Axios

Paraclete, maker of an employer-facing virtual mental wellness offering, raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from Sovereign's Capital and several individual investors, the company's founder, Vineet Rajan, tells Axios exclusively.

Why it matters: Behavioral health is a sizzling sub-sector of the digital health market, and Paraclete targets people with mental health needs other than depression, ADHD or anxiety, the conditions most commonly addressed.

A new report from a broad range of disinformation experts finds influencers across many topics — wellness, politics and religion — were largely responsible for spreading viral anti-vaccination content in the U.S. over the past two years.

Why it matters: Influencers with large followings often introduced new and personal angles to familiar anti-vax tropes, making it difficult for social media companies to moderate their comments without running into free speech issues.

The fear of new COVID variants is adding a sense of trepidation to America's latest great reopening.

Driving the news: While cases and hospitalizations are plummeting worldwide after massive Omicron-fueled surges, the spread of an even more transmissible Omicron subvariant is making some experts nervous as states lift mask mandates and other restrictions.

COVID case rates continued to free-fall over the last two weeks, with most states now reaching 50 or fewer new cases of COVID per day.

The big picture: The corresponding lifting of mask and other mandates is leading companies to start to set return to work dates.

A critical shortage of medical gloves during the pandemic last year led to large price hikes from the makers of those gloves — costs that everyone ultimately will absorb.

Driving the news: Medical equipment supplier Owens & Minor reported $660 million of extra revenue in 2021, and expects an additional $235 million this year, based solely on passing along higher costs of purchasing gloves.

Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that hasn't announced plans to lift its mask mandate, CBS News reported Wednesday.

Driving the news: With COVID-19 cases finally declining following the Omicron wave, many states and businesses have signaled a readiness to ease pandemic health restrictions.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday that he is revoking the emergency powers he invoked earlier this month to quell protests against the country's COVID-19 public health restrictions.

What he's saying: “Today, after careful consideration, we’re ready to confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency,” Trudeau said at a press conference. “Therefore, the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act."

Target will no longer require employees or shoppers to wear masks indoors unless it's to comply with local regulations, the company announced in an update on its website Monday.

Driving the news: The company said in a statement it will "continue to monitor trends in COVID-19 cases, public health data and guidance from public health experts moving forward."

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized for the first time a condom for anal sex, as well as vaginal intercourse.

Why it matters: Public health experts have long advocated for the authorization because it could encourage more people to use condoms while having anal sex to prevent the spread of STIs and HIV, the New York Times notes.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Tuesday ordered state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care for transgender kids as child abuse.

Driving the news: "The Office of the Attorney General has now confirmed in the enclosed opinion that a number of so-called 'sex change' procedures constitute child abuse under existing Texas law," Abbott wrote in a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Texas-based startup FemTec Health has unveiled its first company brand, a health and wellness offering called Awesome Woman, founder Kimon Angelides tells Axios exclusively.

Why it matters: Awesome Woman is a subscription-based digital pharmacy and telehealth platform that is reflective of growing investor interest in women-focused digital health.

The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. for 2020 was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, up from a rate of 20.1 in 2019, newly released CDC data shows.

Why it matters: The U.S. still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world and previous research has largely attributed that to an outsized prevalence among Black mothers.

Sanofi and GSK on Wednesday said that their coronavirus vaccine has a 100% efficacy against severe infection and hospitalization in a phase 3 clinical trial.

State of play: The companies said early data indicated that their recombinant protein-based vaccine is 77% effective against symptomatic disease caused by the Delta variant. However, no specific data on the Omicron variant, the current dominant strain, was provided.

Even as the Omicron wave winds down, federal health officials, experts and the vaccine makers are already preparing for a potential fourth COVID shot to protect against whatever may come next.

The catch: It's not yet clear whether another booster shot will be needed. And if it is, there are even more questions around who should receive one and what kind of shot would be most effective.

Advisors to the CDC will consider today whether to clarify flu vaccine guidelines and for the first time recommend a "high-dose" shot over a standard dose for seniors.

Why it matters: Even amid the pandemic, flu remains a major public health threat, especially for adults older than 65.