Members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma have reached a deal with U.S. states to pay as much as $6 billion in cash to end widespread litigation against the OxyContin maker over its role in the nation's opioid epidemic.
Why it matters: The deal, which was announced on Thursday but still must be approved by a judge, would give states and local governments billions of dollars for treatment programs.
COVID case rates continued a steep decline over the last two weeks with the seven-day rolling average dropping to roughly 59,000 cases a day.
The big picture: These falling case rates prompted the CDC in the last week to loosen its mask guidance, recommending universal masking for less than a third of the U.S. population. The White House is also taking steps to bring back the federal workforce and otherwise promote a return to some form of pre-COVID normal.
The Biden administration included paid sick leave provisions as part of its new COVID-19 preparedness plan, which calls for a raft of measures meant to manage the U.S. through its new "post-pandemic" era.
Why it matters: The emergency sick leave provisions passed in 2020 at the outset of the pandemic expired that year and weren't renewed— despite protests from worker advocates and at least one study that showed the policy reduced the spread of the virus.
The Biden Administration today rolled out a new national COVID-19 preparedness plan on Wednesday that calls for maintaining free access to vaccines, masks, tests and drugs, as well respond more quickly to potential future variants.
Why it matters: It's part of an effort by the White House to push America into a post-pandemic phase while continuing to live with the virus.
Millions of Americans suffering from fatigue, nervous system disorders and other long-term health effects of COVID aren't getting public assistance to offset rising medical costs and lost income, an NBC News investigation found.
Why it matters: Taxpayer-funded unemployment insurance and long-term disability insurance aren't options for most Americans with long COVID, who may be too sick to work but not ready to quit the workforce.
Kids too sick to leave Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv have been sheltering in beds and on mattresses in the hospital basement this week amid growing fears it could be hit by a Russian airstrike.
Why it matters: It's a stark reminder that many civilians in need of care can't comply with evacuation orders and leave amid the increasingly desperate situation.
President Biden said tonight that more COVID antiviral treatments will become available sooner than expected and that his administration is launching a program to immediately get those pills to people who test positive for the virus.
Why it matters: The pills dramatically reduce the chances that someone with COVID will become severely ill, making them a key tool for living with the virus. But that hinges on getting patients access to them in a timely manner after testing positive.
President Biden used the State of the Union not only to project optimism about the direction of the pandemic, but also to launch new efforts focused on mental health care and nursing home quality — two areas that have been shown to be deeply in need of reform over the last two years.
Why it matters: The pandemic exposed and exacerbated deep societal problems, including within the health care system, and the work of addressing them is likely just beginning.
