It’s Too Soon for Annual Covid Booster Shots, Some Experts Say
Celine Castronuovo, Bloomberg Law
It’s too early to tell if the US population will need annual Covid-19 booster shots, infectious disease doctors say. They say they don’t yet know how best to respond to the unpredictable patterns of new variants. But a “regular cadence” of annual Covid-19 shots in line with flu shots would “get more people to get into a rhythm of keeping up to date,” Anthony S. Fauci, President Joe Biden’s former chief medical adviser, said in an interview.
A new COVID-19 subvariant is a growing concern for experts. Here’s why
Frank Diamond, Fierce Healthcare
The sighting and monitoring of any new COVID-19 variant — this time it’s CH.1.1 — must be given context, experts say.
Lawyers for U.S., Navy Seals battle over revoked Covid-19 vaccine mandate
Josh Gerstein, Politico
A lawyer representing Navy Seals who do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19 told a federal appeals court Monday that their lawsuit over a now-withdrawn vaccine mandate isn’t moot even though Congress passed legislation last December ordering the policy canceled.
Healthy lifestyle may mean lower risk of long Covid, study says
Katherine Dillinger, CNN
People who have a healthy lifestyle before Covid-19 infection may have a lower risk of long Covid than their peers, a new study says. The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, looked at almost 2,000 women who reported a positive Covid-19 test between April 2020 and November 2021.
New York City drops COVID-19 vaccine requirement for city workers
Erin Doherty, Axios
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced Monday that he is lifting the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for current and prospective city workers starting Friday.
A Secret Weapon in Preventing the Next Pandemic: Fruit Bats
Jim Robbins, Kaiser Health News
More than four dozen Jamaican fruit bats destined for a lab in Bozeman, Montana, are set to become part of an experiment with an ambitious goal: predicting the next global pandemic.
Patient’s race and method of dialysis are linked to higher risk of blood infection
Isabella Cueto, Stat News
Hispanic, Latino, and non-Hispanic Black Americans on dialysis for end-stage kidney disease have a higher risk of developing life-threatening bloodstream infections, a new report says. And those racial and ethnic disparities are deepened by another risk factor: how the patient received hemodialysis.
Former Sen. Richard Burr to join health care practice at law and lobbying firm
Rachel Cohrs, Stat News
Former Sen. Richard Burr is the latest participant in Washington’s revolving door between Congress and industry. Burr, who was the lead Republican on the Senate health committee until his retirement in January, will be starting as a senior policy adviser and chair of a new health policy strategic consulting practice at DLA Piper, the firm announced Tuesday.
Judge suggests abortion might be protected by 13th Amendment despite Supreme Court ruling
Dan Mangan, CNBC
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly posed that eyebrow-raising hypothetical in a court order in a criminal case against a group of anti-abortion activists charged with blocking access to an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C.
Private equity notched second-highest year of healthcare dealmaking in 2022, Pitchbook finds
Rebecca Pifer, Healthcare Dive
PE firms announced or closed an estimated 863 deals in 2022, making last year the second-highest on record for activity in the sector, after 2021, according to a new report from market data firm Pitchbook.
The ADHD medication shortage is getting worse. What went wrong?
Caroline Hopkins, NBC News
As the nationwide Adderall shortage enters its fifth month, people who rely on medication to help manage attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are finding few, if any, available alternatives.
Heart defect diagnosis often comes too late – or not at all – for Latino infants, study finds
Nada Hassanein, USA Today
Infants born to Latino, low-income or limited-English speaking parents are more likely to be diagnosed later with congenital heart disease than white infants – or lack a prenatal diagnosis at all, a new study found.
What Doctors Are Learning About Marijuana and Surgery
Sumathi Reddy, The Wall Street Journal
As more states allow people to smoke pot and eat edibles legally, more doctors say they are asking about marijuana use—and urging honesty—before surgeries or procedures because habitual users may need more anesthesia and painkillers. In one study, people who reported they used cannabis required more anesthesia than people who didn’t use it.
Hundreds of food products recalled due to Listeria concerns
Lauren Sforza, The Hill
The Fresh Ideation Group, which is based in Baltimore, Md., is recalling food products sold from Jan. 24 through Jan. 30, according to an announcement released by the FDA.
The U.K.’s Government-Run Healthcare Service Is in Crisis
David Luhnow and Max Colchester, The Wall Street Journal
Ill children turned away from hospitals. Three-day-long emergency room waits. Nurses on strike. The NHS is struggling under the effects of budget cuts, Covid delays and an aging population.
