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While the virus is unpredictable, there are clear ways to protect yourself. The plans you make now can lower your risk of exposure, minimize the disruption to the lives of your family and friends and help to assure you have access to treatments if you or someone you know becomes seriously ill. Here’s what you can do to prepare. (Parker-Pope and Sheikh, 3/31)

The highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.2 is now the dominant coronavirus strain around the world. Health officials have known about it since November, but they’re still learning about how it acts and how sick people infected with it are likely to get. With that in mind, here’s what the newest subvariant means for you and your family, as well as the signs you should keep an eye out for now. (Pearson, 3/30)

The number of people hospitalized in Iowa with COVID-19 rose for the first time in ten weeks, but remained low, according to data released Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Last week, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 fell below 100 for just the second time since the pandemic ramped up in 2020. It remained below 100 this week, but increased slightly, from 67 to 74. The number of people requiring intensive care for COVID-19 complications also rose this week, from 11 to 15. Both numbers are much lower than they've been for most of the pandemic. (Webber, 3/30)

A more contagious strain of the omicron variant is growing more prevalent in Maine after improvements in the state’s case and hospitalization numbers have largely stalled out. The BA.2 variant — sometimes referred to as “stealth omicron” — was first identified in Maine in late February. It is estimated to be roughly 30 percent more contagious than the original omicron variant that emerged last fall, and has been cited as a major contributor to rising virus rates in much of Europe. (Piper, 3/31)

As the BA.2 strain of omicron gains dominance, New Jersey is already seeing an uptick in cases that health officials attribute to the subvariant. (McDaniel, 3/29)

Houston is seeing an uptick in the number of BA.2 cases, with genome sequencing and wastewater testing picking up higher levels this week compared to last week. The more contagious omicron subvariant was identified in 24 percent of patients who were sequenced at Houston Methodist, a jump from the 1 to 3 percent previously reported. BA.2 was also detected at six wastewater treatment plants on March 21 — the most recent day for which data is available — after the Houston Health Department last week said it had not been detected at any plants. (Gill, 3/30)

Indiana health officials are dropping the state’s color-coded map that rated each county’s risk of COVID-19 spread in favor of relying on a different federal rating system. That is one of the significant changes that the Indiana Department of Health announced Wednesday for its online dashboard tracking COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths across the state. The agency has been updating the dashboard each weekday but will switch to Monday, Wednesday and Friday updates. (3/30)

The federal government is no longer covering the costs of COVID-19 tests or treatments for those without health insurance. In Alaska, many private test providers say they’re covering the cost for now but may need to soon charge some Alaskans for a service that has been free for most of the pandemic. In some cases, those costs could run between $85 and $125 per test. And at least one provider has announced plans to close existing test sites as a way to reduce overhead costs associated with the end of the federal reimbursement program. (Berman, 3/30)

Free, at-home coronavirus tests are coming to more libraries in Michigan, the state said hours before President Joe Biden urged Congress to approve billions in emergency COVID-19 relief aid for efforts, such as testing, so the U.S. can continue to fight the virus. The free tests will be at 70 libraries across Michigan, helping underserved areas, in an expansion of a program that piloted in January with 18 libraries in five counties and the cities of Detroit and Taylor in Wayne County. (Hall, 3/30)

A new research letter in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases from French scientists shows that, 9 months after COVID-19 diagnosis, 30% of patients have an impaired sense of taste, but complete loss of taste is uncommon. The observational, retrospective study was conducted at the Nord Franche-Comte Hospital and included COVID-19 inpatients and outpatients from Mar 1 to May 31, 2020. A total of 214 patients were involved, and the mean age was 48.8 years. (3/30)

Among 91 COVID-19 pneumonia survivors in Austria, 54% had lung abnormalities on computed tomography (CT) imaging 1 year after symptom onset, suggests an observational study yesterday in Radiology. A team led by University of Innsbruck researchers evaluated the chest CTs of the 91 patients 2, 3, 6, and 12 months after COVID-19 symptom onset. It was a secondary analysis of a prospective, observational, multicenter study conducted from Apr 29 to Aug 12, 2020. Average patient age was 59 years, and 38% were women. (3/30)