appears in the following:

CDC says Americans can now go unmasked in many parts of the country

Friday, February 25, 2022

The federal health agency released new guidance for when Americans need to mask up indoors, saying about 70% of the population lives in a place where it's safe to go mask free.

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Doctors find limited use for less effective COVID pill

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

The antiviral pill molnupiravir was authorized and distributed by the government late last year. But it's not doctors' first choice of treatment, except for a narrow slice of patients.

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Why remdesivir, a highly effective COVID treatment, is a last resort for providers

Monday, February 07, 2022

The antiviral infusion was just revived as an early treatment for COVID patients. But the drug is relatively expensive and hard to administer, relegating it to what some are calling "stopgap" status.

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Remdesivir can help COVID patients avoid the hospital. But it's been slow to catch on

Monday, February 07, 2022

The antiviral infusion Remdesivir was just revived as an early treatment for COVID. It can be expensive and hard to administer, but is useful when monoclonals and pills are in short supply like now.

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The FDA is restricting the use of 2 drugs first authorized to treat COVID

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The FDA curbed the use of two out of three monoclonal antibody treatments. Studies show they're highly unlikely to work against the omicron variant, which is overwhelming hospitals.

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Hospitals use a lottery to allocate scarce COVID drugs for the immunocompromised

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

So far the government has distributed about 300,000 doses of Evusheld, a new drug that protects against COVID-19. Some 7 million Americans could benefit from the drug right away.

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A drug that helps immunocompromised people fight COVID is in short supply

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Antibody-based drug Evusheld protects immune-suppressed people against COVID-19 for up to six months. The drug is hard to get, and some hospitals are selecting patients by lottery.

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A year in, experts assess Biden's hits and misses on handling the pandemic

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

When he came into office, Biden launched an ambitious seven-point plan for defeating the virus. Here's how experts score his results.

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Advisers to the CDC say kids as young as 12 should get COVID booster shots

Wednesday, January 05, 2022

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say kids as young as 12 should get booster shots. This endorsement clears the way for the CDC to approve boosters for kids between 12 and 15.

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The CDC says a test to get out of COVID isolation is not needed, resisting pushback

Tuesday, January 04, 2022

Those who contracted COVID-19 can end their isolation after five days while continuing to wear a well-fitting mask for an additional five days, according to the agency.

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New CDC isolation guidelines raise concerns among health experts

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Cutting the isolation for positive cases to five days could lead to more infections if people don't take masking seriously. A testing requirement would have made the policy safer, experts say.

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The CDC shortens COVID isolation times for people who don't show symptoms

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

The CDC says the change is "motivated by science" showing that it's not necessary to isolate for 10 days. During a surge of a more transmissible variant, is it a good idea to revise the guideline?

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CDC advisers recommend limiting the use of the J&J vaccine due to rare blood clots

Thursday, December 16, 2021

CDC advisers called an emergency meeting to review new data and update their recommendations for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. It's been linked to very rare blood clotting that can be fatal.

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Pfizer has announced new results for a pill that fights COVID-19

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Pfizer's analysis shows that the drug is good at keeping people at high risk of COVID-19 from getting worse. The pill is called Paxlovid.

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The U.S. is one of 2 dozen nations that have confirmed cases of the omicron variant

Thursday, December 02, 2021

The first case of the omicron COVID variant has been identified in the U.S. Health officials found it in a traveler who had returned from South Africa just before Thanksgiving.

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

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

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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What the U.S. can learn from China's response to COVID infections

Monday, November 08, 2021

While China tries to stamp out COVID-19 infections as soon as they pop up, the U.S. has a much more laissez-faire approach of learning to live with the virus, even if it means a thousand deaths a day.

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3,900 bottles of scented room spray recalled over rare bacterial infections

Thursday, October 28, 2021

A scented room spray has caused a cluster of rare bacterial infections in the South and Midwest. 3,900 bottles of the room spray are being recalled, and users are being warned to bleach their sheets.

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Booster shots are here. Take our quiz to see if you need one

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Many Americans are now eligible for a COVID vaccine booster. Are you? Our quiz will help you figure it out.

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CDC advisers vote to recommend Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters

Thursday, October 21, 2021

An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has backed the rollout of boosters for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

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