What we know about the virus that's spreading across the globe.

Coronavirus

What's ahead in a post-Roe v. Wade world.

Axios Explains: Abortion

The developments that matter in how Americans are paying for drugs, treatment, insurance and more.

Health care costs

Opioids

The developments that matter in the fight over Obama's landmark health care law.

Affordable Care Act

The latest in the debate over whether the U.S. should shift to government-funded health care.

Medicare for All

The developments that matter in the fight over e-cigarette use.

Vaping

The developments that matter on issues that affect our immediate safety and health.

Public health

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

National

The J. M. Smucker Co. is recalling select Jif peanut butter products for potential Salmonella contamination. 

Why it matters: The voluntary recall comes amid a multistate outbreak of infections linked to certain Jif peanut butter products produced by the company’s facility in Lexington, Kentucky.

Health officials from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the ongoing outbreak and say there have been 14 reported cases of Salmonella Senftenberg infections with two hospitalizations. 

Details: The recall is for various peanut butter products including creamy, crunchy and natural varieties packaged in dozens of different sizes and containers that were distributed nationwide.

Recalled products include lot codes between 1274425 through 2140425, only if the first seven digits end with 425, which shows they were manufactured in the Lexington facility. 

The codes are located alongside best-if-used-by date.

Georgia and Texas each had two reported cases of Salmonella Senftenberg, the FDA said in its investigation. States with one case include: Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington.

The big picture: According to a recall notice posted on the FDA website, Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. In healthy people, it can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

What they’re saying: "Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve any recalled Jif brand peanut butter," the FDA said on its outbreak investigation webpage. 

“If consumers have products matching the above description in their possession, they should dispose of it immediately,” the company said in the recall notice.

Be smart: Find the full list of recalled peanut butter products on both the FDA recall notice or company press release.

Jif peanut butter recalled for possible Salmonella amid outbreak

There have been 14 reported cases of salmonella infections linked to the Jif products, according to the FDA.

Select kinds of Jif peanut butter have been recalled for potential Salmonella contamination. Photo: J.M. Smucker Co.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

New York state health officials said late Friday a New York City resident tested positive for the virus that causes monkeypox, according to AP.

Why it matters: It's the state's first confirmed case of monkeypox since multiple countries recently reported infections from the virus, which previously had been rarely seen outside of western and central African countries.

It's also the U.S.' second confirmed monkeypox infection this year, as Massachusetts reported the first on Wednesday.

The unidentified patient is being treated and isolated while the state determines how the person was infected and reaches people who may have been in contact with the person, according to AP.

The state is also awaiting final confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The New York City Department of Health said Thursday it was investigating at least one possible case of monkeypox.

The big picture: Numerous other countries reported multiple confirmed and possible cases this week, including Australia, Canada, Belgium, Italy, London and northern Ireland, Portugal and Spain. 

Related to smallpox, monkeypox has two main types: the West African clade with a fatality rate of around 1% and the Congo Basin (Central African) clade, with a fatality rate of around 10%, Axios' Eileen Drage O'Reilly reports.

The current circulating virus strain appears to be the milder West African type that often starts with flu-like symptoms and swelling lymph node, progressing to a blistering rash.

The smallpox vaccine is believed to be effective against monkeypox.

The CDC warned Friday that doctors and state health departments in the U.S. should be on the lookout for possible cases, specifically looking for the characteristic rash associated with the virus.

The World Health Organization's European chief also said he is concerned that monkeypox could spread in Europe in the next few months, as people gather for parties and festivals during the summer 

Go deeper: What we know about the new monkeypox outbreak

New York City confirms first case of monkeypox

It's the U.S.' second confirmed case of monkeypox infection this year.

People walking in New York City. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

New York City

Percentage who say they think it should be possible to obtain a legal abortion for any reason

Data: General Social Survey; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Most Americans in recent polls think Roe v. Wade should be upheld but have no absolute position on abortion, saying it should either be mostly legal or mostly illegal.

The big picture: Years of polling have shown that Americans recognize gray areas in a way that you'd never hear about if you just listened to the politicians and the activists.

The closest thing to a consensus view: "It depends. It's not a simple yes or no answer," said Hannah Hartig, a research associate at Pew Research Center.

Between the lines: Here's what the polls really tell us — and what to remember as emotions rise over the likelihood that the Supreme Court is about to overturn Roe v. Wade.

1) Most Americans are in the middle. In Gallup polling going back to 1975, the most common view has been that abortion should be "legal only under certain circumstances" — not that it should be "legal under any circumstances" or "illegal in all circumstances."

How broad that middle is depends on the wording of the question and how many options are provided. With Gallup, 48% said it should be legal only under certain circumstances as of May 2021.

But in a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March 2022, 71% said abortion should be legal in most cases, illegal in most cases, or legal or illegal with some exceptions.

"Most people kind of live in the gray zone," said Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson. 

2) But majorities still want to uphold Roe v. Wade. When asked about it specifically, 54% in a Washington Post/ABC News poll in April said Roe should be upheld, as did 63% in a Fox News poll April 28-May 1.

Both were conducted before Politico reported on the draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe.

In Gallup polling going back to 1989, majorities have opposed overturning Roe, and support for overturning it has rarely risen above a third of Americans.

3) It depends on the categories and the questions. As with many polls on other topics, pollsters have found different answers on abortion by combining different groups and wording the questions in different ways.

For example, the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List released a poll of battleground states this week that found that 49% held what it defined as a "pro-life" view: 36% said abortion should be "illegal except in the case of rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s life," and 13% said it "should always be illegal."

Pro-abortion rights groups, however, point to poll findings that suggest many people who are personally against abortion don't want the government to prevent others from getting one. They cite a Washington Post/ABC News question that found 75% agreed that the decision "should be left to the woman and her doctor," compared to 20% who said it should be regulated by law.

The bottom line is "who has power and control over these decisions," said Tresa Undem, a pollster who studies public opinion on abortion.

4) Democrats have moved more than Republicans. In a recent summary of abortion polling, Ipsos noted that there wasn't a lot of difference between Democrats and Republicans in the 1970s — but there's now about a 35-point difference in support for the right to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.

One reason: a big jump in Democratic support in the past few years, according to data from the General Social Survey.

"Democrats have become more liberal in the last decade or so, while Republicans have become a little more conservative," said Jackson.

5) People are weighing multiple questions. One example: nearly half of Americans — 48% — say there are cases where abortion is morally wrong but also should be legal, according to the Pew survey.

"For most people, this isn't just a legal question. It's also a moral question," said Besheer Mohamed, a senior researcher at Pew.

Another sign, according to the Pew survey: One in three agreed that life begins at conception, "so a fetus is a person with rights" — but also said the abortion decision "should belong solely to the pregnant woman."

And in the Fox News poll — the same one that found support for upholding Roe v. Wade — 54% said they'd favor banning abortion in their state after 15 weeks except in medical emergencies. That's a scenario similar to the Mississippi law in the Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe.

"There’s a black hole of what ifs," said Undem. "The clearest sense of opinion I get is that people tend to know every situation is different and want government out of these decisions. They are also reluctant to impose their personal beliefs on other people."

6) It's too early to know the election impact. Democrats have always warned that  overturning Roe would lead to a political earthquake — but while there are some midterm races that are being closely watched, the polling doesn't suggest a huge shift yet.

An Ipsos-Reuters poll taken right after the Supreme Court decision leaked found that two thirds of Americans would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supported a law legalizing abortion if Roe is overturned.

But it also found that only a third said they'd be angry if Roe were overturned — mainly Democrats (51%) rather than independents (25%) or Republicans (24%).

Jackson noted that the actual ruling hasn't come yet and it's still early for most Americans to know what they might do about it in the midterms, or where abortion would rank in comparison to other issues like inflation. "The big question is, is that [anger] sustained ... until the election?"

Bill to protect abortion rights fails to pass Senate

Red states race to enact new abortion restrictions

Polling shows America in the middle on abortion

Americans are conflicted and recognize gray areas, even as most want to protect Roe v. Wade.

Politics & Policy

Health: Broadway theaters will require masks through June — The pandemic pushed an exodus from public schools — COVID cases rise in almost every state.

Vaccines: Which age groups are eligible for the different COVID vaccines — CDC director authorizes Pfizer COVID booster for children 5-11. 

Politics: Federal judge blocks Biden from ending COVID border policy — Fauci says he won’t stay if Trump is re-elected — Biden orders flags at half-staff for 1 million deaths.

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday: 526,627,134 — Total deaths: 6,287,461 — Total vaccine doses administered: 11,437,710,847.

U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday: 83,194,060 — Total deaths: 1,002,022.

What should I do? Axios asked the experts:

When you can be around others after contracting the coronavirus

Traveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagious

Answers about the virus from Axios experts

Download our app and follow the Coronavirus channel to get the latest news.

Editor's note: Johns Hopkins University stopped reporting U.S. COVID-19 recoveries on its dashboard on Dec. 15, citing a Coronavirus Tracking Project post that explained the national data is incomplete since several states do not keep records of recovered patients. It stopped reporting global recoveries and began reporting doses administered in May. 

COVID-19 dashboard

The latest headlines that you need to know.

Illustration of a coronavirus cell falling into a time warp.  

Health Care

World

Politics

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that doctors and state health departments in the U.S. should be on the lookout for possible cases of monkeypox.

Driving the news: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the CDC are currently investigating a confirmed case of monkeypox, which has been spreading throughout several European nations in recent days.

Details: The CDC said in its alert that clinicians "should be vigilant to the characteristic rash associated with monkeypox."

Doctors should suspect monkeypox if patients have a rash after they've traveled to countries with confirmed cases, or if a patient has reported having contact with someone who has been to one of those countries, the CDC said.

The CDC added that doctors should also be suspicious of monkeypox if the patient "is a man who regularly has close or intimate in-person contact with other men, including those met through an online website, digital application ('app'), or at a bar or party."

The big picture: Monkeypox cases have popped up in Belgium, Italy, London and northern Ireland, Portugal and Spain, as well as Australia and Canada.

Confirmed or suspected cases have reached more than 100 in Europe, per Reuters.

"This is the largest and most widespread outbreak of monkeypox ever seen in Europe," said Germany's armed forces' medical service, Reuters reported.

Confirmed new monkeypox cases outside of Africa

Note: Monkeypox is more common and locally transmitted in west and central Africa; Map: Axios Visuals

What's next: WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge warned Friday that monkeypox cases could spread in the forthcoming summer due to mass gatherings, festivals and parties.

Be smart: Fabian Leendertz, from the Robert Koch Institute, told Reuters that the current outbreak "is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long. The cases can be well isolated via contact tracing and there are also drugs and effective vaccines that can be used if necessary."

WHO concerned monkeypox could accelerate during summer months

HHS says recent U.S. smallpox vaccine order not related to monkeypox outbreak

CDC: Doctors should be on alert for monkeypox symptoms

The CDC said monkeypox cases could show up in the United States.

Photo: Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Monkeypox

Broadway theaters will continue requiring attendees to wear face masks at least through June 30 due to rising COVID-19 cases, the Broadway League announced on Friday. 

Driving the news: The decision comes as New York City declared a “high Covid alert" due to rising cases, per the New York Times.

What they're saying: “The safety and security of our cast, crew, and audience has been our top priority,” Charlotte St. Martin, the president of the Broadway League, said in a statement. 

“By maintaining our audience masking requirement through at least the month of June, we intend to continue that track record of safety for all, despite the Omicron subvariants.”

The big picture: Biden administration officials said Wednesday that one-third of Americans currently live in areas where the risk for COVID-19 infection is high and people should consider wearing masks indoors.

COVID-19 cases are rising in almost every state.

But about one in three Americans now say the pandemic is over, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

Broadway theaters will require masks through June

The decision comes as New York City declared "a high Covid alert" due to rising cases.

Broadway theaters. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Broadway

The U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority's (BARDA) recent purchase of smallpox vaccines is not related to the new monkeypox outbreak, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told Axios.

Driving the news: "The most recent BARDA purchase of smallpox vaccine was part of a standard and ongoing preparedness efforts and unrelated to specific events," an HHS spokesperson told Axios.

"BARDA has worked with industry to develop and purchase vaccines and treatments for a potential smallpox emergency, some of which may also be used to respond to monkeypox," the spokesperson said.

Details: On Thursday, Bavarian Nordic, a bio tech company that develops vaccines, announced that the U.S. had exercised options under an existing contract to order $119 million worth of a freeze-dried version of the Jynneos smallpox vaccine, which can help prevent smallpox and monkeypox disease in adults.

The order converts existing smallpox vaccines into freeze-dried versions. The converted vaccines will be manufactured in 2023 and 2024. 

Bavarian Nordic has been working with the U.S government since 2003, per Fortune.

The Jynneos vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent smallpox and monkeypox in 2019.

An unidentified European nation, however, has placed an order to obtain the same smallpox vaccine (known as Imvanex in Europe) in response to the recent monkeypox outbreak, according to Bavarian Nordic.

What they're saying: “While the full circumstances around the current monkeypox cases in Europe remain to be elucidated, the speed of which these have evolved, combined with the potential for infections beyond the initial case going undetected, calls for a rapid and coordinated approach by the health authorities, and we are pleased to assist in this emergency situation,” Paul Chaplin, president and CEO of Bavarian Nordic, said in a statement.

"Infection control has been a high priority for societies during COVID-19, and this situation is an unfortunate reminder, that we cannot let our guard down, but must continue to build and strengthen our infectious disease preparedness to keep the world open.”

Be smart: This may become the largest outbreak of the virus outside of Africa, but it's not likely to cause a global pandemic like COVID, an infectious disease expert tells Axios. 

Go deeper ... What we know about the new monkeypox outbreak

First U.S. monkeypox case confirmed in Massachusetts

"The most recent BARDA purchase of smallpox vaccine was part of a standard and ongoing preparedness efforts and unrelated to specific events."

Smallpox vaccine. Photo: cott A. Miller/Getty Image

The World Health Organization's European chief on Friday said he is concerned that monkeypox could spread in Europe in the next few months, as people gather for parties and festivals during the summer.

Driving the news:  "As we enter the summer season in the European region, with mass gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that transmission could accelerate, as the cases currently being detected are among those engaging in sexual activity, and the symptoms are unfamiliar to many," WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.

Context: Europe has seen a recent spread of monkeypox, with cases found in Belgium, Italy, London and northern Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

Kluge said he's concerned because cases have risen among those who have no travel history to places where monkeypox is endemic.

He said there's also concern "because most of the initial cases found are being detected through sexual health services and are among men who have sex with men" — a sign that community transmission may have been happening for some time.

Zoom out: One monkeypox case has been identified in the United States, too. Australia and Canada also reported cases.

The outbreak could become the biggest outbreak outside of Africa, Axios' Eileen Drage O'Reilly writes.

The spread is not likely to cause a global pandemic like COVID did.

Worth noting: Monkeypox incubates within people for six to 13 days before symptoms appear first appear.

Cases of monkeypox have risen among those with no travel history to places where the virus is endemic.

World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge.

Hans Kluge. Photo: AytgÄ Can Sencar via Getty Images

World Health Organization (WHO)

More states are expanding Medicaid coverage of maternity services for low-income women, including lengthening the postpartum coverage period, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation report.

Why it matters: Medicaid pays for more than four in 10 births in the U.S., but coverage can be short-lived for women, ending after 60 days postpartum.

Rising rates of pregnancy related deaths, especially in Black and Native American communities, have drawn more attention to the patchwork of maternal health standards.

What they're saying: More than half of states have taken recent steps toward lengthening the postpartum coverage period beyond 60 days, including some states that haven't opted to extend Medicaid benefits to all adults under the Affordable Care Act.

More than half the states cover home births under Medicaid — an option that's gained more attention during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coverage for services outside of medical settings is mixed, with most states paying for home visits but limiting coverage for educational classes and home-base lactation consultations.

Very few states offer any coverage for fertility assistance services.

11 states are considering adding doula services as a covered benefit. 

Eight states have initiatives to address substance use or mental health services for pregnant or postpartum beneficiaries.

The findings cover 41 states and the District of Columbia and address benefits implemented as of July 1, 2021.

States expanding Medicaid coverage of maternity services

More than half of states have taken recent steps toward lengthening the postpartum coverage period.

A nurse cares for a newborn baby in the maternity ward of a hospital in Marche-En-Famenne, Belgium. Photo: Vincent Kalut/Photonews via Getty Images

Health care

Pedestrian deaths reached a 40-year high last year, according to preliminary data from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

By the numbers: Drivers struck and killed more than 7,400 people in 2021, and the percentage of children killed by speeding drivers more than doubled since 2018.

Pedestrian traffic fatalities, 2000–2021

Data: Governors Highway Safety Association; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios

State of play: Impaired driving and increased speeding contributed to the rise in pedestrian deaths, said Russ Martin, GHSA’s Senior Director of Policy and Government Relations.

"You also have this thought that well, I could be on a ventilator by the end of the week, I should take advantage of the time that I have. I think everyone's out there trying live their best life with an increased sense of urgency," he said. 

"So when it comes to the roadway, maybe that has contributed to more of a me first kind of attitude." 

Martin also pointed to larger vehicles on the road and crumbling infrastructure. Separating cars from pedestrians is one of the most effective engineering interventions, he said.  

The big picture: Data out this week from the Department of Transportation also revealed that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2021, the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2005.

That's a 10.5% increase from 2020, when 38,824 deaths were reported.

Pedestrian deaths hit 40-year high

Pedestrian deaths reached their highest levels in four decades in 2021.

A graphic of a car moving into a crosswalk.

Deaths

People walk down a street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Sections

Axios Local

Axios gets you smarter, faster with news & information that matters.

About

Subscribe