Groups Concerned About ‘Test to Treat’ Plan
With one sentence tucked into the March 1 State of the Union address, President Biden kicked off a new effort to combat COVID-19: “We are launching the ‘Test to Treat’ initiative so people can get tested at a pharmacy and, if they prove positive [for SARS-CoV-2], receive the antiviral pills on the spot at no […]
Healthcare a Major Player in State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON — President Biden didn’t skimp on discussing healthcare in Tuesday night’s State of the Union speech — although he took a little while to get there. His first mention of healthcare didn’t come until about 25 minutes into his speech of a little more than an hour, after he talked about the Russian incursion […]
Biden Administration Unveils $3.2 Billion Hunt For Pill To Treat COVID-19, Other Viruses
The Biden administration said Thursday it would invest $3.2 billion to speed the development of antiviral pills that could treat COVID-19 and other viruses, a major step that could save many lives in future pandemics. The Department of Health and Human Services said the plan, dubbed the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, would accelerate and expand […]
Opinion | The Devil Is in the Details: Biden’s HIV/AIDS Strategy
The Biden administration recently released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022-2025), an update from the 2010 and 2015 versions spearheaded by then-President Obama. Seeing this in my email inbox and social media timelines was a welcome sight, signifying that our federal government has not forgotten its commitment to ending the HIV epidemic, despite the persistent scourge […]
Impaired-driver sensor could pave the way for safer vehicles
The bipartisan infrastructure bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden includes a requirement for automakers to install driver monitoring systems that detect intoxicated or impaired drivers. Current systems rely on cameras, which have limitations. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Electronic Materials have made heat-resistant, pressure-detecting sensors that, when attached to seats, can […]
Biden Unveils Plan to Hasten ‘End’ of HIV Epidemic
President Biden announced a new National HIV/AIDS strategy that he described as “a roadmap for how we’re going to put our foot on the gas, and accelerate our efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by the year 2030.” On World AIDS Day, the president spoke from the East Room of the […]
Biden Administration Will Require Insurers To Cover At-Home COVID-19 Tests
The Biden administration plans to mandate that private health insurance providers reimburse people for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests to make those at-home kits free. The federal health, labor and treasury departments will issue the guidance to insurers by Jan. 15, according to senior administration officials on a press call late Wednesday. Advertisement More than 150 million […]
Biden Urges Docs to ‘Reach Out’ to Unvaccinated Patients About a COVID Shot
WASHINGTON — President Biden on Thursday announced a six-point plan for battling the COVID-19 pandemic and appealed directly to physicians for help in getting more Americans vaccinated. “To the nation’s family physicians, pediatricians, and general practitioners: you’re the most trusted medical voice to your patients,” Biden said in an address in the White House State […]
Biden Announces New Actions to Fight COVID
WASHINGTON — President Biden announced several additional actions Wednesday aimed at fighting increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases, largely from the Delta variant of the virus. “Today, I’m directing the Secretary of Education to take additional steps to protect our children,” the president said during an address from the East Room. “This includes using all of […]
Third COVID Vaccine Dose Could Be the Last
As the Biden administration prepares to recommend booster shots for the majority of Americans, some experts are saying the third dose could be the final one. But what evidence leads them to believe that COVID-19 can be defeated by a three-dose series? For starters, a longer duration between the second and third dose may provide […]