The Real-Life Costs Of Shrinking The Democrats’ Big Spending Plan
A discernible, long-simmering tension among some generally like-minded Democrats has spilled into public view in the past few weeks. It’s about two health care initiatives in President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” legislation ― and the likelihood that there won’t be enough money to fully fund both. One is a proposal to insure as many […]
Texas Abortion Law Blocked; WHO Backs Wide Use of Malaria Vax; New FDA Chief Coming?
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. A federal judge ordered Texas to temporarily suspend its 6-week abortion ban. (AP) The World Health Organization recommended widespread use of GlaxoSmithKline’s RTS,S malaria vaccine for kids in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high rates of transmission. Pfizer finished submitting its application to […]
COVID Ravages Alaska; Newsom Signs STD Testing Bill; Encephalitis in Connecticut
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. COVID is pushing Alaska’s healthcare system to its limit. (AP) As of Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll reached 43,952,129 cases and 705,374 deaths, up 98,915 cases and 1,972 deaths since this time yesterday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill […]
Existing Drugs Could Treat Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers
Latest Cancer News MONDAY, Oct. 4, 2021 There’s some encouraging news for people who develop lung cancer even though they’ve never smoked. Precision drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can be used to treat 78% to 92% of their tumors, a new study reports. These precision drugs target specific […]
EU Backs Booster for All Adults; More OTC COVID Tests; A ‘Pacemaker for the Brain’
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. The EU’s top drug regulator approved a booster for Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID vaccine for individuals ages 18 and up. (AP) In the U.S., the FDA authorized another over-the-counter COVID-19 antigen test, ACON Laboratories’ Flowflex COVID-19 Home Test, which is expected to double rapid at-home testing capacity. As […]
What Are The Side Effects of the H1N1 Flu Vaccine?
Other information about getting a flu shot Who should not get it? Some people should not get the flu vaccine, including: Babies less than 6 months old. Anyone with an allergy to the flu vaccine or any ingredient in it. Many people with egg allergies need to take a specific flu vaccine that is egg-free. […]
Doc Groups Unhappy With HHS Rule on No Surprises Act
Some medical groups are none too happy with the “surprise billing” interim final rule issued yesterday by the Biden administration. The rule — issued jointly by the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury — implements part of the No Surprises Act, passed by Congress in December 2020 as part of a larger […]
YouTube Bans Anti-Vaxxers; UV Disinfection Danger; Beijing’s Olympics Rules
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. Anti-vaccine videos will no longer have a home on YouTube. (Washington Post) EHR data suggested that long COVID affected one in three people who had been infected, and lingering symptoms varied across age and sex. (CNN) As of Thursday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. […]
Zeroing in on the origins of Earth’s ‘single most important evolutionary innovation’: A new study shows oxygenic photosynthesis likely evolved between 3.4 and 2.9 billion years ago.
Some time in Earth’s early history, the planet took a turn toward habitability when a group of enterprising microbes known as cyanobacteria evolved oxygenic photosynthesis — the ability to turn light and water into energy, releasing oxygen in the process. This evolutionary moment made it possible for oxygen to eventually accumulate in the atmosphere and […]
Alaska Starts Rationing Care; Remdesivir for Outpatients? New GVHD Drug OK’d
Note that some links may require registration or subscription. With Alaska hospitals crippled by the overwhelming number of COVID patients, the state has adopted crisis standards of care, Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) announced on Wednesday. (Reuters) Gilead said a 3-day intravenous course of its antiviral drug remdesivir (Veklury) reduced the risk of hospitalization or death […]