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☆ Vaccines don't cause autism. What does?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( Liz Szabo | Liz Szabo Is An Independent Health | Science Journalist. Her Work Has Won Multiple National Awards. One Of Her Investigations Led To A New State Law In Virginia. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

“It’s many, many things under one umbrella.”Although people diagnosed with autism often have similar strengths and challenges, “there are many paths to autism and many presentations of autism,” Miller said. Scientists have identified more than 100 genes related to autism, Miller said, and genes are believed to play a role in 60% to 80% of cases. “We’re making leaps and bounds about known genetic causes of autism.”Yet genes clearly don’t explain every case of autism. But only a fraction of children with the genetic mutation actually develop autism, Miller said. He notes that only 8.4% of the $419 million spent on autism research in the United States is devoted to support and services for people with autism.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, ’, Donald Trump, —, United Kingdom —, immunizations, Kennedy, ”, Ari Ne’eman, “, ” Timothy Caulfield, Judith Miller, it’s, Manish Arora, ” Arora, ” Miller, Arora, Catherine Lord, UCLA David, Miller, Gregory Cejas, ” Lord, It’s, he’s Organizations: Department of Health, Human Services, World Health Organization, Network, Harvard, of Public Health, University of Alberta’s Health Law Institute, Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Icahn School of Medicine, Autism, UCLA, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Autism Clinical, Washington University School of Medicine Locations: British, United Kingdom, Chan, Canada, “, Mount Sinai, New York, United States

☆ How Democrats can still flex power in Trump's Washington: From the Politics Desk
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( The Politics Desk | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

In today’s edition, senior national political reporter Sahil Kapur examines the way Democrats can still exert some power in Donald Trump's Washington. How Democrats can still flex power in Trump’s WashingtonBy Sahil KapurRepublicans have won full control of Washington, but Democrats will retain two key levers of power to shape legislative outcomes in Donald Trump’s second term. That margin is slimming further as Trump plucks House members for administration jobs. The last two years showed how chaotic and dysfunctional this GOP-controlled House can be, even when the stakes are low. The Ethics Committee has jurisdiction over only sitting House members.

Persons: Sahil Kapur, Donald, Donald Trump's Washington, Matt Gaetz's, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump’s, Robert Garcia, “, Sen, John Thune, ”, Chris Van Hollen, Van Hollen, Patty Murray, Richard Hudson, Trump, Donald Trump, it’s, it’ll, Tony Gonzales, Matt Gaetz, Ryan Nobles, Julie Tsirkin, Frank Thorp V, Kate Santaliz, Gaetz, Justice Department —, they’ll, Joni Ernst, John Curtis, → Trump, Berkeley Lovelace Jr, Dasha Burns Trump, Kennedy, Bill Cassidy, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy’s, 🗞️, Tim, lea Organizations: NBC, White House, Capitol, Republicans, Health, Human Services Department, Sahil Kapur Republicans, Trump plucks, ”, Republican, Senate, GOP, House Republican, Justice Department, NBC News, Committee, Punchbowl News, RFK, Human Services, Department of Health, Food and Drug Administration, Education, Labor, Pensions, “ RFK, Trump, Elon, of Government, Cabinet Locations: Donald Trump's, Trump’s Washington, Washington, “, Texas, Florida, Congress, Iowa, Utah, Elon, usk

Shares of vaccine makers fell on Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Moderna’s stock closed more than 5% lower on Thursday, shares of Novavax fell more than 7% and Pfizer’s stock ended more than 2% lower. Shares of BioNTech, the German drugmaker that helped develop a Covid vaccine with Pfizer, closed more than 6% lower. Shares of those companies dipped further in extended trading as Trump confirmed his pick in a post on his platform Truth Social. Kennedy’s track record as a vaccine skeptic is extensive.

Persons: Donald Trump, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Trump, Kennedy Organizations: Department of Health, Human Services, Pfizer, GSK, Health, Trump, Moderna, Health Defense Locations: Novavax, British, U.S

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Trump, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. "I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)," he wrote. "For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health." Donald Trump Jr. also shared the news on X. Azar replaced the first Trump-appointed health secretary, Tom Price, who resigned over his use of private jets for government business, costing U.S. taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Persons: Donald Trump, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Kennedy, Trump “, ”, —, Ben Carson, Trump's, Bobby Jindal, Sen, Bill Cassidy, “, Richard Besser, “ I’m, ” Besser, Alex Azar, Azar, Tom Price Organizations: Department of Health, Human Services, United, Health, Public Health, Trump, HHS, for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Centers, Medicare, Services, Children’s Health Defense, Louisiana Gov, state's Department of Health, Hospitals, Education, Labor, Pensions, “ RFK, FDA, NBC News, U.S, CNBC Locations: U.S

☆ Trump says he will give RFK Jr. a major health role if he wins the White House. Here's what that means for patients, drugmakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Some health experts said elevating Kennedy, even in an informal Trump administration position, could potentially lead to severe consequences for patients, drugmakers and the nation's public health overall. That could exacerbate the nation's existing public health challenges, such as declining childhood vaccination rates for several preventable diseases, some experts say. "I think we could reasonably predict that there would be a decline in vaccination rates among children, and perhaps vaccination overall." Drugmakers such as Pfizer and Moderna are still recovering from falling Covid vaccination rates in the U.S., which have dented their profits over the last two years. Kennedy's other proposals for overhauling federal health agencies will likely be difficult to execute.

Persons: Donald Trump, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Anna Moneymaker, Kennedy, Trump, Dr, Paul Offit, Drew Altman, Altman, Genevieve Kanter, Cynthia Blancas, Deep Patel, Christina House, they've, Offit, Andrew Kelly, USC's Kanter, that's, Georges Benjamin, Covid, Kanter Organizations: Gas, Getty, White House, Trump, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, CNBC, and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, Commonwealth Fund, Senate, Washington Post, University of Southern, CVS, Los Angeles Times, CDC, Pfizer, Moderna, NBC, Health Defense, FDA, Department of Health, Human Services, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Reuters, American Public Health Association, Pharma Locations: Duluth , Georgia, U.S, University of Southern California, Lynwood, Huntington Park, Samoa, White Oak , Maryland

On the campaign trail, both Trump and Kennedy have pitched a “Make America Healthy Again” movement. However, he wasn’t sure how Warp Speed would apply to childhood chronic diseases — or in what way Kennedy would be helpful. If the plan goes forward, Kennedy’s mandate would be an “all-of-government-project” and allow him to marshall resources from all of these agencies for childhood chronic disease. What’s still to be determined, Altman said, is how much — if any — authority the Warp Speed role would give Kennedy to command agencies such as the FDA or CDC. Trump transition co-chair Howard Lutnick also praised Kennedy in an interview with CNN Wednesday night, and questioned whether vaccines are actually safe.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump, Kennedy, Trump, Paul Offit, denialism, ” Offit, Robert Redfield, John ., ” Redfield, ” Trump, Karoline Leavitt, He’ll, ” That’s, marshall, —, “, ”, Drew Altman, What’s, Altman, ” Altman, Eric Hargan, Robert Redfield –, Redfield, Howard Lutnick, Sidney Miller, Russell Brand, Brand Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Trump, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, NBC News, RFK, Department of Health, Human Services, CDC, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Department of Agriculture, HHS, Senate, FDA, CNN, Addiction Locations: U.S, Sidney Miller of Texas

☆ Trump leads, and his party follows, on vaccine skepticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Darius Tahir | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Campaign spokespeople have previously said that pledge would apply only to schools with covid mandates. And skepticism about covid vaccines is blossoming into suspicion of vaccines generally among that group, he said. “It follows from this rebellion against the covid vaccine mandates.”Vaccine opposition has divided the GOP. “You suffered the consequences.”Onder “has never done covid vaccine research” and opposes covid vaccine mandates, his campaign manager, Charley Lovett, told KFF Health News. It also calls for enshrining a patient’s ability to opt out of vaccine mandates in the state’s Bill of Rights.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, what’s, Republicans don’t, ” Trump, Trump, Matt Motta, —, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Tucker Carlson, Kennedy, “, Judith Winston, Obama, ” Winston, Tom Frieden, ”, Robert Blendon, Ron DeSantis, Bob Onder, ” Onder “, Charley Lovett, Lovett, Onder “, Onder, Wise, Bill Gates, ” Wise, Roger Severino, Severino, Lawrence Gostin, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Kevin Roberts, JD Vance —, Roberts Organizations: Health, Republican, Trump, Republicans, KFF Health, Politico, Boston University, Texas GOP, Fox News, NIH, CDC, Department of Education, Centers for Disease Control, ”, World Health Organization, Republican Party, GOP, Florida Gov, Congress, AstraZeneca, Facebook, Texans, Vaccine, Rights, Department of Health, Human Services ’, Civil Rights, Heritage Foundation, Georgetown University, Get CNN, CNN Health, Heritage, KFF Locations: statehouses, Texas, New Jersey, Oregon, U.S, Wyoming, Missouri

☆ Enterovirus D68: What to know about the virus that could lead to paralysis in kids
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Faye Chiu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Rates of enterovirus D68 infections are on the rise across the United States, according to the nonprofit WastewaterSCAN network. This common virus can lead to a rare but serious polio-like complication known as acute flaccid myelitis. Dr. Leana Wen: Enterovirus D68 is part of a group of more than 100 non-polio enteroviruses. CNN: What can you tell us about acute flaccid myelitis, the rare but dangerous complication that can result from enterovirus D68 infection? CNN: How likely is it that enterovirus D68 infection will result in acute flaccid myelitis?

Persons: Leana Wen, Wen, myelitis Organizations: CNN, George Washington University, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC Locations: United States

☆ Whooping cough cases are soaring. Can infecting people help test a better vaccine?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Brenda Goodman | Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Whooping cough cases climbing for decadesAs with many infectious diseases, cases of whooping cough dropped to unusually low levels during the pandemic as people limited social interactions and took other precautions to defend against Covid-19. In 2020, the US had about 6,000 cases of pertussis, and that number dropped even further in 2021 to roughly 2,000 cases. Whooping cough starts with symptoms that look a lot like a regular cold: a runny nose, sneezing, a low-grade fever and a tickly cough. That’s led to a hunt for better, more durable immunizations against whooping cough that also don’t cause as many side effects. In some ways, whooping cough is an ideal infection to test in human challenge models.

Persons: ”, Susan Hariri, Archana Chatterjee, Chatterjee, they’re, it’s, pertussis –, Hariri, Tod Merkel, Merkel, It’s, That’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Melinda Wharton Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC’s National Center, Food and Drug Administration, Chicago Medical School, Products Advisory, Covid, FDA’s, Vaccines Research, Regulators, CNN Health, FDA, National Center Locations: United States, Canada

☆ The vaccines you need to know about before you travel
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Lisa Kjellsson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Norlys Perez/ReutersUntil recently, there wasn’t a widely available dengue vaccine for travelers. But according to Dr. Nicky Longley, consultant in infectious diseases and travel medicine at The Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD) at University College London Hospitals, dengue vaccination is not quite the silver bullet travelers had hoped for. One traveler who welcomes the arrival of the new Qdenga vaccine is UK-based travel writer Chris Dwyer. Which vaccines do you need? Adults are advised to keep a record of their immunizations and when they need to be boosted.

Persons: Yasuyoshi Chiba, Norlys Perez, Dengvaxia, Nicky Longley, haven’t, “, ” Longley, Chris Dwyer, Dwyer, Qdenga, ” Dwyer, vaccinates, Sia Kambou, ”, Longley, “ It’s, Anniina Sandberg, Sandberg, didn’t, Martin Harvey, HTD’s Longley, wasn’t, Tick Organizations: CNN, Hatta International Airport, Getty, Health Organization, WHO, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Reuters, European Union, The, University College London Hospitals, Malaria, Natives, TBE, CDC Locations: Sweden, Asia, Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines, Soekarno, Tangerang, Indonesia, AFP, Cuba, Europe, United States, Malaysia, Abidjan, West Africa, South Sudan, Ivory, Finnish, Africa, Tanzania, Tanzanian, South Africa, Helsinki, Finland, Americas

☆ Most people don't really care about COVID anymore. That's good — and bad.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Healthcare professionals told BI that the public's more relaxed attitude toward COVID is ultimately a good thing. AdvertisementThe long COVID scareRelaxed attitudes are not necessarily a bad thing, according to doctors. On the one hand, people are generally not getting as sick as they once did when ill with COVID, medical professionals told BI. AdvertisementMedical professionals are doing their best to understand long COVID, but admit that there's still much to learn. "When I treat people with long COVID, they are always masked," Chopra said.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Anita Chopra, Eric Chow, Edward Jones, Lopez, Chow, we've, Jessica Bender, Bender, Chopra, Long, ROBYN BECK Organizations: Service, Business, University of Washington, Public Health Seattle, Yahoo, Keck Medicine, University of Southern, Centers for Disease Control, UW, Getty, National Library of Medicine Locations: King County, University of Southern California, Seattle

☆ After ‘historic backslide’ during pandemic, global childhood immunization rates stall, new data shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Maya Davis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The pandemic signified a “historic backslide,” according to Dr. Katherine O’Brien, director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biological at WHO. WHO and UNICEF’s 2023 immunization coverage report, released Sunday, is the world’s largest dataset on immunization trends for vaccinations against 14 diseases. It analyzed estimates from 185 countries and used a third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) vaccine — which is recommended for 1-year-olds — as the global marker for immunization coverage. The 2023 report also found HPV vaccine coverage in girls increased 7%, returning to near pre-pandemic levels. Analyzing immunization coverage in other areas of conflict is “a mixed picture,” O’Brien said.

Persons: Katherine O’Brien, ”, Ephrem, Lemango, ” Lemango, “, ” O’Brien, Subaas Shrestha, WHO’s O’Brien, “ I’ll, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Melinda Gates Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, United Nations, Fund, Biological, WHO, UNICEF, US Centers for Disease Control, Vaccine, Global, Get CNN, CNN Health, Vaccine Alliance, Melinda Gates Foundation Locations: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, Africa, Kathmandu, Nepal, United States, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, IA2030

☆ Millions of Girls in Africa Will Miss HPV Shots After Merck Production Problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Stephanie Nolen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly 1.5 million teenage girls in some of the world’s poorest countries will miss the chance to be protected from cervical cancer because the drugmaker Merck has said it will not be able to deliver millions of promised doses of the HPV vaccine this year. Merck has notified Gavi, the international organization that helps low- and middle-income countries deliver lifesaving immunizations, and UNICEF, which procures the vaccines, that it will deliver only 18.8 million of the 29.6 million doses it was contracted to deliver in 2024, Gavi said. That means that more than 10 million girls will not receive their expected HPV shots this year — and 1.5 million of them most likely will never get them because they will be too old to qualify for the vaccine in subsequent years. Patrick Ryan, a spokesman for Merck, said the company “experienced a manufacturing disruption” that required it to hold and reinspect many doses by hand. He declined to give further details about the cause of the delay.

Persons: Merck, Gavi, Patrick Ryan Organizations: Merck, UNICEF

☆ One Arm or Two? How You Get Vaccinated May Make a Difference.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

If you’ve presented the same arm for every dose of a particular vaccine, you may want to reconsider. Alternating arms may produce a more powerful immune response, a new study suggests. Those who alternated arms showed a small increase in immunity over those who got both doses in the same arm. At this point in the pandemic, with most people having had multiple vaccine doses or infections, alternating arms for Covid vaccines may not offer much benefit. Yet if confirmed by further study, the results could have implications for all multidose vaccines, including childhood immunizations.

Persons: you’ve, immunizations

The credible data that exists on crimes motivated by conspiracy theories shows a disturbing increase. Many of those charged said they had bought into Trump’s conspiracy theories about a stolen election. “Lies, lies lies: They're lying to you over and over and over again,” said Steve Girard, a Pennsylvania man who has protested the incarceration of Jan. 6 defendants. While they may have taken on a bigger role in our politics, surveys show that belief in conspiracy theories hasn't changed much over the years, according to Joe Uscinski, a University of Miami professor and an expert on the history of conspiracy theories. Russia has amplified numerous anti-U.S. conspiracy theories, including ones claiming the U.S. runs secret germ warfare labs and created HIV as a bioweapon, as well as conspiracy theories accusing Ukraine of being a Nazi state.

Persons: ”, Nash, Melissa Sell, Sell, Elon Musk, There's, Evan Hansen, Wired.com, Musk, It’s, ” Hansen, Donald Trump, Trump, Mark Milley, Milley, Laws, Vince Lynch, Lynch, Danielle Citron, Sandy, —, Alex Jones, Sandy Hook, Hillary Clinton, chemtrails, “, hospitalizations, Robert Palmer, they're, Steve Girard, Jan, hasn't, Joe Uscinski, ” Uscinski, “ Jan, Tom Fishman Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S ., United, Big Tech, Meta, Facebook, titans, Army, University of Maryland’s National Consortium, University of Virginia School of Law, Sandy Hook Elementary, CNN, FBI, Capitol, The Associated Press, Trump, University of Miami, Twitter, United States, U.S, . Locations: Maui, Chile, America, United States, Pennsylvania, U.S, Israel, Newtown , Connecticut, Florida, California, Wisconsin, Washington, Russia, China, Iran, Ukraine, Nazi

☆ In Gaza, disease could be even deadlier than airstrikes, WHO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, there’s growing concern about how the situation may raise the risk of disease and illness in Gaza. There could be more deaths in Gaza from disease and a broken health infrastructure than from bombs and missiles, the World Health Organization has warned. “If the conflict impacts access to safe water, then there may be challenges with waterborne diseases,” she said. In this situation, the risk of death due to disease is much greater than the risk of death due to bombardment,” said Haque, who is not involved in WHO but has studied infectious disease, conflict and war. During the Israel-Hamas conflict, maternity care facilities have been affected by Israeli airstrikes due to evacuations, power outages, and a shortage of medical supplies.

Persons: “, Margaret Harris, Barry Levy, ”, Levy, Rebecca Katz, ” Katz, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, ” Tedros, Abed Rahim Khatib, Ubydul Haque, Haque, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Shifa, CNN’s Martin Goillandeau, Eleni Giokos Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, Tufts University School of Medicine, Center for Global Health Science, Security, Georgetown University, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Getty, Rutgers Global Health Institute, CNN Health, Shifa Locations: Israel, Gaza, Covid, Al

Paxton said the claim was based on only two months of clinical trial data, and vaccine recipients' "absolute risk reduction" showed that the vaccine was just 0.85% effective. Infectious disease experts have said relative risk reduction is a more meaningful way to judge a vaccine's efficacy than absolute risk reduction. Relative risk shows how well a vaccine protects recipients relative to a study's control group. "Pfizer did not tell the truth about their COVID-19 vaccines," Paxton said in a statement. The status of the probe into Moderna and Johnson & Johnson was not immediately clear.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ken Paxton, Paxton, BioNTech, Biden, Johnson, Pfizer, Jonathan Stempel, Caroline Humer, Chizu Nomiyama, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Pfizer, REUTERS, Texas, Republican, Moderna, Johnson, Thomson Locations: Lubbock County, New York, Texas, Moderna

[1/4] Employees work in the manufacturing of Pfizer’s new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine Abrysvo, in this undated handout picture. Pfizer/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Senior Biden administration officials met with RSV vaccine makers this week to underscore the need for manufacturers such as Sanofi (SASY.PA) and AstraZeneca (AZN.L) to urgently meet demand as winter approaches, the White House said on Tuesday. At a meeting at the White House on Monday, officials and manufacturers also agreed to plan now to meet next year's demand for the vaccines targeting respiratory syncytial virus, which generally causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can develop into severe illness in infants and older adults. "Monday's meeting follows numerous in-person and virtual meetings to seek ways manufacturers can make more RSV immunizations available for infants," the White House said in a statement. Reporting by Susan Heavey and Ahmed Aboulenein; Additional reporting by Mike Erman; Editing by Katharine Jackson and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Susan Heavey, Ahmed Aboulenein, Mike Erman, Katharine Jackson, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Pfizer, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Biden, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, White, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Here are some key open enrollment tips and strategies for employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Jimvallee | Istock | Getty ImagesOpen-enrollment workplace checklist ✔ Health insurance ✔ Savings and spending accounts ✔ Dental and vision plans ✔ Life insurance ✔ Disability insurance ✔ Retirement savings ✔ Beneficiary selection1. If your spouse has their own health insurance option at work, you'll want to both sit down and compare the different offerings. Many employees will notice that the health insurance plans offered by their company don't include dental and vision coverage. Consider life, disability insuranceDuring open enrollment, employees will typically also be presented with different disability and life insurance options. Short-term disability coverage is very limited, she said: "Everyone needs long-term disability coverage unless they have enough savings that they could basically retire if they can't work anymore."

Persons: Caitlin Donovan, Gruber, Jean Abraham, Warby Parker, Pat Greenhouse, Abraham, Donovan, you'll, Jonathan Gruber, Louise Norris, Norris, Carolyn McClanahan, McClanahan, Ryan Viktorin, Viktorin Organizations: Istock, Getty, Savings, Patient Advocate, University of Minnesota, Harvard, Boston Globe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, IRS, Healthinsurance.org, Planning Partners, CNBC's, Pew Research Center, Partners, Fidelity Investments Locations: Cambridge , Massachusetts, Jacksonville , Florida

☆ Some pharmacy staff from Walgreens, other chains are walking out again — here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

The company's ongoing efforts are focused on how it can recruit, retain and reward pharmacy staff, the spokesperson said. CVS pharmacists make $61.44 an hour on average, while Walgreens pharmacists make $53.85 per hour on average, according to employment website Indeed. However, some Walgreens pharmacy staff told CNBC that the company continues to push their stores to hit performance goals for tasks like verifying prescriptions. IAM Healthcare did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while UFCW has expressed its support for the recent walkouts staged by Walgreens and CVS pharmacy staff. People make their way near a Walgreens pharmacy in New York City, March 9, 2023.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Shane Jerominski, walkouts, Stephanie Keith, I've, Irfan Khan, aren't, Jerominski, UFCW, Leonardo Munoz Organizations: Walgreens, Reuters, CNBC, CVS, Rite Aid, Kansas City, Bloomberg, Getty, Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer, CVS Pharmacy, Los Angeles Times, Kroger, IAM Healthcare, United Food, Commercial Workers International Union, Corbis Locations: Somerville , Massachusetts, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S, Massachusetts , Pennsylvania, California , Texas , Michigan , Missouri, Indiana, New York, Eagle Rock , CA, Canada, New York City

A spokesperson from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union told CNN that they support the organizers planning a walkout and protests. “We support all health care workers who are organizing and taking a stance to improve staffing.”A Walgreens pharmacy store in Austin, TX. In a statement to CNN, Walgreens said about 20 stores out of about 9,000 had “disruptions over three days,” Oct. 9-11. Walgreens walkout organizers told CNN that their tally is much higher, with about 600 employees participating. The following three Walgreens employees told CNN their reasons for walking out.

Persons: Shane Jerominski, Renée Saldaña, Mohammad Khursheed, Tim Wentworth, Wentworth, ” Fraser Engerman, Engerman, “, ” ‘ We’ve, ”, “ We’ve Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walgreens, Workers, CNN, United Food, Commercial Workers International Union, SEIU, United Healthcare Workers, West Health, Reuters Organizers, “ Locations: New York, West, Austin , TX, Friday’s, Oregon, Wisconsin, Oklahoma

One mom told AP about how she had delayed important care for her child because she believed Kennedy’s vaccine falsehoods. The AP found dozens of individuals included in the book died of known causes not related to vaccines, including suicide, choking while intoxicated, overdose and allergic reaction. Kennedy’s Children’s Health Defense produces articles, newsletters, books, podcasts, even TV shows on its own CHD.TV. And hack into that.”Because of his national profile, Kennedy’s work has ripple effects beyond the most devoted anti-vaccine activists. But people involved in the response who spoke to AP said Kennedy and the anti-vaccine activists he supported made things worse.

Persons: Braden Fahey, Gina, Padrig Fahey, ”, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, John F, Kennedy’s, Kennedy, Braden, ” Gina Fahey, “, Sen, that’s, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Gina Fahey, “ There’s, “ It’s, CHD, Skyhorse, Edward Dowd, Matthew Martinez, Dowd, Tony Lyons, Lyons, Braden's, Francesco Pierri, Matthew DeVerna, Lydia Greene, Greene, ” Greene, ’, Sharon Goldfarb, ” Goldfarb, you’re, …, Dr, Todd Wolynn, ” Wolynn, Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, he’d, Ron DeSantis, Floridians, Daniel Jolley, Jolley, ” Jolley, Cheryl Hines, Edwin Tamasese, Taylor Winterstein, Helen Petousis, Harris, Moelagi Leilani Jackson, Richard Pan, Pan, Jr, ” Pan, Anthony Fauci, Kerry Kennedy, –, ” Kerry Kennedy, Terry Chea Organizations: Associated Press, Democratic, AP, Skyhorse Publishing, Children’s Health Defense, ”, BlackRock, Atlantic Health, Morristown Medical Center, Kennedy Super, Children's Health Defense, Skyhorse, Indiana University’s Observatory, Social Media, Twitter, Health Defense, Disease Control, Republican, GOP, COVID, Florida Gov, University of Nottingham, Public, RFK, Facebook, Press Locations: California, U.S, Morristown, COVID, New, Hudson, Canadian, Alberta, Berkeley , California, Pittsburgh, Samoa, New Zealand, Sacramento , California, Sacramento, America

☆ New RSV protections for infants hit cost, insurance hurdles in U.S. rollout
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Angelica Peebles | In Angelicapeebles | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Two new immunizations promise to protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus – if people can find them. Providers are scrambling to offer Pfizer's vaccine, Abrysvo, to pregnant patients and Sanofi's monoclonal antibody, Beyfortus, to babies. Until now, the only preventative treatment was another monoclonal antibody called Synagis that's given once a month during RSV season, which generally runs from fall through spring. Sanofi's Beyfortus is a monoclonal antibody that's given directly to babies and provides them with immediate protection. "I know that [RSV]'s a threat to little babies, and so to have an opportunity to prevent illness in the first place is really exciting."

Persons: Michael Chamberlin, hasn't, we're, Chamberlin, that's, Erin Bakke, Graham Organizations: Pediatric Associates Locations: Carmel, Cincinnati , Ohio

☆ Why Walgreens pharmacy workers are walking off the job
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Retail pharmacists and technicians around the country say they’re overworked, underpaid and fed up. Pharmacy staff at Walgreens locations across the country called out of work on Monday to protest harsh working conditions, leaving some stores closed or critically understaffed. Organizers told CNN that hundreds of workers participated in the organized action, which is expected to last through Wednesday. The walkouts come just two weeks after dozens of pharmacy employees at CVS, America’s largest retail pharmacy chain, walked off the job in Kansas City. Walgreens on Monday said it understands “the immense pressures felt across the US in retail pharmacy right now,” according to Fraser Engerman, senior director of external relations at Walgreens.

Persons: ”, Michael Hogue, Shane Jerominski, Amy Thibault, Fraser Engerman, “ There’s, Dr, Peter Bonis, “ I’m, Hogue, Amanda Applegate, don’t, “, Jerry Seinfeld, that’s, CVS walkouts, “ I’ve, they’ve, we’ve Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walgreens, CNN, CVS, Employees, American Pharmacists Association, Community Pharmacists Association, Pharmacists, Walmart, Amazon, Kluwer’s, Wolters Kluwer Health, Pharmacy, Kansas Pharmacists Association, American, National Alliance of State Pharmacy Locations: New York, Kansas City, United States, “, Kansas

☆ Covid, RSV and flu vaccines are now available — here's how to decide whether to get them together
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For the first time ever, vaccines for Covid, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus are available in the U.S.Public health officials are urging eligible Americans to take all three shots so the nation can avoid another "tripledemic" of Covid, flu and RSV, which inundated hospitals last fall and winter. Most people only need to consider whether they should get an updated Pfizer or Moderna Covid shot and a flu vaccine at the same time, since both are broadly available to all Americans. A maternal vaccine from Pfizer protects infants against RSV, but that shot isn't available just yet. Health experts told CNBC that they don't expect any issues with taking all three shots at once. Still, other experts note that there is little research on administering an RSV shot with another vaccine, or on giving all three shots together.

Persons: Dr, Ali Alhassani, Andrew Pekosz Organizations: Public, Pfizer, Moderna, GSK, CNBC, Boston Children's Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Locations: U.S, Boston

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