Why Aren’t More People Comparison Shopping for Health Plans?

By BY PAULA SPAN from NYT Health Most Medicare beneficiaries don’t compare plans during open enrollment season, and may be paying more, or accepting more restrictions, than they should. https://ift.tt/3GF8mXA

Covid Shots Are a Go for Children, but Parents Are Reluctant to Consent

By BY JAN HOFFMAN from NYT Health Vaccinating 5- to 11-year-olds could be a big step toward returning to normal life in the U.S., but even parents who got the shot are worried about how it might affect their kids. https://ift.tt/2ZBo9pF

Why Aren’t More People Comparison Shopping for Health Plans?

By BY PAULA SPAN from NYT Health Most Medicare beneficiaries don’t compare plans during open enrollment season, and may be paying more, or accepting more restrictions, than they should. https://ift.tt/3GuBtN7

Vaccination offers more protection against Covid than prior infection, a C.D.C. study suggests.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health The study of 7,000 people found that unvaccinated people who had Covid were five times as likely to get infected again as fully vaccinated people who never had the disease. https://ift.tt/3BxxueJ

Vaccination offers more protection against Covid than prior infection, a C.D.C. study suggests.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health The study of 7,000 people found that unvaccinated people who had Covid were five times as likely to get infected again as fully vaccinated people who never had the disease. https://ift.tt/3ButRWW

Vaccination offers more protection against Covid-19 than previous infection, a C.D.C. study suggests.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health The study of 7,000 people found that unvaccinated people who had Covid-19 were five times as likely to get infected again as fully vaccinated people who never had the disease. https://ift.tt/3BvNgqy

Has the Virus Infected Huge Numbers of Younger Children?

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Federal scientists estimated that more than 40 percent of children aged 5 to 11 had been infected with the coronavirus by June. Outside experts aren’t so sure. https://ift.tt/3mnqUTO

Childhood vaccinations have lagged across the world because of the pandemic.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health Millions of young children did not get immunized against polio, measles and other diseases. https://ift.tt/3BokoAs

A cheap antidepressant lowers the risk of Covid hospitalization, a large study finds.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health Scientists say the results of the latest research examining the inflammation-fighting qualities of fluvoxamine, capping similar smaller studies, could lead to new treatment guidelines. https://ift.tt/3CrRRvh

Starting next year, some immunocompromised people may receive a fourth Covid vaccine dose, the C.D.C. says.

By BY DANIEL E. SLOTNIK from NYT Health The agency said that a booster could be administered at least six months after severely or moderately immunocompromised adults received a third dose of an mRNA vaccine that was authorized over the summer just for them. https://ift.tt/2Zu8599

A cheap antidepressant lowers the risk of Covid hospitalization, a large study finds.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health Scientists say the results of the latest research examining the inflammation-fighting qualities of fluvoxamine, capping similar smaller studies, could lead to new treatment guidelines. https://ift.tt/3CozNSD

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are slower to respond to vaccination, researchers report.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health They remain susceptible to the virus for longer after the first vaccination, but achieve a mostly normal response after the second, a study says. https://ift.tt/3nwHakN

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are slower to respond to vaccination, researchers report.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health They remain susceptible to the virus for longer after the first vaccination, but achieve a mostly normal response after the second, a study says. https://ift.tt/3Cn6WhM

Merck Will Share Formula for its Covid Pill With Poor Countries

By BY STEPHANIE NOLEN from NYT Health The company announced a licensing deal that will allow the drug, molnupiravir, to be made and sold cheaply in 105 developing nations. https://ift.tt/3jCHnBJ

AstraZeneca’s vaccine comes with a slightly higher risk of a nerve syndrome but not worse than from Covid, a study finds.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3b77gVF

Moderna’s Covid vaccine produces a strong immune response in younger children, the company said.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The results were announced a day before an advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to review data for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children 5 through 11. https://ift.tt/3CdgYC7

Some federal advisers have misgivings over whether boosters are widely needed.

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

Are Vaccine Boosters Widely Needed? Some Federal Advisers Have Misgivings

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health “In our hearts, I think people don’t quite agree with this notion of a booster dose,” said one leading vaccine expert. https://ift.tt/3juWQDR

Coronavirus vaccines should begin soon for children 5 and up.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health An advisory panel to the F.D.A. will consider Pfizer’s application for those ages 5-to-11 on Tuesday. https://ift.tt/2XG2SKp

Here’s what you need to know to navigate the C.D.C.’s new mix-and-match vaccine strategy.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3m4N7Gi

A limited C.D.C. study finds no significant change in hospitalization outcomes during the U.S. Delta wave.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health Other larger, more specific studies, however, have found greater risks when people are infected with the highly infectious variant. https://ift.tt/3prt5rp

Here’s what you need to know to navigate the C.D.C.’s new mix-and-match vaccine strategy.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3b3YY0Q

Here’s what you need to know about the mix-and-match vaccine strategy.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3E97fwW

To ensure access to Covid vaccines, developing countries could make their own.

By BY STEPHANIE NOLEN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3vBs5C5

Mixing and Matching Covid Vaccines

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The C.D.C. said on Thursday that Americans could choose a booster dose of a vaccine different from the one they had initially received. https://ift.tt/3nndExO

Millions in U.S. aid benefited richer hospitals, a new study shows.

By BY REED ABELSON from NYT Health More federal aid flowed to hospitals that were in a strong financial position before the pandemic than went to hospitals with weaker balance sheets, researchers found. https://ift.tt/3BcgKKc

C.D.C. Recommends Covid Booster Shots for Millions of Americans

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Recipients of the Moderna and the J.&J. vaccines may receive extra doses, although the shots continue to prevent illness and death. https://ift.tt/30QBJWn

Parents, Will You Vaccinate Your Children for Covid?

By BY JAN HOFFMAN from NYT Health Tell us whether you plan to have your children immunized and what factors led to your decision. https://ift.tt/2ZiM4tJ

Pfizer says new data show booster shots of its vaccine are highly protective against Covid.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health The company said that in a study, boosters cut down the number of breakthrough infections among fully vaccinated people by more than 95 percent. https://ift.tt/3nd5dVT

What are the next steps as a C.D.C. panel considers Moderna and J. & J. boosters?

By BY TODD GREGORY from NYT Health After the panel makes it recommendations, the agency’s director will issue guidance that will influence the actions of states, hospitals, pharmacies and other entities that distribute the vaccines. https://ift.tt/3nj3D4I

A C.D.C. panel will debate boosters and the ‘mix-and-match’ strategy.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health After the F.D.A. issued its authorization of additional doses of vaccines as boosters, it passed the baton to experts advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://ift.tt/3nbFzks

Pain Doctor Accused of Sexually Assaulting Patients Faces New Federal Charges

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health Ricardo Cruciani, a former pain management physician, already faces state charges. Each of the federal charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. https://ift.tt/3jiFKJC

Waiting on a federal mandate, some U.S. nursing homes are slow to vaccinate staff.

By BY REED ABELSON from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3m13qne

Nadia Chaudhri, Scientist With an End-of-Life Mission, Dies at 43

By BY ANNABELLE WILLIAMS from NYT Health She documented her last months with ovarian cancer on Twitter while raising funds to support students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the sciences. https://ift.tt/30EjFhT

Gates Foundation Pledges $120 Million to Help Get Covid Pills Quickly to Poor Countries

By BY STEPHANIE NOLEN from NYT Health Regulatory hurdles and supply chain issues could slow efforts to produce generic versions of Merck’s antiviral molnupiravir for developing nations, despite licensing agreements. https://ift.tt/3AZ0ZG8

Waiting on U.S. Mandate, Some Nursing Homes Are Slow to Vaccinate Staff

By BY REED ABELSON from NYT Health Less than half of workers are still not immunized at facilities in several states. “I just feel like a sitting duck,” one resident said. https://ift.tt/2Z6YUdT

In a First, Surgeons Attached a Pig Kidney to a Human — and It Worked

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health A kidney grown in a genetically altered pig seemed to function normally, potentially a new source for desperately needed transplant organs. https://ift.tt/3C1Hpu8

F.D.A. Moves to Make Some Hearing Aids Available Without a Prescription

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health The proposed rule could make it easier for Americans with mild to moderate hearing impairments to get the devices. https://ift.tt/3nbbvW4

Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine is highly effective against hospitalization for those 12 to 18, a study shows.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health The C.D.C. looked at children hospitalized with Covid-19 or other illnesses, and found those who were immunized to be far more protected. https://ift.tt/3aSj8uL

Here’s why mix-and-match Covid boosters just might work.

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3C0Krin

Mix-and-Match Covid Boosters: Why They Just Might Work

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health The F.D.A. may authorize booster shots of vaccines different from the ones that Americans originally received. The science behind the move is promising. https://ift.tt/3FYVlaT

Tuberculosis, Like Covid, Spreads in Aerosols, Scientists Report

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The finding upends conventional wisdom regarding coughing, long thought to be the main route of transmission. https://ift.tt/3jhlyaN

What Scientists Know About the Risk of Breakthrough Covid Deaths

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health Deaths among people who have been fully vaccinated remain rare, but older adults and those with compromised immune systems are at much higher risk. https://ift.tt/3n4qz7Q

Here is what scientists know about the risk of breakthrough Covid deaths.

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health Deaths among people who have been fully vaccinated remain rare, but older adults and those with compromised immune systems are at much higher risk. https://ift.tt/3nbSwuC

Here is what scientists know about the risk of breakthrough Covid deaths.

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health Deaths among people who have been fully vaccinated remain rare, but older adults and those with compromised immune systems are at much higher risk. https://ift.tt/3jgEHcX

Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer that seems to strike at random.

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health Colin Powell had a form of blood cancer that saps natural immunity and also undermines the effects of vaccines like the ones used against Covid-19. https://ift.tt/3DVvXRE

If You’ve Had Covid, Do You Need the Vaccine?

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health So-called natural immunity varies from patient to patient, scientists say. Immunization is still the best choice after recovering from the disease. https://ift.tt/3DMJURA

Fauci urges police officers to get vaccinated.

By BY STEPHANIE NOLEN from NYT Health Police should see vaccination as the best way to protect themselves on the job, Fauci says. https://ift.tt/3aNXMP0

Will New Covid Treatments Be as Elusive for Poor Countries as Vaccines?

By BY STEPHANIE NOLEN from NYT Health Merck has taken a step to make its antiviral pill available in poor nations, but many obstacles remain for broad access to coronavirus drugs. https://ift.tt/3paWaqU

Short on Staff, Some Hospices Ask New Patients To Wait

By BY PAULA SPAN from NYT Health “It causes huge distress to tell a family, ‘We can’t serve you,’” said one state hospice organization director. https://ift.tt/3AH1ioY