A ‘Game Changer’ for Patients With Esophageal Cancer

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health A drug that unleashes the immune system offers a rare glimmer of hope for those with a cancer that resists most treatments. https://ift.tt/31AFzjp

The C.D.C. and N.I.H. launch a rapid, at-home testing initiative in Tennessee and North Carolina.

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health The new initiative is an important step in determining whether widespread rapid testing can help curb transmission of the virus. https://ift.tt/2QMLEXO

Virus Variants Can Infect Mice, Scientists Report

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Infected rodents pose no immediate danger to humans, but the research suggests that mutations are helping the coronavirus expand its range of potential hosts. https://ift.tt/3mjNoUp

Eating disorders are up sharply among people stuck at home during the pandemic.

By BY VIRGINIA SOLE-SMITH from NYT Health https://ift.tt/31DRtJa

The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Is Said to Be Powerfully Protective in Adolescents

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health A clinical trial found no infections among vaccinated children ages 12 to 15, the companies said, and there were no serious side effects. The data have not yet been reviewed by independent experts. https://ift.tt/3fttQLz

Confidence in Covid-19 vaccination keeps rising significantly in the U.S., but pockets of resistance remain, a survey shows.

By BY JAN HOFFMAN from NYT Health Roughly 61 percent of adults have either received their first dose or are eager for one, up from 47 percent in January, according to the latest monthly survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. https://ift.tt/3m3EwlB

Getting One Vaccine Is Good. How About Mix-and-Match?

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health Researchers are exploring the possible benefits of pairing doses from two different Covid-19 vaccines. https://ift.tt/3m591Yh

One Vaccine Is Good. How About Mixing Two?

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health Researchers are exploring the possible benefits of combining doses from two different Covid-19 vaccines. https://ift.tt/31x609J

Why Virus Tests at One Elite School Ran Afoul of Regulators

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health In the suburbs of Chicago, New Trier High School offers a lesson in just how complicated it can be to track the coronavirus in schools. https://ift.tt/3waPs5q

Getting to Yes: A Nursing Home’s Mission to Vaccinate Its Hesitant Staff

By BY ABBY GOODNOUGH AND KENNY HOLSTON from NYT Health Almost all of the residents at Forest Hills of D.C. got their initial Covid-19 shots in January. But nearly half of the staff there had declined. Would an effort to change their minds succeed? https://ift.tt/3ufVXCr

Getting to Yes: A Nursing Home’s Mission to Vaccinate Its Hesitant Staff

By BY ABBY GOODNOUGH AND KENNY HOLSTON from NYT Health Almost all of the residents at Forest Hills of D.C. got their initial Covid-19 shots in January. But nearly half of the staff there had declined. Would an effort to change their minds succeed? https://ift.tt/3tYFMsX

A Volunteer Army’s Mission: Vaccinate Black People in the Rural South

By BY ANDREW JACOBS from NYT Health In the face of limited transportation, patchy internet service and threadbare medical care, community leaders in Alabama and Mississippi are trying to shrink the racial disparities in vaccine access. https://ift.tt/3lYqW2I

A Volunteer Army’s Mission: Vaccinate Black People in the Rural South

By BY ANDREW JACOBS from NYT Health In the face of limited transportation, patchy internet service and threadbare medical care, community leaders in Alabama and Mississippi are trying to shrink the racial disparities in vaccine access. https://ift.tt/3sxtqrj

Why Testing Still Matters

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health With case numbers still high, coronavirus testing remains essential, experts say, but the goals and approach will change as vaccines roll out. https://ift.tt/3fhjEpu

More than two in five American adults reported recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health The largest increases were among young adults and those who never finished high school, according to an ongoing survey. https://ift.tt/3rozQrh

José Baselga, Who Advanced Breast Cancer Treatments, Dies at 61

By BY KATIE THOMAS from NYT Health He was a top executive at Memorial Sloan Kettering before resigning over payments from health care companies. He went on to lead cancer research at AstraZeneca. https://ift.tt/2NTHtbL

JAMA Editor Placed on Leave Following Racial Controversy

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health After a staff member dismissed racism as a problem in medicine on a podcast, a petition signed by thousands demanded a review of editorial processes at the journal. https://ift.tt/3ss1yVx

Pfizer Begins Testing Its Vaccine in Young Children

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Other drug makers have begun similar trials of their Covid-19 vaccines. If they work in children younger than 12 as expected, it will be easier for the U.S. to reach herd immunity. https://ift.tt/39g7YiT

Why It Pays to Think Outside the Box on Coronavirus Tests

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health Universities and other institutions looking to protect themselves from Covid-19 may benefit from sharing their testing resources with the wider community, a new study suggests. https://ift.tt/3slI8BM

Why It Pays to Think Outside the Box on Coronavirus Tests

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health Universities and other institutions looking to protect themselves from Covid-19 may benefit from sharing their testing resources with the wider community, a new study suggests. https://ift.tt/3cVPOUA

In Search of a Vaccine, Some Tourists Find Luck in the Caribbean

By BY MELINDA WENNER MOYER from NYT Health Roughly 3 percent of vaccines in the U.S. Virgin Islands have gone to tourists, the governor said this week. “Nowhere else in the U.S. can you actually just walk in and get the vaccine,” he said. https://ift.tt/3cYoXaC

Some Covid-19 Patients Say They’re Left With Ringing Ears

By BY DAVID SEGAL from NYT Health Scientists are examining a possible link to tinnitus. A businessman’s suicide has lent urgency to the research. https://ift.tt/3lHJi89

Vaccinated People Can Get Covid, but It’s Most Likely Very Rare

By BY DENISE GRADY from NYT Health “Breakthrough” cases, though quite uncommon, are a sharp reminder that vaccinated people should wear masks while the virus is circulating widely. https://ift.tt/3rjgxj3

They Had Mild Covid. Then Their Serious Symptoms Kicked In.

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health A new study illuminates the complex array of neurological issues experienced by people months after their coronavirus infections. https://ift.tt/3cWIMPy

How to Virtually Become a Doctor

By BY EMMA GOLDBERG from NYT Health Medical schools and students alike have had to adapt to remote cadaver dissections and bedside-manner training via Zoom. https://ift.tt/2Qxan2n

How to Vaccinate Homebound Seniors? Take the Shots to Them.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN AND CHANG W. LEE from NYT Health Millions of older Americans, chronically ill and trapped at home, pose a big challenge to inoculation efforts. Doctors are on it. https://ift.tt/3lDSCK9

How Much Weight Did We Gain During Lockdowns? 2 Pounds a Month, Study Hints

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health Many Americans know they’ve put on weight during the pandemic, but it’s been difficult for experts to detail the scope of the problem. https://ift.tt/3c8sgwE

First Covid, Then Psychosis: ‘The Most Terrifying Thing I’ve Ever Experienced’

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health Like a small number of Covid survivors with no previous mental illness, Ivan Agerton developed psychotic symptoms weeks after his coronavirus infection. https://ift.tt/2PhwhWu

Menthol Cigarettes Kill Many Black People. A Ban May Finally Be Near.

By BY SHEILA KAPLAN from NYT Health Advocates are hoping that President Biden will soon come out in favor of banning mint-flavored cigarettes and other tobacco products. https://ift.tt/3cSMr0V

Fully Vaccinated and Time to Party: If You Are 70

By BY JENNIFER STEINHAUER from NYT Health Older Americans still make up a majority of those who have been inoculated, and many are taking advantage and venturing out. https://ift.tt/2QlB0qJ

Lighting Up Later in Life

By BY PAULA SPAN from NYT Health The number of older adults who use cannabis is on the rise, and some health experts are concerned. https://ift.tt/2OJyF8V

Coronavirus Reinfections Are Rare, Danish Researchers Report

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health People over 65 are more likely to experience a second bout with the virus, according to a large study of medical records. https://ift.tt/38PeSLK

Some Long Covid Patients Feel Much Better After Getting the Vaccine

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health It is too soon to tell whether the shots have a broad beneficial effect on patients with continuing issues, but scientists are intrigued and beginning to study the phenomenon. https://ift.tt/3lryVVQ

Some Long Covid Patients Feel Much Better After Getting the Vaccine

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health It is too soon to tell whether the shots have a broad beneficial effect on patients with continuing issues, but scientists are intrigued and beginning to study the phenomenon. https://ift.tt/3eM4TLa

Scientists Grow Mice Embryos in a Mechanical Womb

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health Biologists have long held that a fetus needs a living uterus to develop. Maybe not anymore. https://ift.tt/30ORauQ

Advanced Cancers Are Emerging, Doctors Warn, Citing Pandemic Drop in Screenings

By BY REED ABELSON from NYT Health People have skipped their cancer screenings and ignored possible symptoms as a result of the pandemic. In some cases, the delay has come at a great cost. https://ift.tt/3s9aO0R

The U.S. Is Opening Up. For the Anxious, That Comes With a Cost.

By BY MATT RICHTEL from NYT Health About half of all people surveyed by the American Psychiatric Association said they were worried about adjusting to in-person interaction. https://ift.tt/3tuhvux

Marie Mongan, Who Developed Hypnotherapy for Childbirth, Dies at 86

By BY CHRISTINA CARON from NYT Health Her natural childbirth techniques have been used by Kate Middleton, Jessica Alba and many other women around the world in search of a more gentle, unmedicated experience. https://ift.tt/38NO1zR

Moderna Begins Testing Covid Vaccine in Babies and Children

By BY DENISE GRADY from NYT Health The company will study its vaccine in children ages six months through 11 in the United States and Canada. https://ift.tt/38MJyxw

Moderna Begins Testing Covid Vaccine in Babies and Children

By BY DENISE GRADY from NYT Health The company will study its vaccine in children ages six months through 11 in the United States and Canada. https://ift.tt/38MJyxw

Three Feet or Six? Distancing Guideline for Schools Stirs Debate

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health Some public health officials say it’s time for the C.D.C. to loosen its social distancing guidelines for classrooms, but the idea has detractors. https://ift.tt/38Nc2XX

Moderna begins testing Covid vaccine in babies and young children.

By BY DENISE GRADY from NYT Health The company will study its vaccine in children, including infants as young as six months and those under 12 in the United States and Canada. https://ift.tt/2NlQD0f

The Pandemic and the Limits of Science

By BY ALAN BURDICK from NYT Health What have we learned from the year that lasted a century? https://ift.tt/2Nm3UWG

The Pandemic and the Limits of Science

By BY ALAN BURDICK from NYT Health What have we learned from the year that lasted a century? https://ift.tt/3eJlRda

Purdue Pharma Offers Plan to End Sackler Control and Mounting Lawsuits

By BY JAN HOFFMAN AND MARY WILLIAMS WALSH from NYT Health The OxyContin maker filed its long-awaited restructuring plan in bankruptcy court. Revenue from the new company would go exclusively to abating the opioid crisis. https://ift.tt/3cAb56i

Should You Be Concerned About Blood Clots, Bleeding and the AZ-Vaccine?

By BY DENISE GRADY AND REBECCA ROBBINS from NYT Health There is no evidence so far of a link between the AstraZeneca shots and a few new cases in Europe of serious illness and deaths. But investigations are underway. https://ift.tt/3lo4nEy

Should You Be Concerned About Blood Clots, Bleeding and the AZ-Vaccine?

By BY DENISE GRADY AND REBECCA ROBBINS from NYT Health There is no evidence so far of a link between the AstraZeneca shots and a few new cases in Europe of serious illness and deaths. But investigations are underway. https://ift.tt/2ODzkbN

Vaccinated Americans have been getting their second doses on time, the C.D.C. says.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health Federal health officials urged local vaccinators to take steps to ensure that everyone comes back, including scheduling a return appointment when giving the first shot, sending reminders, and rescheduling missed or canceled appointments. https://ift.tt/3qNW4mw

Virus Variants Likely Evolved Inside People With Weak Immune Systems

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Growing evidence suggests that people with cancer and other conditions that challenge their immune systems may be incubators of mutant viruses. https://ift.tt/3vlSfZ4

Afraid of Needles? Don’t Let It Keep You From a Covid-19 Vaccine.

By BY DANIEL VICTOR from NYT Health There are ways to overcome a fear of needles. Here’s how. https://ift.tt/30GNzz0