The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new and stricter standards for lead poisoning in children on Thursday.
Why it matters: The new standard means the number of children ages 1 to 5 considered to have high blood lead levels will more than double from 200,000 to nearly 500,00, according to AP.
Polls suggest some parents are hesitant to vaccinate their young children against COVID-19, but the benefits outweigh the risks, several infectious disease doctors tell Axios.
The latest: The FDA and CDC may soon authorize Pfizer's lower-dose vaccine for that age group, with Moderna close to also seeking approval. NIAID director Anthony Fauci says he's "excited" about the possibility of broadening possible protection for 28 million more Americans.
Why it matters: This is the Republican governor's latest attempt to undermine federal vaccine requirements, with the lawsuit alleging that such measures are a "radical intrusion on the personal autonomy" of U.S. workers.
After campaigning on health care one election cycle after another, Democrats have put forward a social policy framework that does nothing to lower prescription drug prices, expands Medicare benefits to only include hearing coverage, and temporarily builds on the Affordable Care Act.
Why it matters: The framework may be the best the party can do with razor-thin vote margins in Congress. But some health care advocates say it's unacceptable — and voters may not be thrilled either.
"Be first, be right, be credible" is the mantra of public health experts in a crisis. It's difficult to argue that the health community has regularly managed to beany of those three during COVID-19.
Why it matters: A pandemic isn't just a medical emergency — it's also acommunications emergency. The U.S. public health establishment, hamstrung by bad data and political interference, has struggled with the latter.
NIAID director Anthony Fauci tells Axios even though the chances of young children getting seriously ill from COVID-19 are small he urges parents to immunize them once a vaccine is authorized.
Driving the news: An FDA expert panel on Tuesday endorsed an emergency use authorization for a lower dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds, paving the way for another swath of the U.S. population to be vaccinated.
Some Democrats say it's possible that pieces of their social policy agenda end up being enacted or extended for only a year or two, including major Affordable Care Act and Medicaid provisions.
Why it matters: Limited terms may be the only way Democrats can strike a deal within their budget. But the risk is that Republicans will be able to undo these temporary programs if they're able to regain control of Congress through next year's midterms.
The president of New York City's firefighters' union told reporters Wednesday that he's advised unvaccinated members to ignore Mayor Bill de Blasio's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers, per Reuters.
Why it matters: Under De Blasio's order that's due to take effect Friday, unvaccinated city employees would be placed on unpaid leave. But Uniformed Firefighters Association head Andrew Ansbro said he told members that "if they choose to remain unvaccinated, they must still report for duty," according to Reuters.
The readily available antidepressant fluvoxamine significantly reduced COVID-related hospitalizations, according to a large study published Wednesday.
Why it matters: The clinical trial suggests that a cheap, readily available drug could dramatically reduce serious illness and death when prescribed early.
A judge ruled that Southwest Airlines can mandate its 9,000 pilots to be vaccinated against COVID-19, declining a union request for a restraining order on the policy, per AP.
Details: U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn said in her ruling against the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association on Tuesday that the airline was meeting its goal on air transportation safety and "providing 'safe and reasonable working conditions' for pilots, by preventing the spread of disease" with the requirement, the Dallas Morning News noted.
