What states have the highest COVID rates? Map shows where it's spreading as winter approaches Is COVID going around again as the U.S. approaches the winter? Infectious disease experts share what to know and how to stay safe. TODAY

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According to viral activity in wastewater — one of the most accurate ways to measure cases since the CDC stopped tracking overall cases, — the states with the highest COVID rates, as of Nov. 30, are:

Canadian teenager in critical condition with presumptive bird flu as U.S. official warns the virus 'seems to be gearing up for wider impact' Health officials were struggling to answer a broader and potentially worrisome question: how the infection occurred. Carolyn Barber Fortune

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“This case is very concerning for a number of reasons,” says Rick Bright, an American immunologist and vaccine researcher and a U.S. government health official from 2016 to 2020. “It’s in an otherwise healthy teenager. Like a similar case in Missouri, there’s no clear source for infection and no direct farm connection.”

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Nasal swab tests predict COVID-19 disease severity, Emory study finds | Emory University | Atlanta GA New research from Emory University is providing a more precise prediction of COVID-19 severity that can be found by looking at autoantibodies in the nasal cavity, leading to more personalized treatment plans.

... For high-risk individuals, this could provide critical information to inform immediate treatment options, including quickly taking medications like Paxlovid within one week of symptoms to mitigate a severe response.

Over 2,700 suspected new mpox cases in one week in Africa A total of 2,729 new suspected cases of the disease mpox have been reported in Africa over the period of one week, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dpa Medical Xpress

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Of these, 1,001 have been confirmed through tests, said Ngashi Ngongo, the head of the mpox team at the Africa CDC.

He added that this number, however, does not provide reassurance regarding the other cases, as it is due to limited testing and laboratory capacities in the affected countries.

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