Popular Korean pop boy band BTS is planning to hold three in-person concerts in South Korea next month, despite surging COVID-19 cases, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Why it matters: South Korea is currently experiencing record-breaking rates of new COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, the country surpassed 90,000 new daily infections for the first time in the pandemic, Reuters reported.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday ending school mask mandates, days after it cleared the state legislature.
Driving the news: The legislation, which will take effect on March 1, will allow parents to opt their children out of wearing a mask. It will put Virginia among the list of states to relax COVID-19 safety measures, as case numbers have declined.
Getting vaccinated against the coronavirus while pregnant can protect infants 6 months and younger from being hospitalized for COVID, according to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Driving the news: The study found that receiving two doses of an mRNA vaccine can help protect pregnant people and also makes it 61% less likely for infants to be hospitalized with COVID-19.
A group of citizens in Connecticut is suing Hartford HealthCare, alleging the large hospital system has amassed monopoly power "to extract higher prices from insurers, employers, and patients."
Why it matters: This is another class-action lawsuit arguing hospital consolidation has crushed everyone's bank accounts and has led to the rise of anti-competitive contracts that force insurers and employers to accept take-it-or-leave-it terms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered its pandemic travel health alert for cruise ships from "very high" to "high" on Tuesday.
Driving the news: CDC spokesperson Caitlin Shockey said in a statement that the agency lowered the travel health notice to Level 3 due to decreasing COVID-19 cases on cruise ships operating in the U.S., per the Washington Post.
There will be "no vaccination, testing or masking requirements" at Coachella 2022 when the event returns to Southern California's desert this April, according to an update on the festival website Tuesday.
Why it matters: The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was one of the biggest of its kind before the pandemic. The festival has been canceled three times due to the coronavirus.
Avista Capital Partners agreed to acquire a majority stake in Probo Medical, joining Varsity Healthcare Partners as an investor in the growing umbrella of refurbished medical equipment and parts.
Details: The deal's enterprise value is approximately $450 million, sources tell Axios.
The Biden administration has requested $30 billion more to fuel the COVID response, according to sources familiar, but most Republicans — and some Democrats — are less than thrilled about the prospect of spending more money on the pandemic.
Why it matters: The request sets up a clash between lawmakers concerned about pandemic preparedness and those who are reluctant to spend more money against a backdrop of inflation and record-high federal debt.
Researchers said Tuesday that a woman of mixed race has become the third person ever cured of HIV, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Her recovery involved a transplant method using umbilical cord blood, which is more widely available than the adult stem cells needed for bone marrow transplants and doesn't have to match as closely to the recipient. The case could expand the possibility of curing millions more, especially people of color.
Drug copay coupons make medications free or very cheap for patients at the pharmacy counter. But they drastically increase the amounts paid by employers, insurers and other workers, a new study conducted by a trio of health economists concludes.
Why it matters: The study adds further evidence to the idea that drug copay cards are a great short-term deal for patients — and especially the pharmaceutical companies that promote them — but a bad long-term deal for society.
Some of America's health care workers appear to be considering their job options outside the industry, according to a new Axios/Morning Consult survey.
Driving the news: Health care workers aren't immune from the trends driving the Great Resignation across the U.S. workforce.
A third of Americans who believe coronavirus vaccine misinformation are aware that they're in disagreement with scientists and medical experts, according to a new survey by The COVID States Project.
Why it matters: This suggests that educating people on the science behind vaccines won't be sufficient to change many minds.
