COVID Conspiracies Return; Norovirus on the Hiking Trail; 2nd Pig Heart Transplanted

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As cases of COVID increase yet again, so too have the pandemic conspiracies. (The Hill)

President Biden signed into law legislation that seeks to reform the U.S. organ transplant system. (CNN)

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced a bill that would provide financial support to community health centers, citing shortages affecting basic health services. (Fierce Healthcare)

Biden received his updated COVID vaccine and annual flu shot, encouraging Americans to follow suit. (Politico)

Meanwhile, the FDA’s top vaccine official said he probably will not get his COVID, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shot on the same day. (CBS News)

Amid a growing number of reports of COVID shots not being covered by insurance, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra penned a letter to the healthcare payer community reminding them of their obligation to cover the vaccinations.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said schools should not be shutting down in response to COVID surges. (The Hill)

HHS sent 25 public health service officers to Hawaii to provide behavioral health support to those impacted by the wildfires.

A norovirus outbreak on the Pacific Crest Trail likely spread through highly trafficked rest stops where thousands of hikers pass through. (NPR)

Kids who get subsidized meals in childcare settings were less likely to have poor or fair health, and less likely to be admitted to the hospital after an emergency department visit. (Washington Post)

Meanwhile, a pilot program in North Carolina is targeting social determinants of health like food and housing insecurity in an effort to help struggling families and improve health outcomes. (STAT)

Even in states where gender-affirming care for minors is legal, some providers are curbing the treatments out of liability concerns. (AP)

California, however, is strengthening some protections for LGBTQ+ youth. (AP)

Remdesivir (Veklury) was associated with reduced in-hospital COVID deaths in patients receiving supplemental oxygen at admission, according to research in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

The NIH announced the start of a placebo-controlled severe COVID trial testing immune modulation therapy with abatacept (Orencia) — a drug currently approved for rheumatoid arthritis among other conditions.

The second patient ever to receive a heart transplanted from a pig, a patient dying from heart failure, responded well to the surgery. (AP)

Life Raft Treats expanded the recall of its “Not Fried Chicken” and “Life Is Peachy” ice cream products due to potential Listeria contamination, the company announced.

Pharmacists in the the Kansas City metro area shut down an estimated 22 CVS locations with a walkout to protest working conditions. (USA Today)

In other pharmacy news, Rite Aid may close up to 500 stores as part of a bankruptcy plan as it faces billions in debt and ongoing lawsuits over its role in the opioid crisis. (Reuters)

Six states expanded Medicaid this year to cover more adult dental care. (NBC News)

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