Feb 05 WATCH: White House COVID task force holds briefing as U.S. reaches new grim milestone in deaths By Michelle R. Smith, Amy Taxin, Associated Press Infectious disease specialists expect deaths to start dropping soon, after new cases hit a peak right around the beginning of the year. New COVID-19 deaths could ebb as early as next week, said the new director of the Centers for… Continue reading
Feb 04 Desperation grows as Mexico runs out of vaccines By Eduardo Verdugo, Associated Press Mexico is scrambling to line up shipments of Russia's Sputnik vaccine, but no new doses are expected to arrive until mid-month. Continue reading
Feb 04 Congressional report finds some amounts of toxic metals in baby food brands By Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press A congressional investigation has found levels of arsenic, lead and other toxic metals in many popular baby foods, including organic brands. Continue reading
Feb 04 Johnson & Johnson asks U.S. regulators to approve its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine By Lauren Neergaard, Associated Press Preliminary results from a massive study showed J&J's vaccine was safe and offered strong protection against moderate to severe COVID-19. Continue reading
Feb 04 Watch 6:45 In Virginia, a disconnect between supply and demand for vaccine rollout By Amna Nawaz, Leah Nagy States received a badly needed boost in shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government this week, but the supply still is not meeting the demand. One state, Virginia, has had problems with its vaccine rollout since early on. Continue watching
Feb 04 Why new coronavirus variants emerge, and what that means for you By Isabella Isaacs-Thomas New daily COVID-19 case counts are steadily falling in the United States. But experts are concerned that more transmissible variants of the coronavirus could reverse that progress. Continue reading
Feb 04 Pressure builds on schools to reopen during pandemic By Michael Kunzelman, Holly Ramer, Associated Press The debate is pitting politicians against teachers who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In Chicago, there's so much rancor that teachers are on the brink of striking. Continue reading
Feb 04 McKinsey & Company agrees to pay nearly $600 million over opioid crisis By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press In a deal announced Thursday with attorneys general for most states, the company agreed to make public documents showing communications with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and three other companies that have been in the opioid business. Continue reading
Feb 04 U.S. rushes to catch up in the race to detect mutant viruses By Mike Stobbe, Marion Renault, Associated Press Despite its world-class medical system and its vaunted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. fell behind in the race to detect dangerous coronavirus mutations. Continue reading
Feb 03 Arizona lawmakers renew push to criminalize abortions in latest challenge to Roe v. Wade By Chloe Jones An Arizona bill proposed on the 48th anniversary of the landmark ruling is among the most direct challenges to the Roe v. Wade decision in nearly half a century: It calls for the decision to be ignored altogether and aims… Continue reading