Moderna announced Wednesday that the first participant has been dosed in the company’s Phase 2 clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine booster shot that is specific to the Omicron variant. Moderna is advancing the trial into its next phase as research published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a booster dose…… MORE
The federal government gets “mostly failing grades on its efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco,” a new report from the American Lung Association says. The 20th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report calls for an end to manufacturing flavored tobacco, saying flavored tobacco products and e-cigarettes jeopardize progress made by tobacco control policy. More than…… MORE
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to send a clear message to pharmacies on a conference call this week: Stop turning away immune-compromised people when they come seeking fourth doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Although fourth doses are not currently recommended for the vast majority of Americans, the CDC has urged millions of…… MORE
Many of the water-resistant and stain-proof home furnishings and apparel we purchase may contain toxic “forever” chemicals, called PFAS, that are linked to numerous health concerns, including liver and heart damage, immune disorders, cancer and hormone disruption, a new report found. Independent laboratories commissioned by Toxic-Free Future, an environmental and health advocacy and research group,…… MORE
Library Shelfie Day — proof that there is now a day of celebration for everything — is the fourth Wednesday of January. It’s a lovely reminder of the heroic civic role libraries play in our lives, related to the massive impact books in general have on our lives. Whenever I enter someone’s home, I’m drawn…… MORE
During a period when the Omicron coronavirus variant was dominant, severe outcomes for patients hospitalized with Covid-19 — including ICU admission, ventilator use and death — were less common than during Delta or the first winter surge, according to a study published Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, although the…… MORE
Pfizer and BioNTech have begun a clinical trial for their Omicron-specific Covid-19 vaccine candidate, they announced in a news release on Tuesday. The study will evaluate the vaccine for safety, tolerability and the level of immune response, as both a primary series and a booster dose, in up to 1,420 healthy adults ages 18 to…… MORE
The rollout of free N95 masks for the public began this week across the United States, with some pharmacies already handing out the masks and others expecting to do so in the coming days. The program is part of the Biden administration’s effort to distribute 400 million free N95 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile…… MORE
First it was Mr. Big, the character from “Sex in the City,” dying in Carrie Bradshaw’s arms from a heart attack after a 45-minute ride on his Peloton. Then it was Mike “Wags” Wagner, the drug-abusing, sadistic right hand of Axe Capital’s Bobby Axelrod in the Showtime series “Billions,” who too suffers a heart attack…… MORE
Whether it’s caring for kids, parents, coworkers or our community, many people feel utterly tapped out because of all the extra caretaking thrust upon us as the pandemic has upended daily life over these past two years. Putting someone else’s needs first, yet again, can feel like the worst way to soothe burnout. But what’s…… MORE
