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Georgia experienced a dramatic increase in the number of people signing up for health care coverage during a special enrollment window for the Affordable Care Act. Between February 15 and August 15, a little more than 147,000 people in the state selected an ACA health plan, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The report was released on Sept. 15. (9/26)

A Kentucky safety and personal protective equipment developer is manufacturing a new respirator to help front-line healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andy Beshear said. ... Cynthiana-based Bullard said the new respirator is designed to be more comfortable and make it easier for the workers to better communicate. The respirators were built with “all day use” in mind, to be worn around the shoulders instead of the waist, said Landon Borders, Bullard’s director of product development. (9/27)

In its latest weekly flu update today the CDC said a variant H1N2 (H1N2v) case has been reported from Ohio, the nation's third involving the influenza subtype this season. The patient is younger than 18, wasn't hospitalized, and has recovered. Neither the patient nor his or her household contacts had contact with swine or had attended agricultural events where pigs were present, features that are often associated with swine-variant infections. (9/24)

Gov. Doug Ducey has ousted and replaced all five members the Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy in the wake of a newspaper’s critical report about the occupational regulatory panel’s handling of complaints about alleged sexual abuse by therapists. Ducey’s announcement Friday didn’t mention the Arizona Republic’s Sept. 15 investigative report that the board was lax in disciplining therapists accused of abuse, but he said it was critical that the board “protects massage clients, especially those who are in a vulnerable position.” (9/25)