The federal government is working with Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to reduce the number of doses per vial, amid growing concerns about wasted vaccines.
The Atlantic – For many fully vaccinated Americans, the Delta surge spoiled what should’ve been a glorious summer.
Those who had cast their masks aside months ago were asked to dust them off. Many are still taking no chances. Some have even returned to all the same precautions they took before getting their shots, including avoiding the company of other fully vaccinated people.
The Atlantic’s biggest live-event series returns this September for an expanded seven days...
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said on Thursday that it was reimbursing a Florida school district that lost state money for imposing a mask mandate, in opposition to a ban on such orders from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the pro-Trump Republican.
The award to Alachua County Public Schools of $147,719 is the first in the nation.
It effectively compensates for the money lost in early September. Broward County, in South Florida, also saw state funds taken...
Daily Briefing, September 21, 2021
ADVISORY BOARD – Ivermectin is an anti-parasite drug discovered in 1975. It was initially introduced as a drug for livestock, and a version of the drug for humans was developed later.
Ivermectin is used to treat several parasitic infections around the world, including river blindness and elephantiasis.
Around 250 million people take ivermectin to treat parasitic infections every year, and its side effects, such as nausea, itching, and rashes, are typically mild....
AP – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans, opening a major new phase in the U.S vaccination drive against COVID-19.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a series of recommendations from a panel of advisers late Thursday.
The advisers said boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have...
NBC NEWS – The Department of Justice has announced criminal charges against 42 medical professionals, including 23 doctors, and nearly 100 other people for alleged health-care fraud that involved about $1.4 billion in suspected losses.
The cases charged include ones that involved the use of telemedicine services as part of the fraud, which alone accounted for approximately $1.1 billion in alleged losses from false and fraudulent claims. Telemedicine employs communications technology to evaluate and treat...
FOX NEWS – A Texas school district has removed a book from schools after an irate mother read aloud an excerpt about anal sex during last week’s Lake Travis Independent School District meeting.
Kara Bell read a sexually explicit passage from "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez.
Bell recited to the board Wednesday night:
"Take her out back, we boys figured, then hand on the titties, put it in her cornbox, put it in her cornhole,...
FOX NEWS – The union that represents about 1,800 Massachusetts State Police troopers went before a judge Wednesday asking for a delay in the implementation of Gov. Charlie Baker's state employee coronavirus vaccine mandate.
The union's lawsuit filed last week asks for the delay so the union can "negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment."
An attorney for the State Police Association of Massachusetts told the judge that Baker's Oct. 17 deadline is arbitrary and...
(CNN) The protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines appears to wane over time, especially for people 65 and older, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert said Wednesday.
Ruth Link-Gelles, who helps lead the CDC's Vaccine Effectiveness Team, reviewed a series of studies looking at the overall effectiveness of vaccines in various groups between February and August.
They found similar patterns for Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines, both made using mRNA.
The findings tended to support the...
FOOD SAFETY NEWS – Officials say a Salmonella Weltevreden outbreak linked to imported, cooked, frozen shrimp is over, but they are concerned some consumers may have the shrimp on hand.
As of Sept. 21 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak over. At least nine people in four states were sickened.
The last illness onset date was July 17, 2021.
Based on the Food and Drug Administration’s completed traceback investigation and sample results,...
KAISER HEALTH NEWS – President Joe Biden’s failure to name someone to lead the Food and Drug Administration, more than 10 months after the election, has flummoxed public health experts who say it’s baffling for the agency to be without a permanent leader during a national health crisis.
The pandemic has taxed the FDA, an 18,000-person agency whose chiefs have traditionally received bipartisan backing during the Senate confirmation process.
Many leaders in public health, industry and...
NEWSWEEK – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said that monoclonal antibody treatment is having a significant effect on COVID cases in his state, as he continues to lock horns with the Biden administration over the distribution of the therapy.
Along with other GOP governors, DeSantis has championed the treatment that lessens the severity of COVID symptoms, which he sees as a key pandemic-fighting policy, along with promoting vaccines.
However, DeSantis faces criticism for his opposition to...
