Social behavior

Holidays didn't lead to feared bump in flu cases, CDC says NEW YORK (AP) — New U.S. government data suggests holiday gatherings didn't spark surges in respiratory diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that visits to doctors' offices for the flu-like illnesses fell for the sixth straight week. AP NEWS

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Of course, the situation is uneven across the country, and some places have more illnesses than others. But some doctors say patient traffic is easing.

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‘I was wrong’: how Covid conspiracies became a gateway to extreme views Some Covid deniers have regrets, but others have joined more extremist hate movements the Guardian

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Paying people to take COVID vaccine worked well, study finds Paying people to take a first COVID-19 vaccine dose didn't lower the likelihood of seeking the second or third dose or of other positive health behaviors. CIDRAP

A study finds that paying people to take a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine didn't lower the likelihood of seeking the second or third dose or of other positive health behaviors and didn't erode morals, sense of civic duty, or feelings of self-determination.

Why it’s easier to catch a cold, the flu or COVID in the winter Low humidity protects viruses and cold temperatures may blunt some immune responses, making viral infections like colds, flu and COVID-19 more likely. Tina Hesman Saey Science News

...researchers have found that viruses that surge in the winter, including influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 — the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — survive best when the relative humidity in the air falls below about 40 percent.

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