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With cases continuing to follow an uptrend nationwide, and in the Volunteer State, here are some things you should know about the disease. 

COVID-19 has now claimed the lives of 1 million Americans – a grim milestone made worse by the fact that probably a third of those fatalities could have been avoided. 

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The conversation between a state senator and a legislative aide started with a seemingly routine discussion about a bill. It suddenly spiraled as the senator allegedly harassed the aide because she had vaccinated her young child, plunging the Senate into a political drama that has divided South Dakota’s Republican Party. The […]

John Wherry will wait until later in the fall to consider getting an updated COVID-19 booster. The University of Pennsylvania immunologist knows it’s too soon after his shot late this summer, especially since he’s not at high risk from the virus. It’s the kind of calculation many Americans will face as booster shots that target […]

BEIJING (AP) — China began implementing a more relaxed version of its strict “zero COVID” policy on Thursday amid steps to restore normal life, but also trepidation over a possible broader outbreak once controls are eased. The country reported 21,165 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, though it was unclear whether the lower number reflected fewer […]

BEIJING (AP) — A week after China dramatically eased some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 containment measures, uncertainty remained Thursday over the direction of the pandemic in the world’s most populous nation. While there are no official indications yet of the massive surge of critically ill patients some feared, social media posts, business closures and […]

The rate before COVID-19 was the highest it had been in decades.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Wildlife officials will begin distributing rabies vaccine packets by aircraft this week in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and North Carolina. The goal of the program is to control rabies in raccoons by dropping oral rabies vaccine bait packets out of low-flying helicopters and aircraft. The packets’ smell attracts animals like […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Health Department announced that four presumptive monkeypox cases have been confirmed within Shelby County as of Tuesday. SCHD says the four people are now in isolation. Shelby County Health Department is working to reach any close contacts who may have been exposed to offer them testing and vaccination. Tennessee […]

ZHUOZHOU, China (AP) — China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 death toll, a Chinese health official said, a narrow definition that limits the number of deaths being reported as the virus surges following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions. Deaths that occur in patients with pre-existing illnesses are not […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Reacting to a surprising and growing monkeypox outbreak, U.S. health officials on Tuesday expanded the group of people recommended to get vaccinated against the monkeypox virus. They also said they are providing more monkeypox vaccine, working to expand testing, and taking other steps to try to get ahead of the outbreak. […]