Health Highlights: Sept. 29, 2020

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Don’t Travel for Thanksgiving: CDC

Families who usually travel to see each other on Thanksgiving should stay home and hold virtual celebrations instead, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in guidance on holiday safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency said travel increases the risk of coronavirus transmission, so it’s best to restrict Thanksgiving dinners to people living in the same household, CBS News reported.

It also recommends “preparing traditional family recipes for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and delivering them in a way that doesn’t involve contact with others.”

The CDC also urges people to shop online rather than in-person on Black Friday and the following Monday, and for sports fans or parade-goers to watch these events from home, CBS News reported.

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U.S. Government to Ship Millions of Rapid COVID Tests This Week

The U.S. government will start distributing millions of rapid coronavirus tests to states this week with the goal of reopening schools.

About 6.5 million tests will be shipped this week, and a total of 100 million tests will be sent out over the next several weeks, a senior official told the Associated Press.

Tests will be distributed based on state populations and governors can use them as they see fit, but the federal government is pushing for the tests to be used to reopen schools.

The move to greatly increase testing comes as the U.S. has more than 40,000 confirmed new COVID-19 cases a day and experts say there’s likely to be a surge of infections in the coming months, the AP reported.

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Chrissy Teigen Hospitalized For Bleeding During Pregnancy

Chrissy Teigen was hospitalized Sunday for bleeding during her third pregnancy, but says she and her unborn son are fine.

“In the simplest of terms, my placenta is really, really weak. I feel really, really good, the baby is so healthy, growing stronger than [her previous two children],” the 34-year-old model, TV personality and cookbook author said on social media, USA Today reported.

She said she’s about halfway through her pregnancy and has been on “super serious” bedrest for the last few weeks.

Teigen said over the past month or so, she has been “”always, always bleeding,” but added that she and her doctors are “on it” and “trying everything,” USA Today reported.

Brain-Eating Amoeba in Tap Water of Lake Jackson, Texas

The presence of a brain-eating amoeba in its drinking water has led the city of Lake Jackson, Texas, to issue a “do not use water order” and request an emergency declaration from the state.

“The City of Lake Jackson, County of Brazoria, Texas, is facing significant threats to life, health and property due to contaminated drinking water,” the city said in its emergency request to Gov. Greg Abbott. “The impact of this threat is severe. The potential damages include: sickness and death.”

The city, which has more than 27,000 residents, gets its water from the Brazos River. The situation with naegleria fowleri in the water “is of such severity and magnitude” that the city cannot control the threat on its own, Mayor Bob Sipple wrote, CBS News reported.

The Brazosport Water Authority supplies water to Lake Jackson and said in a statement that it’s unclear how long before the city’s tap water will again be safe.

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