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While the northern hemisphere can expect infections to slowly rise through the winter, they are unlikely to lead to the dramatic spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths seen in the first two winters of the pandemic, according to the latest forecast from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. (Vaziri and Buchmann, 10/25)

As part of President Biden’s efforts to increase access to COVID-19 treatments, Walgreens has partnered with Uber and DoorDash to provide free delivery of the antiviral treatment Paxlovid to Americans living in underserved communities. (Vaziri and Buchmann, 10/25)

Persistent worries about catching Covid kept about 3 million Americans out of the workforce, reducing the nation’s economic output by $250 billion in the first half of 2022, according to new research on a phenomenon dubbed “Long Social Distancing.” (Boyle, 10/25)

The strong late-pandemic labor market is giving a lift to a group often left on the margins of the economy: workers with disabilities. Employers, desperate for workers, are reconsidering job requirements, overhauling hiring processes and working with nonprofit groups to recruit candidates they might once have overlooked. At the same time, companies’ newfound openness to remote work has led to opportunities for people whose disabilities make in-person work — and the taxing daily commute it requires — difficult or impossible. (Casselman, 10/25)