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FDA Head Robert Califf Battles Misinformation—Sometimes With Fuzzy Facts
Robert Califf, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, doesn’t seem to be having fun on the job. “I would describe this year as hand-to-hand combat. Really, every day,” he said at an academic conference at Stanford in April. It’s a sentiment the FDA commissioner has expressed often.
Genetic Variant Associated With Absence of COVID-19 Symptoms
At least 20% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, never showed symptoms. These asymptomatic infections could provide clues to how the virus can be quickly cleared from the body. Genetic factors may be involved. However, most studies of genetics and COVID-19 outcomes to date have focused on severe disease.
R.I.P. Stephaun Elite Wallace, PhD, HIV Scientist and House Ballroom Legend
Stephaun Elite Wallace, PhD, an epidemiologist, social justice and HIV advocate and legend of the house ballroom scene, died Saturday, August 5, 2023. He was 45. A cause of death was not disclosed. The director of external relations for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center’s HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) in Seattle,...
Progress Toward Universal Vaccines
In March 2020, the world changed in the blink of an eye as countries around the world locked down to slow the spread of COVID-19. This often deadly disease, caused by a previously unknown coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, seeded outbreaks across the globe in record time. By the end of 2022, it had killed more than 6 million people worldwide.
HHS Announces the Formation of the Office of Long COVID Research
Today [July 31], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra released the following statement applauding the formation of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice to lead the Long COVID response and coordination across the federal government and, in addition, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launch of the Long COVID clinical trials through the RECOVER Initiative.
Early-Stage Cancer Diagnoses Decreased Sharply in the U.S. During First Year of COVID-19 Pandemic; Underserved Greatly Affected
A new study from researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) found monthly adult cancer diagnoses decreased by half in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The largest decrease was for Stage I cancers, resulting in a higher proportion of late-stage diagnoses. The study is the...
‘Conscience’ Bills Let Medical Providers Opt Out of Providing a Wide Range of Care
A new Montana law will provide sweeping legal protections to health care practitioners who refuse to prescribe marijuana or participate in procedures and treatments such as abortion, medically assisted death, gender-affirming care, or others that run afoul of their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs or principles. The law, which goes...
Childhood Immunization Begins Recovery After COVID-19 Backslide
Global immunization services reached 4 million more children in 2022 compared to the previous year, as countries stepped up efforts to address the historic backsliding in immunization caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data published today [July 18] by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, in 2022, 20.5...
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo Selected as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Lawrence A. Tabak, DDS, PhD, acting director for the National Institutes of Health, has named Jeanne M. Marrazzo, MD, as director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dr. Marrazzo is currently the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at...
NIH Launches Long COVID Clinical Trials Through RECOVER Initiative
Today, the National Institutes of Health launched and is opening enrollment for Phase 2 clinical trials that will evaluate at least four potential treatments for long COVID, with additional clinical trials to test at least seven more treatments expected in the coming months. Treatments will include drugs, biologics, medical devices and other therapies.
Medical Debt Is Making Americans Angry. Doctors and Hospitals Ignore This at Their Peril.
For Emily Boller, it was a $5,000 hospital bill for a simple case of pink eye that took four years to pay off. For Mary Curley, it was the threatening collection letters from a lab that arrived more than 2.5 years later, just as her husband lost his job and the family was fighting to save their home.
How the Affirmative Action Ruling Will Impact Health Care
Doctors are concerned that a Supreme Court ruling issued June 29 will have far-reaching effects not only on the diversity of doctors and other care providers in training but ultimately also on patient care. The decision found it is unconstitutional for colleges and universities to use race as a factor...
Proposed Rule on Short-Term Health Plans Would Strengthen Patient Protections
The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor and the Treasury Department jointly released a proposed rule [on July 7] that would [limit] the sale of new short-term limited duration insurance plans (STLD) to 90 days. This is similar to rules that were in place prior to 2018, but under the proposed rule would apply to all STLD plans created after the final rule is issued. The proposed rule would also require STLD issuers to comply with new notice requirements to help consumers distinguish between an STLD plan and comprehensive health coverage.
White House Launches Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy
The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic progress on our nation’s ability to manage COVID-19 so that it no longer meaningfully disrupts the way we live our lives. Under President Biden’s leadership, the Administration has taken significant steps to ensure all individuals have continued access to lifesaving protections such as vaccines, treatments, and tests, and that the nation is well prepared to manage the risks of COVID-19 or other causes of potential pandemics in the future.
NIH Awards Will Fund Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome Research
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded five projects for research to better understand Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), which is a collection of symptoms, such as pain, fatigue, and difficulty thinking or “brain fog,” which linger following standard treatment for Lyme disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 476,000 people in the United States are infected with Lyme disease each year. Between 10 and 20% of them experience PTLDS.
How a Combination of COVID Lawsuits and Media Coverage Keeps Misinformation Churning
Public health has had its day in court lately. And another day. And another day. Over the course of the pandemic, lawsuits came from every direction, questioning public health policies and hospitals’ authority. Petitioners argued for care to be provided in a different way, they questioned mandates on mask and vaccine use, and they attacked restrictions on gatherings.
Excessive Drinking During the Pandemic Increased Alcoholic Liver Disease Death Rates
Excessive drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic increased alcoholic liver disease deaths so much that the condition killed more Californians than car accidents or breast cancer, a KFF Health News analysis has found. While this led to a rise in all sorts of alcohol-related deaths, the number of Californians dying from...
Do diet drinks with aspartame cause cancer?
On July 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) released two reports about aspartame, an artificial sweetener widely used in diet sodas, sugar-free chewing gum and other low-calorie products. (The most popular brand of artificial sweetener, Equal, contains aspartame and usually comes in blue packets, while Sweet ‘N Low, or saccharin, comes in pink, and Splenda, or sucralose, comes in yellow.)
Patients Squeezed in Fight Over Who Gets to Bill for Pricey Infusion Drugs
Health insurers and medical providers are battling over who should supply high-cost infusion drugs for patients, with the tussle over profits now spilling into statehouses across the country. The issue is that some insurers are bypassing hospital pharmacies and physician offices and instead sending more complex drugs through third-party pharmacies....
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COVID Health is here to help people navigate the unknowns of a COVID-19 diagnosis and what lies beyond. The site is also designed to help people learn how to prevent transmission of the new coronavirus, which is called SARS-CoV-2.
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