BA.2.86 Variant Spotted in 10 States; Vax and Long COVID; Children and Suicide

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The highly mutated COVID variant BA.2.86 has been spotted in samples from Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. (CBS News)

Pfizer projected a 24% COVID vaccination rate in the U.S. this year. (Reuters)

The global effect of hypertension was detailed in an inaugural report from the WHO.

Here’s what to know about the Nipah virus amid an outbreak in India. (ABC News)

Vaccination after long COVID was linked to fewer symptoms and less inflammation, an observational study showed. (International Journal of Infectious Diseases)

The cost burdens of Medicare coverage for people 65 and older was examined in a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.

The fight over Medicare payments hinges on primary care. (Axios)

Google and the Department of Defense teamed up to build an AI-powered microscope to help doctors detect cancer. (CNBC)

CMS finalized a rule to streamline enrollment in Medicare Savings Programs.

Social media posts suggested some patients were charged $125 to $190 for the new COVID vaccine, which should be covered by most insurance plans. (CBS News)

The FDA changed the therapeutic equivalence rating for Accord Healthcare’s generic tacrolimus capsules, which are used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients.

The agency also changed the pimavanserin (Nuplazid) drug label to clarify how the drug can be used in patients with Parkinson’s disease, Acadia Pharmaceuticals said.

Patients prescribed higher buprenorphine doses for opioid use disorder remained in treatment longer. (JAMA Network Open)

Health programs are at risk of being stranded amid the threat of a government shutdown. (Axios)

Could a lawsuit in New Jersey bring aid in dying to millions? (New York Times)

The Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission filed a complaint against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R), alleging his public statements about a doctor’s provision of abortion services to a 10-year-old from Ohio amounted to misconduct. (The Hill)

After more than a year, Planned Parenthood resumed offering abortions in Wisconsin. (AP)

Total abortion bans are not popular, according to new polling. (The 19th)

AI and machine learning provided a high diagnostic and classification performance in detecting polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). (Frontiers in Endocrinology)

Exposures to certain phenols, parabens, and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances were linked with increased odds of previous melanoma and ovarian cancer diagnoses. (Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology)

As more young children die by suicide, better tracking and prevention is being sought. (CBS News)

Babies died from poisoned water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and justice has been hard to find. (NBC News)

Margaret Chung, the first known American woman of Chinese ancestry to earn a medical degree, was a doctor who was “different from others.” (New York Times)