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High blood pressure is the leading underlying condition in COVID-19 deaths in Mississippians, according to Mississippi State Department of Health data reported from Jan. 1 to Sept. 14. Around 26% of residents who died of the virus had hypertension, or high blood pressure. Prior to the pandemic, Mississippi ranked 49th in hypertension rates with 43.6% of residents diagnosed with the condition. The nation's average is 32.5%. Black Mississippians disproportionately account for almost half of the COVID-19 deaths reported with underlying health conditions, according to the state health department. More than 1,000 Black residents who died from the virus had hypertension and 763 had diabetes. (Haselhorst, 9/20)

An inmate died at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex, bringing the troubled facility’s death toll to 11 this year, authorities said. Isaabdul Karim, 42, died at a jail infirmary just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the Department of Correction said in a news release. The department initially gave his name as Karim Isaabdul, but a spokesperson said late Monday that Isaabdul Karim was the correct name. (Matthews, 9/21)

Colorado recorded the lowest number of adults with obesity in 2020 compared with all other states, according to new CDC data. 24.2% of Colorado adults reported having obesity last year. Mississippi ranked highest nationally, at 39.7%. Obesity is linked to a number of health complications, ranging from heart disease and cancer to increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalizations. (Alvarez, 9/20)

The public health officer in a politically conservative county in northwestern Montana has resigned his post to ease what his resignation letter called “the strife and conflict coming from a minority of people objecting” to his recommendations in responding to the coronavirus. A member of the public blamed the health officer for his wife’s recent death due to COVID-19. (Hanson, 9/20)

Last influenza season was almost nonexistent even as COVID-19 surged, but this year, with fewer restrictions and more in-person activities, Louisville could see a "worse than average" season, Chief Health Strategist Dr. Sarah Moyer said Tuesday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's not clear when flu activity will start and peak this year but "reduced population immunity due to lack of flu virus activity since March 2020 could result in an early and possibly severe flu season." "So, last year, we were all wearing masks or staying home; schools weren't open. So, in a much different situation, we had one of the best flu years I think ever on record," Moyer said. "We are expecting this year to be much worse because we are back together again." (Ladd, 9/21)

It won’t be long before autumn comes to Georgia, but the changing season could bring more than just cooler temperatures and beautiful foliage. For pharmacists, cold weather means more people coming through their doors looking for relief from stuffy noses and sore throats or to ward off infection with a flu vaccine. October marks the start of the annual flu season, which typically worsens as the mercury drops before ending around May. And with Georgia hospitals still packed with COVID-19 patients, a bad flu season could mean even more strain on already stressed health workers. (Williams, 9/20)

More and more babies in L.A. County have been infected with syphilis in the womb, which can lead to stillbirth, neurological problems, blindness, bone abnormalities and other complications. Nine years ago, only six cases were reported across L.A. County, according to a Department of Public Health report. Last year, that number reached 113. The numbers were already surging before the arrival of COVID-19, but public health officials fear the pandemic exacerbated the problem, closing clinics that screen people for syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections and putting new efforts to battle the disease on ice. (Alpert Reyes, 9/20)

KHN: California’s Reboot Of Troubled Medi-Cal Puts Pressure On Health Plans 

When Denise Williams’ baby boy was 2 months old, she became alarmed by a rattling sound in his lungs and took him to the emergency room. While undergoing treatment, he spiraled into a disabling neurological disorder. Now 2 years old, Markeano is attached to breathing and feeding tubes. He can’t walk or move his arms. “If I want him to sit up, I have to sit him up. If I want him to play with a car, I’ve got to put his hand on the car and move it back and forth,” said Williams, 38, who lives with Markeano, her four other children and her husband, Marcus, in Adelanto, California, a small city in the High Desert region of San Bernardino County. (Wolfson and de Marco, 9/21)