Under a new law that took effect this week, the Food and Drug Administration can crack down on vaping companies that use synthetic nicotine, the AP reports.
Driving the news: The new law closed a loophole that certain companies had exploited to avoid oversight of their products, including flavored e-cigarette company Puff Bar.
Elon Musk opened up on Thursday about his experience growing up with Asperger's syndrome,or autism spectrum disorder.
Why it matters: Most adults with "invisible disabilities" such as Asperger’sconceal them professionally to avoid stigmas and potential discrimination, research has found.
Public unhappiness with the pandemic response is nearly universal and is taking a toll on approval ratings of every state's governor as well as the president, according to a new report from the COVID States Project.
Why it matters: It's a startling fall from grace for governors compared to early in the pandemic, when 38 of them registered approval ratings higher than 60%.
The Biden administration is giving a $226.5 million boost to efforts to build up the community health worker pipeline, HHS announced first to Axios.
Why it matters: Community health workers took on a new level of importance as trusted messengers during the pandemic amid efforts to overcome vaccine hesitancy and expand access to care.
In a society that generally respects authority, Chinese citizens are rebelling against COVID lockdowns that have brought food shortages, family separations and lost wages, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: Videos on social media show citizens scuffling with health workers and screaming in anger from their apartment windows.
Life in a COVID world is getting awkward again as Americans rush headlong back to their old ways of life even as case counts rise and new variants threaten to dash their hopes.
Why it matters: We can't say we're in a post-pandemic period yet. But large segments of the public are embracing pre-COVID norms, a fact that's maddening for those who are — or must — continue taking precautions.
California will not mandate COVID-19 vaccines for schoolchildren until at least summer of 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announced on Thursday, the AP reports.
The big picture: The state was the first to announce a K-12 vaccine mandate back in October.
