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The warning of an imminent surge came even as federal officials and some pharmaceutical executives signaled that they don’t currently favor creating an omicron-specific vaccine. Based on the data so far, they say that existing vaccines plus a booster shot are an effective weapon against omicron. Read More
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Important message from @laschools regarding keeping our schools safe. We look forward to seeing everyone at school tomorrow!
— Los Angeles Unified (@LASchools) December 17, 2021
Mensaje importante del Distrito Unificado de Los Ángeles sobre cómo mantener nuestras escuelas seguras. ¡Esperamos verlos a todos en la escuela mañana! pic.twitter.com/v2dt0X2v66
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The federal government on Thursday permanently lifted a major restriction on access to abortion pills. It will allow patients to receive the medication by mail instead of requiring them to obtain the pills in person from specially certified health providers.
The decision, by the Food and Drug Administration, comes as the Supreme Court is considering whether to roll back abortion rights or even overturn its landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that made abortion legal nationwide.
The F.D.A.’s action means that medication abortion, an increasingly common method authorized in the United States for pregnancies up to 10 weeks’ gestation, will become more available to women who find it difficult to travel to an abortion provider or prefer to terminate a pregnancy in their homes. It allows patients to have a telemedicine appointment with a provider who can prescribe abortion pills and send them to the patient by mail. Read More
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Biden urged Americans to get their coronavirus shots, whether it is their first one or a booster. The omicron variant, he said, is in the nation, and it is “going to start to spread much more rapidly at the beginning of the year, and the only real protection is to get your shot.”
As the holidays near in many parts of the world, some countries are putting in place new restrictions to stem the tide and many people are taking new precautions. Read More
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People shouldn’t get the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine when the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots are available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
The recommendation, from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, came hours after members of the agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted in favor of the guidance. The panel convened following an update from the Food and Drug Administration on the risk of rare but potentially life-threatening blood clots linked to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Full coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic
At least 54 people in the U.S., most of them women, have been hospitalized by the blood clots, and nine people have died.
"Today’s updated recommendation emphasizes CDC’s commitment to provide real-time scientific information to the American public," Walensky said in a statement. "I continue to encourage all Americans to get vaccinated and boosted.” Read More
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