Axios

The number of deaths in the U.S. from alcohol-related causes surged during the first year of the pandemic, rising 25% from 2019 to 2020.

• The largest spike in alcohol-related deaths was among 35- to 44-year-olds, at nearly 40%.

Hillary Clinton has tested positive for COVID-19, she announced on Twitter Tuesday evening.

What she's saying: "I've got some mild cold symptoms but am feeling fine. I'm more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against serious illness," wrote the 74-year-old former secretary of state.

The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron makes up over a third of COVID-19 variants in the U.S., according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why it matters: While COVID has receded sharply since January, the BA.2 subvariant has caused a resurgence in COVID cases in Asia and Europe.

European countries that are currently experiencing a rise in COVID-19 cases are doing so partly as a result of lifting their public health restrictions too soon, World Health Organization Europe regional director Hans Kluge said at a briefing Tuesday.

Why it matters: Rising COVID-19 cases in Europe, driven by the BA.2 variant, a subvariant of Omicron, have ignited fears of a potential rise in cases in the U.S.

Masks will be optional for children under the age of 5 in New York City schools and daycare settings starting April 4 if COVID cases remain low, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: The city lifted its mask mandate for K-12 public schoolchildren two weeks ago. Adams has faced increasing pressure to do the same for younger children as COVID cases in the city dropped off.

Those who've recovered from COVID-19 within the past year have a significantly increased chance of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes compared with people who haven't been infected, a study published Monday in the journal Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology found.

Why it matters: The increased risk translates into 1% of people who've gotten COVID developing diabetes "who otherwise wouldn't have," the Wall Street Journal reported.

Wastewater monitoring programs around the nation indicate a new surge of COVID-19 similar to Europe's may be on its way in the U.S. But public health authorities aren't getting a full picture because a hoped-for national early warning system remains a patchwork quilt.

A Texas appeals court on Monday reinstated an order preventing the state from investigating parents for child abuse if they seek gender-affirming care for their trans children.

Driving the news: The temporary injunction is "necessary to maintain the status quo and preserve the rights of all parties," the court said in an opinion. It did not rule on the merits of the case.

The chair of the House Democrats' campaign arm and some of the vulnerable members he's charged with re-electing are voicing support for a Republican-led mask mandate repeal bill.

Why it matters: This would set up a potential showdown with the White House, which recently issued a one-month extension on the federal mask mandate for public transit and airplanes.

Black adults accounted for a higher percentage of hospitalizations when Omicron was the predominant variant spreading in the U.S. (27%) than during the Delta-predominant period (22%), CDC data released Friday shows.

• Driving the news: The findings suggest the increased hospitalization risk during Omicron could be due, in part, to lower proportions of Black adults receiving both of their primary vaccines and booster doses, the authors write.

Psychiatry's most influential diagnostic manual has a new disorder in its latest edition: prolonged grief.

Why it matters: The diagnoses could open up new ways of treating mental distress associated with grief and have that care paid for by insurers, the New York Times reports.

The FDA's conditional approval of a controversial Alzheimer's drug last year has sparked heightened scrutiny and an attempted overhaul of a popular regulatory pathway used to fast-track cancer drugs and certain other treatments.

Why it matters: Accelerated approval allows patients to access new drugs deemed to meet unfilled needs much faster than if the drug went through the regular approval process. But critics say that more needs to be done to prove these drugs actually work in the real world, which could have big implications for the pharmaceutical industry.