Health

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will urge Americans to get vaccinated and to receive a booster shot as he seeks to quell concerns Monday over the new COVID-19 variant omicron, but won't immediately push for more restrictions to stop its... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Both sides are telling the Supreme Court there's no middle ground in Wednesday's showdown over abortion. The justices can either reaffirm the constitutional right to an abortion or wipe it away altogether. Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that declared... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases expert, blasted Sen. Ted Cruz for suggesting that Fauci be investigated for statements he made about COVID-19 and said the criticism by the Texas Republican was an attack on science. “I... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Biden Administration on Friday imposed air travel restrictions on eight African nations in response to a new COVID strain first detected in South Africa. The new travel restrictions, which go into effect Monday, apply to citizens of... Read More

BRUSSELS (AP) — A slew of nations moved to stop air travel from southern Africa on Friday, and stocks plunged in Asia and Europe in reaction to news of a new, potentially more transmissible COVID-19 variant. "The last thing we... Read More

WASHINGTON — More than 100 Democrats in the House and Senate are urging their colleagues to help them guarantee a woman’s timely access to birth control at her local pharmacy. The legislation, the Access to Birth Control Act, was reintroduced... Read More

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden will briefly transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday when he undergoes a “routine colonoscopy" at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the White House said. Biden drove early Friday to... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday suspended enforcement of a vaccine mandate on private companies with 100 or more employees. The decision, which was carried out through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, comes less than a week after... Read More

WASHINGTON —Many public health departments across the country are experiencing increasing calls from individuals who have lost their vaccination cards and are seeking a replacement. "Our department receives, on average, 60 requests for replacement vaccination cards each week. This number... Read More

LEON COUNTY, Fla. — In the panhandle of Florida, Leon County, a small county of around 270,000 residents, has been working to offer free menstrual products in school buildings, courthouses, community centers, parks and libraries. "Leon County continues to address... Read More

WASHINGTON — Members of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s Health Policy and Advocacy Committee are now calling for lawmakers to revise current Medicaid policy dictating patients who desire postpartum sterilization wait 30 days. The pregnancy experts published their contentions to... Read More

BERLIN (AP) — Austria took what its leader called the “dramatic" step Monday of implementing a nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people who haven't recently had COVID-19, perhaps the most drastic of a string of measures being taken by European governments... Read More

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Santa won't be getting his traditional welcome in the Dutch city of Utrecht this year. The ceremonial head of Carnival celebrations in Germany's Cologne had to bow out because he tested positive for COVID-19. And... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge overturned Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order banning mask mandates in public schools on Wednesday, freeing local officials to set their own masking orders once again. U.S. District Court Judge Lee Yeakel ruled Texas... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, whose son Beau was an Iraq war veteran, is using his first Veterans Day in office to announce an effort to better understand, treat and identify medical conditions suffered by troops deployed to toxic... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Mission Act was launched in 2019 to protect veterans' access to health care, but now health policy experts are finding that the legislation may actually be preventing access. “Veterans who need to go to [into] the community... Read More

WASHINGTON — Pfizer and BioNTech SE asked the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to allow boosters of its COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older. Currently, COVID-19 booster shots are only available to older Americans and those with underlying health... Read More

WASHINGTON — During a floor speech last week, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., urged the Senate to pass legislation which would eliminate the “fall back” of daylight savings time which happens each November.  “Beyond convenience, this really is a matter of... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration rolled out a new COVID-19 vaccine mandate Thursday morning, giving large companies until Jan. 4 to ensure that their workforces are fully vaccinated. In a conference call with reporters Wednesday night, a senior administration official... Read More

LONDON (AP) — Britain granted conditional authorization on Thursday to the only pill shown to successfully treat COVID-19 so far. It is the first country to OK the treatment from drugmaker Merck, although it wasn't immediately clear how quickly the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The World Health Organization recently hosted the third in a series of webinars on rural health equity and policies aimed at developing, attracting, and retaining health workers in rural and remote areas.  “Four out of five of the... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Members of the Ohio House have introduced a bill which would ban transgender kids under 18 from receiving gender transition treatments, even with parental consent.  “Studies consistently demonstrate that the vast majority of children who are gender... Read More

WASHINGTON — The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in domestic violence, and now legislators like Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who is a survivor of domestic violence, are pushing to advance policies to end the abuse.  “We have seen... Read More

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday night gave its formal approval for children ages 5-11 to receive Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.  CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on the plan just hours after an advisory... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in children 5 to 11. “As a mother and a physician, I know that parents, caregivers, school staff, and children have been waiting... Read More

WASHINGTON — A study funded by the Research Program for Media, Communication, and Society at the School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University in Denmark reveals how watching horror films may have helped individuals cope and prepare for the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a $4 million grant to Johns Hopkins Medicine for a three-year clinical trial to examine if psilocybin-assisted psychotherapies can help people quit smoking. “Psychedelic treatments ... when properly applied can help... Read More

WASHINGTON — When Khrista Messinger, a 46-year-old who works for the City of Charleston, W.Va., requested time off from work to seek treatment for her substance abuse addiction she was told by her employer that she needed to use her... Read More

Tumbling COVID-19 case counts have some schools around the U.S. considering relaxing their mask rules, but deaths nationally have been ticking up over the past few weeks, some rural hospitals are showing signs of strain, and cold weather is setting... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday said Americans who got either the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine can now get a COVID-19 booster, and also say that those eligible for a booster don’t have to get... Read More