Weekend News Brief
Written by Dan Fischer on November 15, 2024
Flu season has arrived, but the spread of the virus is currently very low across the area. The county with the highest number of cases is Monroe with nine, followed by Wayne County with two and Cayuga County with just one. Experts say it is important for folks to take proper precautions so they can avoid getting themselves and others sick. Flu season typically runs into May, but illnesses begin to surge once the weather gets colder.
A full surgery schedule has resumed at University of Rochester Medical Center following an IV fluid shortage. Some procedures were put on hold temporarily after a manufacturing plant in North Carolina was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene. Hospital officials say things are back up and running again due to conservation efforts and using clinically equivalent alternatives. Patients will be contacted directly by their medical provider to get a surgery date.
Some New Yorkers are eligible for almost $1,000 for heating assistance this winter. Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement that money is available through the Home Energy Assistance Program, also known as HEAP. Benefits are available to homeowners and renters, depending on their income. Applications for HEAP benefits are open now and Emergency HEAP benefit applications will open on January 2nd. The application can be found on NY.gov.
SUNY colleges and universities are seeing an increase in enrollment for the second year in a row. This is the first back-to-back rise in 15 years. Enrollment rose over two-percent in the Fall of 2024 with around 275,000 new SUNY students. SUNY Morrisville, and Niagara County Community College have the largest enrollment gains. Governor Kathy Hochul has credited SUNY’s enrollment growth to the $277 million in state funding for community colleges, health care training and mental health, among other things. Her Top-Ten Percent Program also offers automatic admission to the top students starting next year.
The 3rd Annual Small Business Craft and Vendor Event, hosted by St. Paul Lutheran Church and School, is scheduled for Saturday, November 30th from 10 until 3 at the church, located at 31 Washington Avenue. Items to browse include a variety of handcrafted items, quilts, blankets, children and baby items, woodcrafts, jewelry and more. If you’d like more information, please call 585-343-0488.
NBC News Features…
Lunchables are out of school lunch rotations nationwide. Kraft Heinz is pulling the products from the National School Lunch Program due to weak demand. The company said in a statement, it would reconsider bringing them back in the future. While Kraft Heinz said school administrators were eager for the easily accessible, ready-to-eat meals, Consumer Reports reported on their high sodium levels, prompting debate over whether the food is safe for students.
A new study by the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Southern California reveals that COVID-19 can be deadly for years after getting sick. The study shows that those who get COVID are twice as likely to suffer a fatal heart attack, stroke or death for up to three-years after a COVID diagnosis. The risk is even higher for those who were hospitalized with COVID and or have a previous history of heart disease. Doctor Stanley Hazen of the Cleveland Clinic says there is likely to be a rise in cardiovascular disease globally in the coming years.
People started drinking more during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that lasted into at least 2022. A new survey saw increases in the amount of stress-related drinking and alcohol-related deaths in 2020 compared to 2018. Those numbers failed to subside two years later when things started to return to normal. The study was published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Measles cases have gone up across the globe. A new report from the World Health Organization found that cases of the disease rose by 20% worldwide between 2022 and 2023. Although the number of cases increased, deaths from measles went down by 8%. The report says that drop is mainly because the surge in cases occurred in countries and regions where children are less likely to die from measles due to better overall nutrition and access to health care.
