statewide orders through a data-driven framework to assess the degree of the virus’ spread and to engage and empower individuals, businesses, communities, local governments, and others in their response and actions.
  • OH Gov. Dewine’s Stay At Home Order Frequently Asked Questions.

Washington - Dept. of Health:

• Home Isolation Guidance for Novel Coronavirus: What to do if you have confirmed 2019-nCoV infection, or are being evaluated for 2019-nCoV infection, and are being cared for at home.

Yale Environmental Health & Safety:

• COVID-19: Cleaning Computers and Electronics for All Users (Yale Environmental Health & Safety). Safety guidance on how to clean computers, computer accessories, touchscreen devices and electronics that are considered high-touch items.

Inside Higher Ed:

• 8 Steps to Prepare for a Pandemic That's Becoming Endemic (InsideHigherEd): It's time for colleges to rethink their plans for the spring semester, write David Wippman and Glenn C. Altschuler, who present a path that offers a balance between safety and normalcy (12/20/2021).
• A Generation Defined by the Pandemic (InsideHigherEd): A new survey about student experiences during the fall semester and the coronavirus pandemic found that stress, anxiety and loneliness were their overriding concern.
• Scenario Planning for Coronavirus (InsideHigherEd): Frequently used in military situations, it can help college and university leaders during this uncertain time, writes Paul N. Friga, who presents a high-level scenario analysis and some recommended actions.
• Coronavirus and Higher Education (InsideHigherEd): Roundup of news about how higher education is coping with initial U.S. impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, and how colleges are preparing for a dizzying array of likely disruptions.
• What Katrina Taught Us About Online Delivery (InsideHigherEd), March 11, 2020. In 2005, more than 120 U.S. universities came to the aid of some 20 colleges and universities that had been impacted by Hurricane Katrina through shared online classes. There is much discussion now about continuing the delivery of the curriculum in instances where the new coronavirus may disrupt traditional campus offerings.

CNN:

• CNN Health: Expert Explains How to Protect Yourself Against the Recent COVID Surges. the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that two other subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, constitute more than 70% of new infections in the country. These subvariants may partially escape the immunity produced by the vaccine and by prior infection, though vaccination still likely protects against severe illness.
• BA.2 Subvariant of Omicron Rises, Lab Studies Point to Signs of Severity (CNN). The BA.2 virus — a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant — isn’t just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
• CNN Health: Why You Should Upgrade Your Mask as the Omicron Variant Spread (12/25/2021). "Ideally, in crowded places, ‘you should be wearing a KN95 or N95 mask,’…"
• Do You Have a Cold, the Flu or COVID-19? (CNN Health): "Short of getting a test, I would say it’s really tricky to distinguish right now," said Dr. Sarah Ash Combs, attending physician at Children’s National Hospital. "We need to just treat cold-ish symptoms in pretty much the same bucket" as COVID-19.
• CNN Answers Your Top Questions about Covid-19 and Vaccines
  • What should I do if I think I’m sick with Covid-19?
• What Should I Do If I Lost My COVID-19 Vaccination Card?
  • CNN: Your Top Questions about COVID-19 and Vaccines
• What Should You Do If You Get a Breakthrough Infection? Our Expert Weighs In. Many people have questions about what to do if they are vaccinated but test positive. Should they isolate, and for how long? What about family members — should they all get tested? What kinds of symptoms should make someone concerned that they might have a breakthrough infection? And how to address skeptics who question getting the vaccine if you can still get the coronavirus?
• How Safe Is it for Vaccinated People to Return to In-Person Work? An Expert Weighs In: (CNN - August 4, 2021) The US CDC has changed its guidance to once again recommend that even vaccinated people start masking indoors in areas of the country with high and substantial coronavirus spread. Key to their decision was a study that shows that fully vaccinated people can still transmit the Delta variant.
• I’ve Had My Covid-19 Vaccine — Now What Can I Safely Do? Sandee LaMotte, CNN Health | February 3, 2021. Read on for answers from the experts on top questions such as when can you stop wearing a mask, eat inside a restaurant, travel, go to sporting events and concerts, and freely visit friends and family.

FORBES:

• 5 Climate Skepticism Tactics Emerging With Coronavirus (FORBES): The disease, coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.…However, it is also interesting to watch some familiar tactics being injected into the discussion.

FOX News Health:

• What You Need to Know about Your COVID-19 Vaccine Card. Here’s a guide on what to know before you permanently cover your card in plastic.

NBC Health News:

• New COVID Wave Is Starting, With the ‘Worst Version' of Omicron. NBC New York | Updated on June 29, 2022. The BA.5 subvariant of the omicron variant of COVID-19 appears to be on the rise in New York City and fueling a possible sixth wave of the pandemic. The BA.5 subvariant, first seen in South Africa and then Portugal, is considered by some experts to be the "worst version" of omicron seen yet, given its apparent capacity to escape prior immunity and transmit more readily.
• What is the coronavirus? Here's what we know about it. Here's what to know about the new Coronavirus, which causes a disease called COVID-19.
• Coronavirus Self-Quarantine 101 (NBC): According to NBC News, quarantine means "physically separating a person." It's less severe than isolation, which may be done in a hospital and may last longer. Under quarantine you can still interact with your family and move around your home.

New York Times:

• The Coronavirus Outbreak (NY Times): Providing free access to the most important news and useful guidance on the coronavirus outbreak to help readers understand the pandemic.
  • Tracking Every Coronavirus Case in the U.S.: Full Map (NY Times).

Reuters:

• How a Changing Virus Is Reshaping Scientists’ Views on COVID-19: March 3 (Reuters) — Chris Murray, a University of Washington disease expert…is changing his assumptions about the course of the pandemic.…But in the last month, data from a vaccine trial in South Africa showed not only that a rapidly-spreading coronavirus variant could dampen the effect of the vaccine, it could also evade natural immunity in people who had been previously infected.

The Washington Post:

• COVID Surge in Western Europe Has U.S. Bracing for Another Wave: by Lenny Bernstein and Joel Achenbach; The Washington Post | March 16, 2022. “Infectious-disease experts are closely watching the subvariant of omicron known as BA.2, which appears to be more transmissible than the original strain, BA.1, and is fueling the outbreak overseas.”

National Association of Manufacturers – NAM:

• Coronavirus Resources (National Association of Manufacturers – NAM): Includes Federal Government Response | OSHA Employee Health and Safety | DHS Pandemic Planning | Customs and Border Protection.

Miscellaneous:

• Coronavirus Dashboard — Jefferson County, OH: Provides Overview, Statistics, Symptoms, Treatments, Variants, Prevention, Testing.
• Throat Swabs Better Than Nasal Swabs Among Rapid Tests, Experts Claim (ScienceTimes). On December 28, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that rapid tests may be less sensitive to the Omicron variant. That is why saliva tests are more recommended than nasal rapid antigen tests.…Dr. Michael Daignault, an emergency doctor in Los Angeles, explained that this is because more virus potentially lives in the throat. Throat swabs or the rapid test that involves a procedure of sweeping a swab at the back of the mouth is supported by many experts, saying it is a go-to test of many people and can detect the Omicron variant despite the recent announcement of FDA.
• UC Davis microbiome expert, Dr. Jonathan Eisen, director of the UC Davis Microbiome Special Research Program, weighs in on the Omicron variant and shares his evolving thoughts on eating out, indoor events and long Covid (December 30, 2021).
• Pfizer booster’s ability to prevent symptomatic COVID wanes within weeks. Data shows 3rd shot 70% effective in preventing illness after 2 weeks but only 45% after 10 weeks; Moderna seems to offer more durable protection, staying at 70% after 10 weeks.
• Symptomatic COVID Patients Are More Contagious (University of Georgia): "Individuals with COVID-19 are most likely to spread the virus to close contacts two days before the onset of symptoms to three days after symptoms appear, and the risk of transmission is highest when patients had mild or moderate disease severity, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Georgia. The study, which was published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, supports the idea that if a person with COVID-19 is sicker, they are more contagious compared to asymptomatic cases."
• New data on coronavirus vaccine effectiveness may be "a wakeup call" (Axios). What they're saying: The study found the Pfizer vaccine was only 42% effective against infection in July, when the Delta variant was dominant.
• Worse Than the Disease? Reviewing Some Possible Unintended Consequences of the mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19
  International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice and Research
• Fighting the Infodemic: Led by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute, the #CoronaVirusFacts / #DatosCoronaVirus Alliance unites more than 100 fact-checkers around the world in publishing, sharing and translating facts surrounding the new coronavirus.
• New Rapid Expert Consultation Offers Strategies for Navigating Disaster Response, Evacuation, and Sheltering Complicated by COVID-19 (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)
• Coronavirus Small Business Issues and Solutions Guide (Chamber of Commerce): In order to aid and inform owners of small businesses, we’ve compiled this comprehensive guide to coronavirus issues and solutions.
• 'Half-Masking' May Increase Coronavirus Risk: A study out of the University of North Carolina (UNC) published in the journal Cell suggested the novel coronavirus tends to first penetrate and infect the nasal cavity and in some cases can be aspirated into the lungs, where it can progress to pneumonia.
• How Can I Spot Misinformation about the Coronavirus and COVID-19? (University of Toronto Libraries): The next time someone shares a COVID-19 ‘fact’ via text or social media, verify it before you share it!
• How COVID-19 Affects the Mental Health of Seniors: If you are in the 65 and up age group it has probably limited your social interaction even more than others. These extra precautions the elderly have to take has affected their mental health and feelings of loneliness more than usual.
• CHICAGO (Reuters) – Scientists Just Beginning to Understand the Many Health Problems Caused by COVID-19 – June 26, 2020: Scientists are only starting to grasp the vast array of health problems caused by the novel coronavirus, some of which may have lingering effects on patients and health systems for years to come, according to doctors and infectious disease experts.
• "The Sober Math Everyone Must Understand about the Pandemic": Jason S Warner, March 16, 2020. Issue One: Social Norms Are Powerful Motivators and Getting in the Way of People Taking the Right Steps in Response to the Pandemic: One of the current problems with addressing the pandemic is the social pressures of taking action today. It’s awkward, and feels like an over-reaction. The reason it feels like an overreaction is that most people OVERWEIGHT the currently reported cases and inherently UNDERWEIGHT the mathematics of how the virus is spreading and what will happen in about 30 days time. This is because our brains tend to think linearly as opposed to logarithmically.
• Air Purifiers & Coronavirus (Alen Corp Blog) March 13, 2020. A straightforward look at the complexities of capturing viruses. With the global outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), many are wondering whether air purifiers can help combat airborne viruses.

COVID-19 & Resources for Spiritual Nourishment