Free Republic

Four viruses are currently circulating in the United States, which some have referred to as a "quad-demic." Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed an increase in three respiratory viruses—COVID-19, flu and RSV—and the gastrointestinal disease norovirus. Emergency department visits are "high" and "very high" for flu and RSV, respectively, and "elevated" for COVID-19 across the U.S., according to the CDC. As of the week ending Jan. 4, 18.6% of tests for influenza are returning positive, as are 11.6% of RSV tests and 6.9% of COVID tests. Meanwhile, for norovirus, 27.91% of weekly tests have come back...

On Friday the stock market crashed by 900 points as politicians in cities across the globe started to panic over the latest variant of Wuhan coronavirus. But based on what we know so far, the latest version of the disease isn't making people sicker. South African Doctor Angelique Coetzee, who is on the team that discovered the variant, has repeatedly said symptoms are "very very mild." "What we are seeing clinically in South Africa, and remember that I’m at the epicenter, that’s where I’m practicing, is extremely mild," Coetzee said during an interview with the BBC. "We haven’t admitted anyone....