Nurse Guilty of Baby Killings; Highly Mutated COVID Strain; Food Handler Infects 300

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Former U.K. nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies in intensive care. (Mirror)

Opioids are the current greatest threat to U.S. public health, said respondents of a new poll, followed by obesity and guns. (Axios)

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed into law a bill that mandates minimum nurse-patient ratios at hospitals. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

The CDC said its tracking a new, highly mutated COVID-19 variant, BA.2.86, detected so far in the U.S., Denmark, and Israel. (CBS News)

Moderna and Pfizer said their updated COVID vaccines were effective in lab studies against current circulating Omicron subvariants, including “Eris” or EG.5. (Reuters)

Binge drinking, marijuana, and hallucinogen use among adults 35 to 50 hit record highs in 2022, according to the Monitoring the Future panel study.

Was a recent World Health Organization report dismissing prior findings of aspartame as a possible carcinogen the work of an industry front group? (The Guardian)

The mpox Jynneos vaccination was linked with lower prevalences of constitutional symptoms, pruritus, and hospitalization in people over 50 who contracted the virus.

What exactly constitutes an embryo? (Cell)

New weight-loss drugs cost more in the U.S. than abroad, a KFF analysis found.

Meanwhile, America’s obsession with new obesity drugs is affecting the economy of Denmark. (Wall Street Journal)

And the jury’s still out on exactly how GLP-1 receptor agonists work for weight loss. (New York Times)

Some cancer drug suppliers are inflating prices amid the national chemotherapy shortage. (NBC News)

Many Maui survivors will struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of the deadly fires. (AP)

Bruce Springsteen pulled the plug on some upcoming shows after becoming ill. (NBC News)

Glasses that block blue light likely don’t help much when it comes to reducing eyestrain, keeping people alert, or improving sleep, a meta-analysis suggested. (NBC News)

A sick food handler at an Illinois restaurant was the likely source of a 317-person norovirus outbreak last November. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)

Despite eligibility, few get screened for the deadliest cancer. (STAT)

Beware of certain ultraviolet disinfecting wands as they could give off unsafe levels of radiation, the FDA warned.

Some Latino households are facing hours of delays and dropped calls when phoning into a Spanish-speaking Medicaid call center in Florida. (NBC News)

An Alabama judge is temporarily blocking licenses to grow and distribute medical marijuana. (AP)

Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health announced they’re joining forces to create one integrated health system.

The NIH established the Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence focused on reducing pregnancy-related complications and boosting maternal health equity.

Insurer Blue Shield of California said it plans to use Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs and Amazon Pharmacy as its preferred pharmacy networks in the coming years. (CNBC)

A federal court ruled that two protesters arrested after writing anti-abortion messages in chalk outside a Planned Parenthood could proceed with a freedom-of-speech lawsuit. (WTOP News)

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