Your Health

Demonstrators rally against laws the limit access to abortion at the Texas State Capitol on October 2, 2021 in Austin, Texas. The Women's March and other groups organized marches across the country to protest a new abortion law in Texas.

Prescribing abortion pills online or mailing them in Texas can now land you in jail

1:42pm December 06, 2021

by Ashley Lopez

As the Supreme Court considers a case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, Texas enacted a new law imposing criminal penalties for those who prescribe medication abortions via telehealth or the mail.

There's a lot we don't know about the new variant, yet many people are wondering if we should revisit many of the COVID precautions we're frankly sick of. Here's what doctors say are smart steps to take.

Health & Safety

With omicron looming over the holidays, here's how to stay safe

12:03pm December 04, 2021

by Maria Godoy

There's a lot we don't know about the new COVID variant. Many people are wondering if they can fly and go to holiday parties and restaurants — or should just hide out. We asked doctors for answers.

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Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, who directs the St. Louis Department of Health, has turned to social media platforms this week and to local clergy and community groups — the sort of trusted messengers people turn to in times of uncertainty — to help g

Sending the right message about the omicron variant is tricky

5:01am December 02, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Scientists may not know for a couple weeks yet how risky the new coronavirus variant will be to public health. But getting out front now about what is known helps dispel misinformation, they say.

People line up to get tested for COVID at a site in New York City on Monday. The new omicron variant, first detected in South Africa, is quickly spreading around the world.

California has reported the first U.S. case of the omicron variant

7:23pm December 01, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The individual returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 and had mild symptoms. Cases have been found in more than 20 countries, less than a week after the worrying new variant was first identified.

Researchers at the University of Washington Medicine Retrovirology Lab at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle process samples from Novavax's phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial in February 2021.

A different kind of COVID vaccine is about ready to roll

1:46pm December 01, 2021

by Joe Palca

Protein subunit vaccines work by injecting people with a tiny portion of a virus. In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, that tiny portion is the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to enter cells.

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Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug to treat mild to moderate COVID-19, is under consideration by the FDA for possible authorization.

Health & Safety

New antiviral drugs are coming for COVID. Here's what you need to know

7:48pm November 30, 2021

by Pien Huang

The FDA is considering new pills that could treat people in early stages of COVID. Here's what to know about how they work, how effective they are and the impact they could make on the pandemic.

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A COVID-19 antiviral pill called molnupiravir from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics is being considered by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in the coronavirus pandemic.

Health & Safety

An FDA panel supports Merck COVID drug in mixed vote

6:18pm November 30, 2021

by Scott Hensley

If the Food and Drug Administration authorizes use of the drug, called molnupiravir, it would be the first oral COVID-19 treatment that could be taken at home.

Jason Dean received six stitches and a tetanus shot after he cut his knee in May. In August, his wife, DeeAnn, feared going to the same emergency room where he was treated, delaying her diagnosis of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Health & Safety

The ER charged him $6,589.77 for 6 stitches, a cost that led his wife to avoid the ER

4:26pm November 30, 2021

by Blake Farmer

With few options for health care in their rural community, a Tennessee couple's experience with one outrageous bill could have led to a deadly delay when they needed help the most.

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Dutch health authorities say they've identified early cases of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus — including one from a sample taken the week before South Africa raised the alarm about the mutated variant. Other cases were found through tests a

The omicron variant was in Europe a week before South Africa reported it

11:58am November 30, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The rapidly spreading variant was identified in retests of samples that were taken on Nov. 19 and 23 in the Netherlands, according to a Dutch health agency.

(from left) Kevin Dedner founded Hurdle, a mental health startup that pairs patients with therapists. Ashlee Wisdom's company, Health in Her Hue, connects women of color with culturally sensitive medical providers. Nathan Pelzer's Clinify Health analyzes

How Black tech entrepreneurs are tackling health care's race gap

5:01am November 29, 2021

by Cara Anthony

Determined to improve the way doctors connect with their patients, a new wave of innovators are using technology to match people of color with culturally competent professionals.