With an urgent funding request stuck in Congress, a federal agency says it can no longer cover COVID test and treatment bills for uninsured people and will stop taking claims at midnight Tuesday.
The goal is to get patients started on either Pfizer’s Paxlovid tablets or Merck’s molnupiravir capsules within five days of symptoms appearing. But the tight deadline has highlighted several challenges.
Although some fully vaccinated and boosted people came down with mild infections during the omicron surge, the study showed that the vaccines—and especially the booster shot—protected most people from the virus’s worst effects.
U.S. cigarette smoking dropped to a new all-time low in 2020, according to survey data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The company said its request for approval for all adults was made “to provide flexibility” to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical providers to determine the “appropriate use” of a second booster dose of the vaccine.
It’s clear that in those who already have diabetes, COVID-19 can worsen the condition and lead to severe complications. But there are other possible links.
Additionally, the pharmaceutical giant said in a statement that it had “suspended all investments, promotional activities, and new clinical trials in Russia.”
The decision from the FDA could come relatively quickly, especially if officials conclude the data is straightforward and does not have to be reviewed by a panel of outside vaccine experts.
The mask mandate was scheduled to expire March 18, but the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that it will extend the requirement through April 18.
A congressional panel on Wednesday debated whether to end the nation’s “spring forward” and “fall back” daylight saving policy, citing the health effects of shifting the clock twice per year. Most agreed it was about time.
Despite the decline in hospitalizations and cases, the virus is still claiming lives. Another 77 COVID deaths were reported on Wednesday, raising the pandemic total to 22,215 in Indiana.
Nearly 30 million Americans have diabetes, and more than 6 million use insulin to keep their blood sugars under control. It’s an old drug, refined over the years, that has seen relentless price increases.
It has been difficult to find mental health counseling in much of the United States for years. But now, after two years of unrelenting stress, turmoil and grief, many people seeking help are confronting a system at or beyond capacity.
The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe.
As demand for COVID-19 vaccines collapses in many areas of the United States, states are scrambling to use stockpiles of doses before they expire and have to be added to the millions that have already gone to waste.
The Biden administration is seeking more funds to help protect Ukraine against the Russian invasion and to cover coronavirus pandemic-related expenses, two major additions to budget talks already underway.
The 96-page road map is part of a broader White House strategy to move the country from crisis footing and convince Americans that their lives can return to normal amid the president’s tanking approval ratings.
Pfizer’s new COVID-19 treatment came with a catch when it debuted late last year: Supplies were limited, and it would take months to make the tablets.
Meanwhile, statewide hospitalizations due to COVID fell to 751 as of Tuesday, the lowest number since July 25.
Officials have begun euthanizing the 16,500 birds at the latest farm to prevent the spread of the disease.
