A Johnson & Johnson booster shot provided strong protection against the Omicron variant, greatly reducing the risk of hospitalization, according to a clinical trial in South Africa. The study, which compared more than 69,000 boosted health care workers with a corresponding group of unvaccinated South Africans, found that two shots of the vaccine reduced the…
Millions of rapid at-home Covid tests are flying off pharmacy shelves across the country, giving Americans an instant, if sometimes imperfect, read on whether they are infected with the coronavirus. But the results are rarely reported to public health departments, exacerbating the longstanding challenges of maintaining an accurate count of cases at a time when…
Several studies found that around 20 percent of U.S. patients who had emergency care were treated by someone outside of their insurance network, including emergency room doctors, radiologists or laboratories. Any of those providers could send patients an extra bill after the fact, and some medical groups did so routinely. Such bills are now illegal.…
CORSICANA, Texas — Monica Aldama grasped a mike like a pageant queen. The head coach of Navarro College Cheer, who is known for her role on the Netflix documentary series “Cheer,” was hyping up her squad with “mat talk” before bodies began soaring through the air. “Don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what…
DETROIT — On Sept. 27, a strange 30-second film appeared on Eminem’s YouTube channel: not a music video teaser, or the first few verses of a new rap single, but a quick-moving advertisement. In the video, cartons brimming with marinara sauce spin hypnotically on checkered tablecloths. A voice-over rattles off vaguely Italian dishes: spaghetti, spaghetti…
Test your knowledge of this week’s health news.
WASHINGTON — Top federal health officials emphasized on Wednesday that data on skyrocketing coronavirus cases in the United States and from other countries reinforced early signs that the highly contagious Omicron variant was milder and less lethal than previous variants, even as it threatened to overwhelm health systems already on the brink from earlier surges.…
Goldman Sachs and Jeffries, the investment banks, are demanding that employees get booster shots. The University of Oregon and other institutions are requiring that students and staff members get boosters. New York State has said it plans to stop considering residents fully vaccinated unless they’ve gotten the shots. As the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreads…
The Omicron variant has forced many people to alter their New Year’s Eve plans at the last minute. Here are six ways to try to keep your spirits up if you’re stuck at home (hopefully feeling well!)
Welcome. Last week, my colleagues and I shared our best of 2021, the movies and music, pastimes and provocations that enriched our lives this year, both at home and away. (I am still marveling at the fact that Tonya Douraghy, the art director for this newsletter, has been growing sunflowers in her kitchen.) This week,…