Scientists in South Africa have identified a new COVID-19 variant featuring "a very unusual constellation of mutations" that could potentially drive another wave of cases, officials warned on Thursday.
Why it matters: The variant, known as B.1.1.529, has so far been found in Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong, in a traveler, but could soon spread "all over," South African health minister Joe Phaahla said.
The European Union's drug regulatory agency on Thursday recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 years old.
Driving the news: The European Medicines Agency said the dose for kids "will be lower than that used in people aged 12 and above," per a press release from the agency.
President Biden had a polyp removed that was a "benign, slow-growing, but thought to be precancerous lesion" after having a routine colonoscopy last week, the White House physician said in a memorandum released Wednesday.
Driving the news: Testing identified it "as a tubular adenoma," which was "similar to the polyp which he had removed in 2008," according to physician Kevin O'Connor's memo, dated Tuesday.
The Biden administration will begin requiring essential travelers crossing U.S. borders to be fully vaccinated starting Jan. 22, a White House spokesperson told Axios Wednesday.
Why it matters: The move comes after the U.S. opened land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel in November, but only to those fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Italy announced new COVID restrictions on Wednesday — barring unvaccinated people from dining indoors, attending shows, sports events, public ceremonies and entering nightclubs starting in December, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: It follows a trend of public officials around the world imposing restrictions on unvaccinated people, as nations have struggled to get shots in arms, writes Axios' Shawna Chen.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recommended booster shots for all adults in a statement on Wednesday, as COVID-19 reaches new daily highs throughout the continent.
Pharmacies and insurers are increasingly competing to directly hire doctors and nurse practitioners as they move deeper into primary health care delivery.
Driving the news: The latest example isCVS Health's latest plan to reduce its retail locations as it pours more resources into its digital health delivery and health hub locations.
Why it matters: Primary care is the starting point for all other points of health care. Companies that own more of those interactions are offering convenience to consumers, while also standing to make more money.
New Zealand will reopen to most international travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 next year, in a gradual lifting of border restrictions that have been in place since March 2020.
Why it matters: The company faces over 2,000 lawsuits related to its marketing practices, which included fruit-flavored liquid pods and ad buys on youth websites like Cartoon Network, per Reuters. State and local governments have said it fueled a vaping epidemic among teens.
