COVID-19

The use of remote health services began to soar during the pandemic, opening the eyes of many medical providers and patients alike to telehealth’s convenience, efficiency and relative low cost.

Public health experts have long worried about misinformation and disinformation affecting the public getting vaccinated, saying some malicious actors have convinced millions that the shots are neither safe nor effective.

California has built up a substantial network of labs to look for concerning coronavirus variants over the past year, and now the scientists in those labs are developing new strategies to quickly identify omicron.

Massachusetts could soon roll out a digital COVID-19 vaccination passport, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday afternoon, noting that Massachusetts is part of a coalition of states working to develop the technology.

Modernizing vital records management systems is essential for states not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for increasing transparency and ease of access for constituents.

The Iowa school district will spend $2.2 million of $32.4 million in federal money intended for pandemic costs, as Linn County's seven-day average positivity rate is 15.2 percent and transmission is at epidemic level.

As global travel returns, airline rules, checks and tests are hard to track. But get ready for more as travel returns for the holidays and 2022. Here’s the latest.

Yesterday, Mississippi announced two new types of digital identification. The first is an app that allows Mississippians to use a digital driver's license. The second is a digital certificate of COVID-19 vaccination.

A hospice care center in Lafayette, Colo., hosted a pilot study last week involving a humanoid robot named BEOMNI that can do things like take a patient's temperature with a thermometer.

The Michigan district will continue virtual instruction while surging COVID cases affect both students and staff, with buses shuttling students from the high school to the Lenawee Intermediate School District Tech Center.

“The exciting nature of it is that it opens up so many opportunities for state and local innovation around this issue,” said Amy Huffman, policy director for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.

District administrators at Norman Public Schools are unsure what to make of fallen test scores that are still above state average, and up from 2019 at several schools that hit 95 percent participation.

Seeing a precipitous decline in state proficiency exam scores, Illinois schools are looking to tutoring, teacher development, after-school programs and extra social-emotional support for students dealing with trauma.

Bethlehem, N.Y., spent about $300,000 on four trucks with automated hoses that look like robotic arms, but the town has saved money with the vehicles due to extra waste storage space and less required manpower.

The HOPE Task Force at Alamogordo Public Schools, N.M., is participating in a federal "Test to Stay" pilot program for students in close proximity to COVID, testing them every other day instead of sending them home.

Plus, Kansas City, Mo., launches new phase in digital equity work; Wisconsin unveils new broadband grants; Philadelphia debuts an online tax center; and a data map tackles chain restaurants.

When COVID-19 broke out nationwide, the avalanche of related health data overwhelmed the federal government's outdated data infrastructure. More needs to be done if the country is to be ready for the next health crisis.

A survey of 769 middle and high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District found that respondents were worried about mental health issues, access to technology and other life stresses.