Axios

COVID-19 fatalities in central Europe during the height of the pandemic would have been as much as 27% higher if death certificates listing the virus as a complication had instead designated it as the underlying cause of death, according to a new study.

Why it matters: While the pandemic's unrecognized death toll has spawned some heated debates, accurate estimates of mortality are needed to plan for future outbreaks and can influence the public to take precautions.

What they found: A University of Warsaw statistical analysis of 187,300 death certificates with a COVID-19 mention found deaths attributed to typical coronavirus complications or comorbidities may have been due to unrecognized COVID-19 itself.

🚨 A multistate listeria outbreak connected to deli meat has been linked to two deaths and more than two dozen hospitalizations. (CNN)

🐷 A special research farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains is growing pigs expected to supply kidneys and hearts for animal-to-human transplantation. (AP)

👩‍💻 Zoom, Slack and other technology probably created a new group of always-on workers with more health complaints than their peers. (WaPo)

The number of active drug shortages fell to 300 in the second quarter of this year after hitting an all-time high of 323, according to a tracker from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Why it matters: It's the sixth straight quarter with at least 300 drugs on shortage, many of them critical to patient outcomes, the pharmacists' group said.

The CrowdStrike internet meltdown that wrecked havoc with some health systems' procedures and billing on Friday could be a harbinger of future threats and disruptions to medical facilities, experts said.

Why it matters: The U.S. health system is still dealing with fallout from the massive Change Healthcare ransomware attack and other incidents that have underscored the sector's reliance on a few key technology companies to meet their IT needs.

President Biden — who was propelled into office in no small part by his health care agenda — realized Democrats' decades-long dream of allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, and came closer to achieving his party's equally elusive goal of universal health coverage than any other Democratic president before him.

Why it matters: As history-making as those achievements were, his health care legacy is a fragile one that could be undone by future administrations, congresses or court decisions, and in some ways is already being overshadowed by rising medical costs that top many Americans' financial concerns.