Health

Fed survey finds growth ‘downshifted’ in summer due to COVID

By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press

The Fed survey, released Wednesday, said the slowdown was largely attributable to a pullback in dining out, travel and tourism in most parts of the country, reflecting concerns about the spread of the delta variant.

What to know about booster shots if you received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine

By Maureen Ferran, The Conversation

It's been six months since the Johnson & Johnson vaccine received emergency use authorization. What does the data show about its efficacy, side effects and protection from variants?…

WHO chief urges halt to booster shots for rest of the year

By Associated Press

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is calling on rich countries with large supplies of coronavirus vaccines to refrain from offering booster shots through the end of the year.

South Dakota governor orders restrictions on abortion meds

By Stephen Groves, Associated Press

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has issued an executive order to restrict access to abortion medication and make it clear that medicine-induced abortions fall within state law requiring an in-person consultation with a physician.

Efforts grow to end use of potentially harmful parasite drug touted to treat COVID-19

By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press

Ivermectin is approved in the U.S. to treat infections from parasites in humans and some animals like cows and horses. But with COVID-19 infections surging again, more Americans are turning to the drug despite warnings that it has shown little…

For countries with few vaccine doses, fighting COVID-19 is ‘a race from behind’

By Laura Santhanam

The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare wide disparities in health care between countries on issues like vaccines and raised calls for more resource-sharing to save lives.

Mexico Supreme Court rules abortion not a crime

By María Verza, Associated Press

The decision will immediately only affect that state on the Texas border, but court President Arturo Zaldívar says it establishes "obligatory criteria for all of the country's judges," compelling them to act the same way in similar cases.

COVID-19 boosters are coming, but who will get them and when?

By Lauren Neergaard, Associated Press

COVID-19 booster shots may be coming for at least some Americans, but there's still important science to be worked out about who really needs them and when.

Idaho enacts crisis hospital care standards amid COVID surge

By Rebecca Boone, Associated Press

The activation includes 10 hospitals and healthcare systems in Idaho's panhandle and north-central Idaho. The move allows hospitals to allot scarce resources like intensive care unit rooms to those most likely to survive.

Despite vaccines’ positive impact, unvaccinated hotspots and delta raise COVID numbers

When the summer of 2021 began, COVID-19 seemed to be on the retreat in most of the U.S. President Joe Biden talked about celebrating America's "independence" from the virus on July 4. But the delta variant has changed the game.

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