We’ve arrived at Friday, at last! If you have a Saturday/Sunday weekend, you may be eager to head out the door. Before you do, take a look at some of the excellent and important reads that we at MCN shared with each other this week.

Tomorrow is the three-year anniversary of the World Health Organization's declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic – and yes, we are still talking about it. Kaethe shared KFF's updated three-year data of COVID deaths and illnesses, plus vaccine and booster uptake, included sorted by race and ethnicity.  COVID-19 Cases, Deaths, and Vaccinations by Race/Ethnicity as of Winter 2022

Alma recommended this very relevant Southerly article, which is also available in Spanish. A Fertilizer Plant Caught Fire. Winston-Salem Had No Plan to Alert Spanish-Speaking Residents.

Noel alerted us that the CDC will begin allowing long COVID to be added to death certificates in the future, for those who died after infection but due to complications that resulted from that COVID infection. This will help better track COVID deaths overall. CDC Adds Long COVID-19 to Death Certificate Guidance

Brenda shared a USA Today article, noting, “This is even scarier to think that a lot of us cross over to Mexico regularly since it is cheaper to buy medication and get medical services.” Mother of Mexico Shooting Survivor Says Americans Traveled for Surgery; Abduction Probe Continues

Weekly Win: Can Metformin prevent long COVID?  The common diabetes drug is showing promise. More research is needed, but a preprint of the randomized placebo-controlled trial that showed a 42% relative reduction is out. Outpatient Treatment of COVID-19 and the Development of Long COVID Over 10 Months: A Multi-Center, Quadruple-Blind, Parallel Group Randomized Phase 3 Trial

Have a safe and healthy weekend.