How Far Should a Coronavirus Test Go?

By BY NOAH PISNER from NYT Health Many at-home antigen tests suggest inserting a swab only one-half or three-quarters of an inch into your nose. So why do some health care workers dig deeper? https://ift.tt/NobgLJWs2

Some Democratic and Republican governors are looking toward a future after Omicron.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/OHCugB9KQ

Jeremiah Stamler, Who Found Ways to Curb Heart Disease, Dies at 102

By BY RICHARD SANDOMIR from NYT Health He was at the forefront of studies that found links between salt, diet and other risk factors and cardiovascular ailments. https://ift.tt/3v92e0SHz

The ‘stealth’ Omicron variant is no cause for alarm, but it could slow down the decline in cases.

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health https://ift.tt/lUdny0BPr

‘Stealth’ Variant No Cause for Alarm, but Could Slow Case Decline

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health A mutated version of the Omicron variant could slow the steep decline in cases, but it is not likely to change the overall course of the pandemic, scientists said. https://ift.tt/D4X9SQIue

A new poll asks: Why do some vaccinated people not get boosters?

By BY JAN HOFFMAN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/fa2FWQncE

A new poll asks: Why do some vaccinated people not get boosters?

By BY JAN HOFFMAN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/hvqW5RHB6

When Omicron Isn’t So Mild

By BY REED ABELSON AND CHRISTINA JEWETT from NYT Health For those with underlying medical conditions, the latest pandemic wave has still posed a threat. https://ift.tt/DAmNrHZ4x

Third shots reduce the risk of hospitalization in people with weak immune systems, a C.D.C. report says.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health Many produce fewer antibodies in response to a vaccination or an infection, leaving them susceptible to the virus and to higher risks of serious illness. https://ift.tt/3u5pFwV

Third shots reduce the risk of hospitalization in people with weak immune systems, a C.D.C. report says.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health Many of them produce fewer antibodies in response to a vaccination or an infection, leaving them susceptible to the virus and to higher risks of serious illness. https://ift.tt/34dI3ss

Omicron loosens its grip, but the pandemic hasn’t ended.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3G4m6cH

Israeli study finds the rate of heart problems in vaccinated boys is slightly higher than expected.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, occurred in 1 of 12,361 boys between 12 and 15 years old within a week of receiving a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, researchers found. https://ift.tt/3H7cb7o

New Research Hints at 4 Factors That May Increase Chances of Long Covid

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health If further study confirms the findings, they could lead to ways to prevent and treat the complex condition. https://ift.tt/3fXO8Ml

Pfizer and BioNTech begin a study of an Omicron vaccine, with initial results expected in the first half of the year.

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3tZVqr6

Omicron infections lead to a smaller share of hospitalizations than Delta, a C.D.C. report finds.

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

Rich Countries Lure Health Workers From Low-Income Nations to Fight Shortages

By BY STEPHANIE NOLEN from NYT Health Huge pay incentives and immigration fast-tracks are leading many to leave countries whose health systems urgently need their expertise. https://ift.tt/3It6lO4

Nearly all Mississippi’s acute-care hospitals have reached capacity.

By BY ANDREW JACOBS from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3u8azHd

Fauci cautions against overconfidence but says the U.S. wave looks like it’s ‘going in the right direction.’

By BY KENNETH CHANG from NYT Health Dr. Anthony S. Fauci did say that there “may be a bit more pain and suffering with hospitalizations in those areas of the country” with lower vaccination rates. https://ift.tt/3qSjJoY

A Shrinking Band of Southern Nurses, Neck-Deep in Another Covid Wave

By BY ANDREW JACOBS AND RORY DOYLE from NYT Health The exodus of medical workers during the pandemic has been especially brutal for the small, nonprofit safety-net hospitals where millions of Americans seek care. https://ift.tt/3FTLdig

Social Security Opens to Survivors of Same-Sex Couples Who Could Not Marry

By BY PAULA SPAN from NYT Health Challenging a policy that limited survivor’s benefits to married couples, even though some couples were legally barred from marriage, took years. https://ift.tt/3tSDZc3

As Omicron Crests, Booster Shots Are Keeping Americans Out of Hospitals

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health Extra vaccine doses were expected to lower infection rates. But the shots also seem to be preventing severe illness caused by the new variant, the C.D.C. reported. https://ift.tt/3GToFiW

Booster shots are instrumental in protecting against Omicron, new C.D.C. data suggest.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The extra doses were most effective against infection and death among Americans aged 50 and older. https://ift.tt/3rKnSuC

Their DNA Hides a Warning, but They Don’t Want to Know What It Says

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health Some volunteers for biobanks, which collect genetic information to study health across populations, have been surprised to be informed they carry risky mutations. https://ift.tt/3u2QUbF

Booster shots are keeping older Americans out of the hospital, new C.D.C. data suggest.

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

Kidneys From a Genetically Altered Pig Are Implanted in a Brain-Dead Patient

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health Surgeons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham said they hoped to start clinical trials with kidney patients later this year. https://ift.tt/3tRiDvs

Biden Will Provide 400 Million N95 Masks For Free Starting Next Week

By BY SHERYL GAY STOLBERG from NYT Health The masks will be distributed at pharmacies and community health centers, but some public health experts said the effort was coming too late. https://ift.tt/3FILmVU

In Sewage, Clues to Omicron’s Surge

By BY EMILY ANTHES AND SABRINA IMBLER from NYT Health Tracking the virus in wastewater is helping some cities and hospitals respond to the most recent wave of the coronavirus, but a more coordinated national effort is needed, experts say. https://ift.tt/3nG2Qfa

Survey of Americans Who Attempted Suicide Finds Many Aren’t Getting Care

By BY ELLEN BARRY from NYT Health The number of people who try suicide has risen steadily in the U.S. But despite gains in health coverage, nearly half are not getting mental health treatment. https://ift.tt/3IosxsP

The C.D.C.’s New Challenge? Grappling With Imperfect Science

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The Omicron coronavirus variant is moving much faster than researchers can, worsening a longstanding problem: The agency must make tough decisions with scant data. https://ift.tt/33E9Ylc

The C.D.C.’s New Challenge? Grappling With Imperfect Science

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health The Omicron coronavirus variant is moving much faster than researchers can, worsening a longstanding problem: The agency must make tough decisions with scant data. https://ift.tt/3tDbE9t

The U.S. surgeon general warns that Omicron has not yet peaked.

By BY SABRINA IMBLER from NYT Health As the fast-spreading variant has blanketed the country, known cases and hospitalizations have surged, and officials warn of tough weeks ahead. https://ift.tt/3qA0QqY

The U.S. surgeon general warns that Omicron has not yet peaked.

By BY SABRINA IMBLER from NYT Health As the fast-spreading variant has blanketed the country, known cases and hospitalizations have surged, and officials warn of tough weeks ahead. https://ift.tt/33iTwHp

Behind the mRNA vaccines lie years of research failures and happy accidents.

By BY GINA KOLATA AND BENJAMIN MUELLER from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3A63hEs

Patient in Groundbreaking Heart Transplant Has a Criminal Record

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health David Bennett Sr. was involved in a serious assault nearly 35 years ago, court records show. https://ift.tt/3I2RzNT

Common Virus May Play Role in Debilitating Neurological Illness

By BY GINA KOLATA from NYT Health In a study of members of the Armed Forces, people who developed multiple sclerosis first had Epstein-Barr virus. https://ift.tt/3fmLy2e

Unvaccinated women with Covid are more likely to lose fetuses and infants, Scottish data show.

By BY RONI CARYN RABIN from NYT Health In Scotland, as in the United States, vaccination rates of pregnant women are low, even though there is no evidence that the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines pose serious risks during pregnancy. https://ift.tt/3FmPxGx

Doctors Debate Whether Trans Teens Need Therapy Before Hormones

By BY AZEEN GHORAYSHI from NYT Health Clinicians are divided over new guidelines that say teens should undergo mental health screenings before receiving hormones or gender surgeries. https://ift.tt/31YukoQ

Senate Panel OKs Califf Nomination for F.D.A. Chief

By BY CHRISTINA JEWETT from NYT Health A key committee was split mainly on party lines over the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf, foreshadowing divisions in the full Senate for a vote on confirmation. https://ift.tt/33qD1sl

Alan Scott, Doctor Behind the Medical Use of Botox, Dies at 89

By BY PENELOPE GREEN from NYT Health An ophthalmologist and researcher, he discovered a drug that treated serious eye conditions. It also smoothed wrinkles — and an alternative industry was born. https://ift.tt/34L1WaN

Flu vaccination rates are low, especially among older Americans.

By BY PAULA SPAN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3FlEAF6

Criticized by Senators, U.S. Health Officials Defend Omicron Response

By BY NOAH WEILAND AND SHARON LAFRANIERE from NYT Health Lawmakers accused top Biden administration health officials of neglecting virus testing and mangling key messaging around the pandemic. https://ift.tt/3zN1LY1

A popular at-home test detects most infectious Omicron cases, a study suggests.

By BY EMILY ANTHES from NYT Health The Abbott BinaxNOW, a rapid antigen test, identified 95 percent of people carrying high levels of the virus, researchers found. https://ift.tt/33jHZXP

California hospitals find that Omicron causes fewer hospitalizations and shorter stays.

By BY CARL ZIMMER from NYT Health Out of more than 52,000 patients infected with Omicron, not one went on a ventilator, the study found. https://ift.tt/3tfBzE4

Medicare Proposes to Cover Aduhelm Only for Patients in Clinical Trials

By BY PAM BELLUCK from NYT Health Officials of the federal health insurance program are expected to finalize their decision in the spring, after a 30-day comment period. https://ift.tt/3HZ21Wq

In Southern Africa, Success Against H.I.V. Offers Hope for Beating Back Another Virus

By BY STEPHANIE NOLEN from NYT Health A former Africa correspondent, who covered the height of the AIDS epidemic there 15 years ago, finds lessons in the remarkable progress against that virus for our current fight. https://ift.tt/3frUjIx

Starting later this week, some at-risk Americans become eligible for a 4th Covid shot.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health A change in federal recommendations allows moderately or severely immunocompromised people to receive their boosters five months after their third shot, which was a part of the primary immunization. https://ift.tt/3n6JhfF

As Omicron spreads, the C.D.C. seeks to clarify its message on testing and isolation.

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3nacc2D

A Surge in Hospitalized Young Children Infected With the Coronavirus

By BY APOORVA MANDAVILLI from NYT Health C.D.C. researchers are watching for signs that Omicron may affect the youngest children in unforeseen ways, but other factors may explain the rise. https://ift.tt/3q42OiU

If you got Pfizer’s vaccine, seek a booster 5 months after the second shot, not 6, the C.D.C. recommends.

By BY ADEEL HASSAN from NYT Health Following the F.D.A.’s lead, the agency also recommended third shots after four weeks for some immunocompromised children 5 to 11. https://ift.tt/3zno3iN

If you got Pfizer’s vaccine, seek a booster 5 months after the second shot, not 6, the C.D.C. recommends.

By BY ADEEL HASSAN from NYT Health Following the F.D.A.’s lead, the agency also recommended third shots after four weeks for some immunocompromised children 5 to 11. https://ift.tt/3eNQmNF