FDA Panel Gives Thumbs Up to Omicron-Containing COVID Boosters
An FDA advisory committee voted 19-2 on Tuesday to recommend use of an Omicron-specific component in a future COVID-19 vaccine booster. “We really do need vaccines that provide broader protection against variants that have not yet emerged,” said Melinda Wharton, MD, MPH, associate director of vaccine policy at the CDC, at a remote meeting of […]
Biden Urges COVID Vaccination for America’s Youngest Kids
President Biden on Tuesday urged parents to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations for their little kids. “The United States is now the first country in the world to offer safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old,” he said at a press briefing. “[For] the first time in our fight against this […]
‘There’s Nothing to Repair’: Emergency Docs on Injuries From Assault Weapons
Last Tuesday, Christopher Colwell, MD, chief of emergency medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, was looking forward to a rare dinner that his entire family of five would be able to attend. He had left his shift at the emergency department and drove straight home, listening to music in the car […]
Signs Your Kid Might Be Traumatized By Gun Violence In The News
A gunman killed at least 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. This mass killing follows the supermarket massacre in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, and the Laguna Woods, California, church shooting on May 15. These kinds of […]
95% Of Schools Do Active Shooter Drills. Here’s How It Affects Kids.
On Tuesday, a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. This horrific shooting has again shone the spotlight on school safety and the increasing prevalence of active shooter drills. During the 2005-06 school year, an estimated 40% of American public schools conducted lockdown drills for students. By the […]
Reproductive Justice Groups Frustrated By Democrats’ Modified Bill To Codify Roe
Late Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) filed an updated version of the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that would codify Roe v. Wade into federal law. The move is a last-minute attempt to protect abortion rights in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that revealed the high court […]
CDC Restates Recommendation For Masks On Planes, Trains
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday restated their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation. Americans age 2 and older should wear a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and […]
White House Rolls Out National Plan to Fight Long COVID
The Biden administration unveiled a new plan on Tuesday to improve the nation’s understanding of long COVID and to better prevent, detect, and treat the condition, particularly in hard-hit communities. “Long COVID is real, and there is still so much we don’t know about it,” said Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier […]
House Members Remain Divided on Universal Healthcare
WASHINGTON — Democratic and Republican House members appeared as far apart as ever Tuesday on the issue of the best way to achieve universal healthcare coverage in the U.S. “Republicans are serious on this committee about trying to solve the healthcare problems we have in America, but bigger government and government-run healthcare is not the […]
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 […]