Congress Considers $30 Billion In ‘Biobonds’ For Small Drug Companies
The "biobonds" would be used to finance drug development by small firms or universities.
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The "biobonds" would be used to finance drug development by small firms or universities.
A new study says deaths from fentanyl in Santa Clara County in 2020 more than doubled over the previous two years. Separately, a West Virginia city will get a $200,000 grant to fight substance abuse.
The Ohio city of Lebanon may vote to outlaw abortion today and declare itself a "sanctuary city for the unborn." Meanwhile, Republican-led lawmakers in Texas have advanced a bill to almost immediately outlaw abortions if Roe v. Wade is reversed.
Highly racially inclusive hospitals are often nearby some of the most segregated ones, a new report finds. Meanwhile, news outlets cover a national year of racial "reckoning" after the death of George Floyd.
Although the announcements by U.S. officials, citing a surge in the covid virus, did not directly address plans for the July Olympics, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said it still anticipates that American athletes will be able to safely. Japan also said athletes would be safe during the competition.
Also, people seeking reimbursement from FEMA for funeral expenses of family members who died of covid have trouble if death certificates do not list covid as a cause of death.
Only 7.6% of 18 to 24 year olds have been vaccinated, says the CDC. Experts warn younger Americans who think covid may not pose a serious illness risk that the virus may still bring long-term symptoms.
A poll shows many people over 50 are unmasking and beginning to return to normal life, even as others are continuing to wear masks despite being vaccinated or facing no mask-wearing rules. OSHA may also still mandate masks indoors at work.
In a message for the opening of the annual assembly of the World Health Organization, the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Development says, "Phase 2 of the COVID origins study must be launched with terms of reference that are transparent, science-based, and give international experts the independence to fully assess the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak." This comes as U.S. officials are examining reports that the virus may have escaped from a Chinese virology lab.
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Mucormycosis, usually rare, is suddenly a growing issue in India. Separately, the U.K. has said an official study proves Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are effective against the Indian covid variant.
Meanwhile, reports show racial disparities in covid vaccinations in Georgia and Florida; Maryland's vaccine lottery is in the news; and people experience unmasking in Baltimore and Ohio.
As Politico reports, efforts to develop effective treatments for covid have suffered, potentially threatening efforts to end the pandemic. In other news, the trial of Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes begins to take shape.
Three of the country's largest blood donation organizations have completed a study into whether individual risk assessments could replace the current three month waiting rule.
Some patients are waiting four to five months to get treatment, a health expert says. Before covid-19 hit, waits usually lasted only a few weeks. In news on other effects of the pandemic, reducing children's screen time will tough as the country returns to a more normal schedule. And New York announces that city schools will not have a remote learning option in the fall.
Democratic senators predict that if the Supreme Court next year overturns or weakens the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, pressure will build for Congress to add more justices to the court. Also in congressional news, health care providers hope for more money through the renewed earmark process on Capitol Hill.
The legislators did not approve a long-standing Medicaid provider tax that provides funds to care for elderly, disabled and low-income residents. Nursing home owners say if the state doesn't fix the problem, their businesses will suffer and residents will be caught in the middle. Other advocates are also challenging the decision by the Missouri governor to not implement a Medicaid expansion approved by voters. Efforts to expand Medicaid in Florida and Wyoming are also making news.
Meanwhile Politico covers how nursing homes are using Trump-era protections to defend against covid lawsuits. The "massive" shortage of health care workers across America is highlighted by Axios.
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