The Horn News

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‘Viral jambalaya’: Flu adds woes for US hospitals

As Americans head into the holiday season, a rapidly intensifying flu season is straining hospitals already overburdened with patients sick from other respiratory infections. More than half the states have high or very high levels of flu, unusually high for this early in the season, the government reported Friday. Those… Read More

John Kerry tests positive for COVID amid international conference

John Kerry, the top U.S. envoy at this year’s U.N. climate talks in Egypt, has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson said late Friday night, another potential setback for negotiations that were already going into overtime with no result in sight. “He is fully vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild… Read More

Western US localities to remove decorative grass amid drought

A group of 30 agencies that supply water to homes and businesses throughout the western United States has pledged to rip up lots of decorative grass to help keep water in the over-tapped Colorado River. The agreement signed Tuesday by water agencies in Southern California, Phoenix and Salt Lake City… Read More

US home births increased in pandemic but remain uncommon

U.S. home births increased slightly in the pandemic’s second year, rising to the highest level in decades, according to a government report published Thursday. Among almost 4 million births in 2021, nearly 52,000 occurred at home, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed. That’s up about 12% from… Read More

Japan reopens to cruise ships after 2.5 years

Japan will lift a more than 2.5-year ban on international cruise ships that was imposed following a deadly coronavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Diamond Princess at the beginning of the pandemic, transport officials said Tuesday. The Transport Ministry said cruise ship operators and port authorities’ associations have adopted anti-virus… Read More

Walmart pays $3.1B to settle opioid lawsuits

Walmart proposed a $3.1 billion legal settlement on Tuesday over the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies, becoming the latest major drug industry player to promise major support to state, local and tribal governments still grappling with a crisis in overdose deaths. The retail giant’s announcement follows… Read More

New study: Automatic braking can reduce crashes by 40%

Two new U.S. studies show that automatic emergency braking can cut the number of rear-end automobile crashes in half, and reduce pickup truck crashes by more than 40%. The studies released Tuesday, one by a government-auto industry partnership and the other by the insurance industry, each used crash data to… Read More

China promises slight changes to ‘zero COVID’ plan

Chinese leaders promised Thursday to improve quarantine and other anti-virus policies after public frustration boiled over into protests but said they will stick to a severe “zero COVID” strategy that has confined millions of people to their homes and disrupted the economy. President Xi Jinping’s government is enforcing some of… Read More

1 dead, over a dozen sick from outbreak tied to listeria in deli meat

A food poisoning outbreak tied to deli meat and cheese has sickened 16 people, including one who died, U.S. health officials said Wednesday. Most were hospitalized and one illness resulted in the loss of a pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illnesses date back to… Read More