In Quest for Herd Immunity, Giant Vaccination Sites Proliferate

By BY ABBY GOODNOUGH AND CHRISTOPER CAPOZZIELLO from NYT Health A day at one mass site in Connecticut shows both the promise and the shortcomings of the approach, which is at the center of President Biden’s plan to bring the pandemic to an end. https://ift.tt/3szaZlQ

F.D.A. Clears Johnson & Johnson’s Shot, the Third Vaccine for U.S.

By BY NOAH WEILAND AND SHARON LAFRANIERE from NYT Health The authorization of a third Covid-19 vaccine will bring millions more doses within days. But health officials worry that some people will see the vaccine as the inferior choice. https://ift.tt/3swb4qg

Vulnerable Inmates Left in Prison as Covid Rages

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health At a federal compound in Connecticut, inmates in precarious health “are like sitting ducks,” one lawyer said. https://ift.tt/3uCNQkb

This Drug Gets You High, and Is Legal (Maybe) Across the Country

By BY MATT RICHTEL from NYT Health A once-ignored derivative of hemp has become a hot seller for people looking for a loophole around marijuana laws. https://ift.tt/2O3Z3cS

This Drug Gets You High, and Is Legal (Maybe) Across the Country

By BY MATT RICHTEL from NYT Health A once-ignored derivative of hemp has become a hot seller for people looking for a loophole around marijuana laws. https://ift.tt/2PiFhef

F.D.A. Expert Panel Endorses Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine

By BY CARL ZIMMER AND NOAH WEILAND from NYT Health With this last hurdle cleared, formal authorization of the one-dose vaccine is expected on Saturday and distribution within days. https://ift.tt/3aXBwTO

Want to Buy a Scrunchie Mask? Great. But Forget About That N95.

By BY ANDREW JACOBS from NYT Health Scientists are urging Americans to upgrade their face coverings. But Amazon, Google and Facebook restrict the sale of medical-grade masks. Critics say the rules are outdated. https://ift.tt/3ktShsX

Teens and Parents: Are You Grappling With Mental Health Issues?

By BY THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT Health The New York Times would like to hear from parents and adolescents who are dealing with mental health challenges. https://ift.tt/3aTISYn

A New Coronavirus Variant Is Spreading in New York, Researchers Report

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The variant contains a mutation thought to help the virus dodge the immune system, scientists said. https://ift.tt/3uxA96e

C.D.C. Traces Covid Outbreaks in Gyms, Urging Stricter Precautions

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health Coronavirus cases at fitness centers in Chicago and Honolulu were linked to carelessness about masks and symptoms, federal health officials found. https://ift.tt/3pSfbeo

Moderna announces a new version of its vaccine in hopes of combating troublesome variants.

By BY DENISE GRADY from NYT Health https://ift.tt/2ZLQcPk

Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine Works Well and May Curb Virus Spread

By BY CARL ZIMMER, NOAH WEILAND AND SHARON LAFRANIERE from NYT Health F.D.A. studies show the shot strongly protects against severe illness and may reduce spread of the virus. But the drugmaker has fallen short of initial production goals. https://ift.tt/2O1HYzW

Studies Examine Variant Surging in California, and the News Isn’t Good

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health Two studies confirm that a new coronavirus mutant in California is more contagious, although the scale of its threat is unclear. https://ift.tt/3bBz846

How Meaningful Is Prediabetes for Older Adults?

By BY PAULA SPAN from NYT Health A new study indicates that the condition might be less of a worry than once believed. https://ift.tt/3kfRvzE

Researchers Halt Trial of Promising Sickle Cell Treatment

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health Two patients in a gene therapy study developed cancer years after treatment. It is not clear whether the therapy was responsible. https://ift.tt/3pQFstW

Vaccines Adapted for Variants Will Not Need Lengthy Testing, F.D.A. Says

By BY NOAH WEILAND, KATIE THOMAS AND CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health The agency’s new guidance will speed the development of vaccines that protect against more contagious variants of the coronavirus. https://ift.tt/3qJkoXu

Who Will Be the Next F.D.A. Chief?

By BY SHEILA KAPLAN from NYT Health Two leading contenders generate wider debate about the leadership needed to restore morale and scientific integrity to an agency battered by the politicized Trump administration. https://ift.tt/3bgxSmM

Intense Strength Training Does Not Ease Knee Pain, Study Finds

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health Millions of patients with knee osteoarthritis are told to exercise. A new study casts doubt on what sort of exercise is helpful. https://ift.tt/3aynKH5

People Who Have Had Covid Should Get Single Vaccine Dose, Studies Suggest

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health New studies show that one shot of a vaccine can greatly amplify antibody levels in those who have recovered from the coronavirus. https://ift.tt/3uhp2y7

People Who Have Had Covid Should Get Single Vaccine Dose, Studies Suggest

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health New studies show that one shot of a vaccine can greatly amplify antibody levels in those who have recovered from the coronavirus. https://ift.tt/37u3dRT

‘It was like a war call’: Applications to nursing schools rose during the pandemic.

By BY EMMA GOLDBERG from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3axC4j1

Clinical Trials Are Moving Out of the Lab and Into People’s Homes

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health After the pandemic forced thousands of trials to shut down, researchers found clever ways to conduct human studies remotely — while reaching more people, quickly and cheaply. https://ift.tt/3dpXQas

The C.D.C. needs to set air guidelines now for workplaces, scientists say.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health https://ift.tt/2ZqJrCz

C.D.C. Announces $200 Million ‘Down Payment’ to Track Virus Variants

By BY CARL ZIMMER AND NOAH WEILAND from NYT Health Scientists say the new investment will help in the next couple of months, but hope that the stimulus package will provide much more. https://ift.tt/3jZLrv0

The C.D.C. needs to set air guidelines now for workplaces, scientists say.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3ar9TSI

Scientists to C.D.C.: Set Air Standards for Workplaces Now

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The agency has not fully reckoned with airborne transmission of the coronavirus in settings like hospitals, schools and meatpacking plants, experts said. https://ift.tt/37jH7kY

To Get Their Lives Back, Teens Volunteer for Vaccine Trials

By BY JAN HOFFMAN from NYT Health Immunizing teenagers is a critical part of slowing the pandemic and reaching herd immunity. But enrolling them in clinical trials poses challenges that are very different than wrangling adults. https://ift.tt/3dkMqo3

Bernard Lown, Inventive Doctor and Antiwar Activist, Dies at 99

By BY ROBERT D. MCFADDEN from NYT Health He created the first effective heart defibrillator and co-founded a physicians group that campaigned against nuclear war, earning a Nobel Peace Prize. https://ift.tt/2Zjw8Uu

Covid-Linked Syndrome in Children Is Growing and Cases Are More Severe

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health The condition, which usually emerges several weeks after infection, is still rare, but can be dangerous. “A higher percentage of them are really critically ill,” one doctor said. https://ift.tt/3pjuLQ8

Piecing Together the Next Pandemic

By BY AMOS ZEEBERG from NYT Health From a small lab in Cambodia, Dr. Jessica Manning is on the lookout for emerging diseases. https://ift.tt/3qtaYPB

Scientists Are Trying to Spot New Viruses Before They Cause Pandemics

By BY VERONIQUE GREENWOOD from NYT Health Scientists want to build a weather system for viruses. It would require a big financial investment, plus buy-in from doctors, hospitals and blood banks. https://ift.tt/3jQhflX

Scientists Are Trying to Spot New Viruses Before They Cause Pandemics

By BY VERONIQUE GREENWOOD from NYT Health Scientists want to build a weather system for viruses. It would require a big financial investment, plus buy-in from doctors, hospitals and blood banks. https://ift.tt/3pqCsE1

7 Virus Variants Found in U.S. Carrying the Same Mutation

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health Scientists don’t know yet whether the mutation makes the variants more contagious, but they are concerned that it might. https://ift.tt/3rTZ3La

A W.H.O. Researcher on His Trip to China Seeking Origins of the Virus

By BY JAMES GORMAN from NYT Health An interview with Peter Daszak, an animal disease specialist, just after his return from an investigative research mission to Wuhan, the site of the original Covid outbreak, and surrounding areas. https://ift.tt/3jLoBHt

Covid Vaccines for Kids Are Coming, but Not for Many Months

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Pfizer and Moderna are testing their vaccines on children 12 and older and hope to have results by the summer. https://ift.tt/3d6FriM

As Millions Get Shots, F.D.A. Struggles to Get Safety Monitoring System Running

By BY SHEILA KAPLAN from NYT Health For now, the government has been relying on a patchwork of programs that officials say are hampered by limited size and gaps in data collection. https://ift.tt/3rPYdPd

Americans Must Tighten Up, or Double Up, Their Masks, C.D.C. Says

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health With the vaccine rollout moving slowly and contagious coronavirus variants spreading, the agency said masks still offered powerful protection — if worn correctly. https://ift.tt/3d1xQBO

‘A Game Changer’: Drug Brings Weight Loss in Patients With Obesity

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health In a clinical trial, participants taking semaglutide lost 15 percent of their body weight, on average. https://ift.tt/3q8qpMU

‘A Game Changer’: Drug Brings Significant Weight Loss in Obese Patients

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health In a clinical trial, participants taking semaglutide lost 15 percent of their body weight, on average. https://ift.tt/2MW9gI3

How Merck, a Vaccine Titan, Lost the Covid Race

By BY KATIE THOMAS from NYT Health After ending its own Covid-19 vaccine trials, the company said that it is actively discussing with governments how to help its competitors make their shots. https://ift.tt/3a9rQFn

Primary care doctors grow frustrated with lack of access to vaccines that could help patients.

By BY REED ABELSON from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3qm8rXD

Primary Care Doctors Are Left Out of the Vaccine Rollout

By BY REED ABELSON from NYT Health In the rush to immunize people against Covid, federal and state health officials have overlooked the role of doctors, physicians say. https://ift.tt/371FqIX

Can’t Find an N95 Mask? This Company Has 30 Million That It Can’t Sell.

By BY ANDREW JACOBS from NYT Health Health workers are still being forced to ration protective masks, but small U.S. manufacturers can’t find buyers, and some are in a danger of going under. https://ift.tt/3tL0Wvj

Broad Coalition of Health Industry Groups Calls for Obamacare Expansion

By BY REED ABELSON from NYT Health Hospitals, doctors, insurers and employers say the Affordable Care Act can help the country achieve universal coverage https://ift.tt/3rDadDD

Childhood Colds Do Not Prevent Coronavirus Infection, Study Finds

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health New research casts doubt on the idea that prior infections with garden-variety coronaviruses might shield some people, particularly children, amid the pandemic. https://ift.tt/3q6MlYZ

College Student’s Simple Invention Helps Nurses Work and Patients Rest

By BY ALLYSON WALLER from NYT Health The device, a wearable night light that can minimize disturbances for sleeping patients, is the brainchild of a University of Pennsylvania senior and a neonatal I.C.U. nurse. https://ift.tt/3q3p9L0

Could a Single Vaccine Work Against All Coronaviruses?

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health Scientists are working on a shot that could protect against Covid-19, its variants, certain seasonal colds — and the next coronavirus pandemic. https://ift.tt/3d49hUK

People With Dementia Are Twice as Likely to Get Covid, Huge Study Finds

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health The analysis of nearly 62 million electronic medical records in the U.S. also found that Black people with dementia were at an even greater risk. https://ift.tt/3jvfFWB

Less Drilling, Less Germ Spray: Dentistry Adapts to the Covid Era

By BY DEBORAH SCHOCH from NYT Health The pandemic has forced dentists and hygienists to change some of the methods for maintaining good oral hygiene, to protect patients as well as themselves. https://ift.tt/3tIDUVG

Coronavirus Variants and Mutations

By BY JONATHAN CORUM AND CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health Tracking recent mutations, variants and lineages. https://ift.tt/2N9Uw80