Health

Regina Campbell holds her paperwork for knocking on doors to tell residents about issues on the ballot in the fall, including a potential constitutional amendment on reproductive rights, in Pontiac, Mich., on August 6, 2022.

The Michigan supreme court set to decide whether voters see abortion on the ballot

9:01pm August 31, 2022

by Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

Michigan's Board of Canvassers rejected an abortion rights initiative on Wednesday after its Republican board members voted against putting the proposed constitutional amendment on November's ballot.

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The Corbevax vaccine was invented at the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital and intended for countries that couldn't get access to more expensive COVID vaccines. India has inoculated millions of teens with Corbevax (above, a vacci

Whatever happened to the new no-patent COVID vaccine touted as a global game changer?

6:04pm August 31, 2022

by Joe Palca

The inventors of Corbevax said it was cheap, easy to make, effective and safe. They hoped it could bring vaccine equity to countries that can't access costlier shots. Has it lived up to its promise?

Flags at the Washington Monument commemorate Americans who died from COVID-19. In 2021, life expectancy in the U.S. fell for the second year in a row.

Life expectancy in the U.S. continues to drop, driven by COVID-19

5:18pm August 31, 2022

Americans' life expectancy dropped for the second year in a row and is the biggest drop since the 1920s. COVID-19 is driving the downward trend, according to CDC data.

Health & Safety

FDA authorizes omicron boosters

4:16pm August 31, 2022

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the first updated COVID-19 vaccines since the pandemic began — boosters targeted at the omicron variant.

Life expectancy drops in the U.S. for the second year in a row

4:16pm August 31, 2022

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Life expectancy in the United States dropped for the second year in a row, according to new provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The U.S. food system makes junk food plentiful and cheap. Eating a diet based on whole foods like fresh fruit and vegetables can promote health - but can also strain a tight grocery budget. Food leaders are looking for ways to improve how Americans eat.

Health & Safety

The U.S. diet is deadly. Here are 7 ideas to get Americans eating healthier

1:41pm August 31, 2022

by Allison Aubrey

The way many Americans eat is fueling chronic disease. Here are seven big ideas from the White House's upcoming nutrition conference for how to improve Americans' diets.

Vials of the newly reformulated COVID-19 vaccine booster are being readied by Pfizer for distribution now that the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the shots for people 12 and older.

Health & Safety

FDA authorizes first revamp of COVID vaccines to target omicron

11:01am August 31, 2022

The new shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants that most people are catching now.

Health & Safety

After a decadelong spate of closures, one rural Tennessee hospital reopens

7:36am August 31, 2022

by Blake Farmer

When rural hospitals go out of business, they're frequently gone for good. But now, some comebacks are a welcome sign for communities that have been without easy access to health care.

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Luisa García is the director of Profem Tijuana, a Mexican clinic that offers abortions and is near the border with the United States. In July, Americans made up an estimated 50% of patients seeking abortions there.

This Mexican clinic is offering discreet abortions to Americans just over the border

5:00am August 31, 2022

by Lilly Quiroz

In May, Americans made up 25% of patients receiving abortions at one clinic in Tijuana. By July, it was an estimated 50%. The director believes it's due to cost, privacy and convenience.

The FDA is expected to authorize a new COVID-19 booster shot this week.

Health & Safety

FDA expected to authorize new omicron-specific COVID boosters this week

1:24pm August 30, 2022

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration is planning to authorize a new generation of COVID-19 boosters this week that for the first time will target the omicron variant.

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