Government application site appears to be down – NBC Chicago

The government is expected to launch a new round of free Covid testing kits by post at the end of September.

But the website for ordering these tests went down on Monday, and many who tried to access the site received error messages.

For some, a message later appeared saying, “Coming soon! Claim your free COVID-19 tests by the end of September 2024,” before another error code appeared.

The letter raised questions about when testing kits would be officially available for purchase as the fall and winter virus season approaches, and the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus has also raised questions.

As part of the program, American households will be able to order up to four COVID-19 nasal swab tests, according to the website. COVIDtests.gov websiteThe U.S. Health and Human Services Agency, which oversees the tests, has not announced a specific date for the start of the application process, but the website continues to advertise “late September.”

The tests will detect current strains of the virus and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season when family and friends gather for celebrations, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said in an earlier emailed statement. Over-the-counter COVID-19 home tests typically cost about $11. As of last year.

The release comes as the government is again urging people to get an updated booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, ahead of the respiratory virus season in the fall and winter. U.S. regulators recently issued consent An updated COVID-19 vaccine designed to fight new strains of the virus is on the cards, hopefully by next winter. But uptake is waning. Most Americans have some immunity from past infections or vaccinations, but data show that fewer than a quarter of U.S. adults received a COVID-19 vaccine last fall.

The Biden administration has distributed 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, including half that have been mailed to households. It’s unclear how many tests the federal government has.

Tens of billions of taxpayer dollars have been used to develop COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments.

Here’s what else you should know:

What are the symptoms?

• cough
• sore throat
• runny nose
• Sneezing
• exhaustion
• headache
• muscle pain
• Change in sense of smell
• congestion
• fever or chills
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

recently Reports Research has focused on specific gastrointestinal symptoms and COVID-19.

“Gastrointestinal issues including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea” have been previously identified as possible symptoms of COVID-19, said Dr. Caitlin Getelina, a science adviser to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an epidemiologist.

“We don’t have specific data on the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms with current strains of the virus, but COVID-19 symptoms can certainly vary based on the variant and the individual,” Getelina told NBC Chicago in July.

Last year, a Chicago-area doctor said she noticed shifts in the most common symptoms her patients reported as the JN.1 variant spread.

Dr. Chantel Tenfang, a family medicine physician at Sengstack Health Center at Provident Hospital in Cook County, noted at the time that many of the cases she saw reported less fever, body aches and chills, and more symptoms of sore throat, fatigue and cough.

“We still see some patients with decreased appetite, loss of taste or smell. So it depends on each case. One patient was so tired. She couldn’t do much. That’s when I realized it was different. It’s not just coughing and shortness of breath. We still see that,” she added.

I suggest consulting your doctor if your symptoms do not begin to improve outside of the recommended isolation period.

How long does COVID last?

As for timing, symptoms may last for several days, but in some cases, for a longer period.

“Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as long COVID or post-COVID (PCC),” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These symptoms can last for weeks or even years.

However, previous timing guidelines were centered around five to ten days.

What to do if the test result is positive?

In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 guidance to reflect guidance for other respiratory infections. The CDC said people with COVID-19 no longer need to stay away from others for five days, removing the five-day isolation recommendation.

People can return to work or normal activities if their symptoms are mild and improving and it has been a day since they had a fever, but the CDC still recommends that people with symptoms stay home.

“Recommendations suggest returning to normal activities when symptoms have generally improved for at least 24 hours and, if fever is present, has resolved without the use of fever-reducing medication,” the guidelines say.

Once activities resume, the CDC still recommends “additional prevention strategies” for an additional five days, including wearing a mask and maintaining distance from others.

The agency stresses that people should try to prevent infection in the first place, by getting vaccinated, washing their hands, and taking steps to get more fresh air outside.

As part of the guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the following:

• Stay Updated with vaccination To protect people from serious illness, hospitalization, and death. This includes influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus if the person is eligible.
• Practice good hygiene By covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands frequently, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
• Take steps for cleaner airsuch as bringing in more fresh air from outside, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors.

The change comes at a time when COVID-19 is no longer the public health threat it once was, having fallen from being the nation’s third-leading cause of death early in the pandemic to the 10th-leading cause last year.

Most people have some degree of immunity to the coronavirus from previous vaccinations or infection, and some experts say many people are not following the five-day isolation guidelines anyway.

What you should know about the new XEC model

According to Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, the XEC variant “seems the most likely to have a chance to grow next time around.”

At this point, the XEC variant seems the most likely to get legs next. Its current status is being tracked well by @Mike_Honey_ Topic ‘shttps://t.co/4AnLa3MXfz

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) September 15, 2024

Topol said the subvariant is a “modified version of the KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 variants” and has “appeared in several countries with a growth advantage.” However, he added that it may take some time to know the full extent of the variant.

The rise in this variant comes from a recent mutation, Topol said. Los Angeles Times.

While KP.3, dubbed the FLuQE variant, and its subvariant KP.3.1.1, or deFLuQE variant, each had their own mutation, XEC took the mutation even further, making it a “highly pathogenic, highly immunogenic variant.”

He suggested that this could be behind the recent wave that has infected people who may not have been infected with Covid-19.

The variant’s spread remains largely limited abroad, with XEC not being detected widely enough to be included in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s variant lineage tracker.

The dominant variant in the United States is still KP.3.1.1, which currently accounts for more than half of COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Data reported over the weekend showed the highest percentages of the variant seen in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.