Psychiatry Confronts Its Racist Past, and Tries to Make Amends

By BY JUDITH WARNER from NYT Health Critics say the field has a long way to go — from the lack of Black psychiatrists to the way it treats African-Americans. https://ift.tt/3aSNcqv

Faith, Freedom, Fear: Rural America’s Covid Vaccine Skeptics

By BY JAN HOFFMAN AND ERIN SCHAFF from NYT Health Resistance is widespread in white, Republican communities like this one in Appalachia. But it’s far more complicated than just a partisan divide. https://ift.tt/3aS6P25

Cómo fabrica Pfizer su vacuna para la COVID-19

By POR EMMA COTT, ELLIOT DEBRUYN AND JONATHAN CORUM from NYT Health Detrás de escena del proceso de elaboración: desde las células iniciales hasta una vacuna terminada. https://ift.tt/3vuF07I

F.D.A. Announces Plan to Ban Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars

By BY SHEILA KAPLAN from NYT Health Agency leaders say the move is a science-based approach to curbing addiction and will save hundreds of thousands of lives over time. https://ift.tt/2QLrQV0

F.D.A. Announces Plan to Ban Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars

By BY SHEILA KAPLAN from NYT Health Agency leaders say the move is a science-based approach to curbing addiction and will save hundreds of thousands of lives over time. https://ift.tt/3e3IjNp

Mask On or Off? Life Gets Back to Normal, and We’re Rusty.

By BY MATT RICHTEL from NYT Health After the C.D.C. issued new guidelines, people are figuring out how to proceed. Some want to keep their face coverings on: “It saves me having to put on sunscreen.” https://ift.tt/3b6QAOP

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 94 percent effective at preventing hospitalization in older adults, a study finds.

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health The findings, which are consistent with the clinical trial results, are the first real-world evidence from the United States that the vaccines protect against severe Covid-19. https://ift.tt/3e0hCJu

Biden Administration Plans to Propose Banning Menthol Cigarettes

By BY SHEILA KAPLAN from NYT Health The move has been long sought by public health and civil rights groups, after decades of marketing aimed at Black smokers. https://ift.tt/3aNlCuD

Vaccinated Americans don’t need masks outdoors in small groups or when biking and running, the C.D.C. says.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN, EMILY ANTHES AND SHERYL GAY STOLBERG from NYT Health Because the risk of infection is much lower outdoors, health officials also relaxed advice for those who haven’t gotten their shots, saying they could safely shed their masks for some outside activities. https://ift.tt/3eC3FR5

Doctors Harness the Power of Human Connections

By BY JOHN HANC from NYT Health Social medicine programs, which often encourage patients to engage with other people, can help address dementia, isolation and more. https://ift.tt/3aO9xW2

How Pfizer Makes Its Covid-19 Vaccine

By BY EMMA COTT, ELLIOT DEBRUYN AND JONATHAN CORUM from NYT Health Behind the scenes from starter cells to a finished vaccine. https://ift.tt/3tZpQqx

When do we have to wear a mask outside? The C.D.C. says less often, and here’s how and why.

By BY THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT Health Vaccinated people can often skip masks outdoors when they won’t be in crowded situations with strangers, the new guidance says, but unvaccinated people should still wear them in many outdoor settings. https://ift.tt/2QBqxIj

The C.D.C. eases some guidelines on wearing a mask outdoors.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN AND EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3vmeTzM

Vaccinated Americans don’t need masks outdoors in small groups, when dining outside, or biking and running, the C.D.C. says.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN AND EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health The risk of infection is lower outdoors, health officials say, but recommend leaving masks on and staying six feet apart at larger gatherings like sporting events or concerts. https://ift.tt/32Q851d

Vaccinated Americans don’t need masks outdoors in small groups, when dining outside, or biking and running, the C.D.C. says.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN AND EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health The risk of infection is lower outdoors, health officials say, but recommend leaving masks on and staying six feet apart at larger gatherings like sporting events or concerts. https://ift.tt/3u15hua

Biden is expected to announce new guidance on wearing masks outdoors.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3gIWQ2M

Biden is expected to announce new guidance on wearing masks outdoors.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3nnIUfM

Fauci and other top U.S. health officials stress the urgency of vaccinations and their safety.

By BY KENNETH CHANG from NYT Health Now that the J&J pause has lifted, the government is pushing to get most adult Americans inoculated this summer. https://ift.tt/32T9aoJ

Summer camp advice — keep masks and distancing — gets an update from the C.D.C.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health The updated guidance was issued just weeks before many U.S. camps resume operations in mid-May. https://ift.tt/3vlVzm2

Virus Fader

By Unknown Author from NYT Health Virus Fader https://ift.tt/3esb19y

J.&.J. Vaccine Will Be Available Again Soon

By BY DENISE GRADY, JULIE BOSMAN AND NOAH WEILAND from NYT Health U.S. experts weigh the risks for younger women and cases of a rare blood-clotting disorder, and lift the pause in giving the one-shot vaccine. https://ift.tt/3tNUT8V

A C.D.C. panel recommends J.&J. shots restart with a label noting the risk of very rare blood clots.

By BY CARL ZIMMER AND EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health The U.S. government is likely to follow the panel’s recommendation and end the pause. https://ift.tt/3tOAeRZ

Many Covid patients have new ailments months after recovering from mild cases, a C.D.C. study finds.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health Two-thirds of those in the study sought medical care a month to six months afterward, and about two-thirds of those who sought care were found to have an entirely new medical condition. https://ift.tt/2QQbIl4

A new study hints at a reason the J.&J. and AstraZeneca vaccines may cause blood clots in rare cases.

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health A panel of experts advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is discussing rare blood clots that health officials have investigated in Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine recipients. https://ift.tt/3eqe5mB

A C.D.C. panel will meet today on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause.

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health The U.S. government is likely to end the pause if the panel says the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the potential risk. https://ift.tt/32DyC1F

Many Older Adults Lack Even Simple, Helpful Equipment

By BY PAULA SPAN from NYT Health Railings, grab bars, shower chairs and other inexpensive devices can make it easier to continue living at home, but not enough older people acquire them. https://ift.tt/2QtZhv8

Vaccines Are Effective Against the New York Variant, Studies Find

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The research adds to a growing number of findings suggesting the Pfizer and Moderna shots are protective against the variants identified so far. https://ift.tt/3axZmF6

What Do Women Want? For Men to Get Covid Vaccines.

By BY JENNIFER STEINHAUER from NYT Health As the Biden administration seeks to get most adults vaccinated by summer, men are holding back. https://ift.tt/3axDFoq

Patients With Long Covid Face Lingering Worrisome Health Risks, Study Finds

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health Patients who were not sick enough to be hospitalized still had a significantly greater risk of dying within six months than people who were not infected. https://ift.tt/3sIjJpd

What Do Women Want? For Men to Get Covid Vaccines.

By BY JENNIFER STEINHAUER from NYT Health As the Biden administration seeks to get most adults vaccinated by summer, men are holding back. https://ift.tt/3avzUjF

Patients With Long Covid Face Lingering Worrisome Health Risks, Study Finds

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health Patients who were not sick enough to be hospitalized still had a significantly greater risk of dying within six months than people who were not infected. https://ift.tt/32Bq0IX

Editor’s Note

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health This article was published prematurely. https://ift.tt/3awJK4A

They Have Alzheimer’s. This Clinical Trial May Be a Last Hope.

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health In the narrow window in which patients are aware of their disease, they have sought help in clinical trials. But enrolling enough participants to make these trials count is not easy. https://ift.tt/2RVJvtB

No evidence that Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are unsafe during pregnancy, a preliminary study says.

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health Early research suggests that two Covid-19 vaccines pose no greater risk for pregnant people than for anyone else. https://ift.tt/3v2ZiVA

An unvaccinated worker set off an outbreak at a U.S. nursing home where most residents were immunized.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health New infections of inoculated residents are occurring, signaling the need to maintain safety measures, C.D.C. studies show. https://ift.tt/3szLikt

Meet Virtual Reality, Your New Physical Therapist

By BY ALINA TUGEND from NYT Health While use of the gaming technology for improving physical ailments is still in the early stages, it shows promise — and it’s fun. https://ift.tt/32xKJNs

Meet Virtual Reality, Your New Physical Therapist

By BY ALINA TUGEND from NYT Health While use of the gaming technology for improving physical ailments is still in the early stages, it shows promise — and it’s fun. https://ift.tt/3dBIUFJ

Sleeping Too Little in Middle Age May Increase Dementia Risk, Study Finds

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health The research, tracking thousands of people from age 50 on, suggests those who sleep six hours or less a night are more likely to develop dementia in their late 70s. https://ift.tt/3tN26Ww

The Pandemic Helped Me Realize How Essential My Routines Were

By BY JASON DIAMOND from NYT Health By setting routines for myself, I was able to shield myself from chaos. Then the pandemic happened. I set out to get them back on track. https://ift.tt/2QeRKQW

Biden Administration Ends Limits on Use of Fetal Tissue for Research

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The decision reverses Trump administration rules and allows scientists to use tissue derived from elective abortions to develop treatments for diseases including cancer and AIDS. https://ift.tt/3n7SweJ

The Biden Administration Ends Limits on the Use of Fetal Tissue for Research

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The decision reverses Trump administration rules and allows scientists to use tissue derived from elective abortions to develop treatments for diseases like cancer and AIDS. https://ift.tt/2QCbk9m

The Covid-19 Plasma Boom Is Over. What Did We Learn From It?

By BY KATIE THOMAS AND NOAH WEILAND from NYT Health The U.S. government invested $800 million in plasma when the country was desperate for Covid-19 treatments. A year later, the program has fizzled. https://ift.tt/3dnhMdr

Can Covid Research Help Solve the Mysteries of Other Viruses?

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health The coronavirus may help scientists understand why some people with common viral infections develop severe complications, like heart damage or blood clots. https://ift.tt/3doswbq

‘We Were Flying Blind’: A Dr.’s Account of a Woman’s J.&J. Vaccine-Related Blood Clot Case

By BY DENISE GRADY from NYT Health The disorder is rare, but so severe that the vaccine is on hold while experts weigh the risks and alert doctors and patients about symptoms and treatment. https://ift.tt/32sVPDn

Vaccines Won’t Protect Millions of Patients With Weakened Immune Systems

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Many cannot produce enough infection-fighting cells to fend off the coronavirus. But researchers are testing one therapy that may help: monoclonal antibodies. https://ift.tt/3giUG9J

Vaccines Won’t Protect Millions of Patients With Crippled Immune Systems

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Many cannot produce enough infection-fighting cells to fend off the coronavirus. But researchers are testing one therapy that may help: monoclonal antibodies. https://ift.tt/3sjflgd

U.S. Suicides Declined Over All in 2020 but May Have Risen Among People of Color

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health Despite dire predictions, the number of suicides fell by 5 percent over all. Still, smaller studies suggested the trends were much worse among nonwhite Americans. https://ift.tt/3stcCkF

C.D.C. Panel Keeps Pause on Use of J&J Vaccine, Citing Need to Assess Potential Risks

By BY DENISE GRADY AND CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health An advisory committee debated the very few cases of a rare blood disorder and worried about the suspension’s effect on global needs for a one-shot, easy-to-ship vaccine. https://ift.tt/3g8fVuZ

Empty middle seats reduce virus risk on planes, a new study says, taking no account of mask-wearing.

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health The risk of exposure on a flight is lowered by 23 to 57 percent if middle seats are kept unoccupied, according to the study. But it did not look at what protection mask-wearing could provide. https://ift.tt/3wVa563

What the Coronavirus Variants Mean for Testing

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health Most tests should be able to detect the variants of concern, but test developers and health officials must remain vigilant, scientists say. https://ift.tt/3ad3yd7