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During a town hall in Ohio, President Joe Biden predicted that a COVID-19 vaccine would gain full FDA approval by September or October. (New York Times)
In Texas, 8,744 of the 8,787 COVID-19 deaths since February, 99.5%, have been among people who didn’t get the shot. (Texas Tribune)
“One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late.” — An Alabama hospitalist discusses treating unvaccinated COVID patients in the time of Delta. (Al.com)
Meanwhile, two shots of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine delivered an effectiveness rate of 88% against the Delta variant, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed, confirming findings previously reported in a preprint.
As of Thursday at 8 a.m. EDT, the estimated COVID-19 toll in the U.S. reached 34,229,841 cases and 609,870 deaths, up 52,435 and 334, respectively, from this time a day ago.
Merck and Eisai announced FDA approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus lenvatinib (Lenvima) for the second-line treatment of advanced endometrial cancer, based on findings from KEYNOTE-775/Study 309.
Average annual opioid doses prescribed to Black patients on Medicare were 36% lower than white patients treated at the same hospitals, a national sample of U.S. health systems found. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Breast feeding within the first few days of a newborn’s life was linked with lower blood pressure at 3 years. (Journal of the American Heart Association)
State attorneys general reached a $26 billion settlement over claims that drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the three largest drug distributors (McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen) helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic. (CNBC)
With over 90 million people in the U.S. living in counties with surging COVID-19, experts say it might be time to follow Los Angeles County’s lead and mask up; White House officials are debating whether to promote masks again as well. (CNN, Washington Post)
RWJBarnabas, a large New Jersey healthcare system, fired six senior staffers for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19; this follows a growing trend of hospitals mandating vaccination for healthcare workers. (NBC News, New York Times)
According to the latest CDC data, 68.4% of U.S. adults have received at least one COVID-19 shot, with 59.6% fully vaccinated.
An Indonesian man with COVID dressed up as his wife in an attempt to board a flight, but a sharp-eyed flight attendant spotted the ruse. (CNN)
China has rejected further efforts from the World Health Organization to study the origins of the novel coronavirus. (Washington Post)
A U.S. men’s beach volleyball player, who was expected to play in the Tokyo Summer Olympics, tested positive for COVID-19 — his vaccination status is unknown. (NBC News)
Japan is the first country to fully approve casirivimab/imdevimab, the monoclonal antibody cocktail for mild to moderate COVID-19, Regeneron announced.
Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
