Coronavirus

The Hill reports: The House passed a bill on Tuesday to allow a government agency to award grants into the cognitive effects of COVID-19. The legislation, titled the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act, passed in a 350-69 vote, with all opposition coming from Republicans. Research eligible under the bill includes studies on the effects COVID-19 infections …

Axios reports: President Biden completed his five-day course of Paxlovid, a coronavirus treatment medication, and his COVID-19 symptoms are “almost completely resolved,” his physician wrote in a letter on Tuesday. “His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal. His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear,” wrote his physician Kevin O’Connor. …

The Hill reports: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, asked the board tasked with overseeing policy debates on the platform to weigh in on whether it should ease its COVID misinformation policy. The company asked the Oversight Board, a task force funded by Meta that operates independently, if the company’s policy, including to remove posts with false claims, is still …

STAT News reports: A horse dewormer and treatment for some human parasites, ivermectin was initially promoted, despite the lack of research, as a way to treat or prevent Covid infections. Now it is increasingly being marketed for long Covid, pushed by physicians with ties to political groups spreading anti-vaccine and anti-science messaging. There’s no credible evidence that supports ivermectin’s use …

The Daily Dot reports: An anti-vaccine dating website that allows users to procure “mRNA FREE” semen left its users’ personal data exposed online. The site, Unjected, launched in May 2021 and claims to be the “largest unvaccinated platform” on the internet. Unjected initially made headlines in August after its app was removed from the Apple App Store for violating the …

The Hill reports: Congressional Republicans are eagerly floating investigations into Anthony Fauci and the Biden administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic if they win back control of the House or Senate in the midterm elections. “One way or another, if we are in the majority, we will subpoena his records and he will testify in the Senate under oath,” said …

Axios reports: President Biden’s coronavirus stemmed from the Omicron subvariant BA.5, currently the most dominant strain of the virus in the U.S., according to a letter from the White House physician on Saturday. BA.5 is responsible for 75-80% of infections in the U.S., his physician Kevin O’Connor said in a letter on Saturday. Biden completed his second day of Paxlovid …

Bloomberg News reports: President Joe Biden’s symptoms from Covid-19 improved overnight after his first full day on the Pfizer Inc. drug Paxlovid, his doctor said. “The president is fully vaccinated and twice-boosted, so I anticipate that he will respond favorably, as most maximally protected patients do,” White House physician Kevin O’Connor wrote in a memo posted online. “There has been …

Courthouse News reports: A Southern California pharmacist was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of trying to seek $27 million in pandemic relief loans for companies that had no employees. Robert Benlevi, 53, of Encino was given a 135-month sentence Tuesday. He had been found guilty this past March of multiple counts …

NBC News reports: The chair of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Bennie Thompson, said Tuesday that has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing “mild symptoms.” “I am continuing to follow CDC guidelines and will be isolating for the next several days,” the 74-year-old Mississippi Democrat said in a statement he …

USA Today reports:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships on Monday. “CDC has worked closely with the cruise industry, state, territorial, and local health authorities, and federal and seaport partners to provide a safer and healthier environment for cruise passengers and crew,” the agency’s website reads. “Cruise ships have access to guidance …

The Washington Post reports: Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s preeminent infectious-diseases expert who has served as the face of the coronavirus pandemic response for more than two years, will retire by the end of President Biden’s term after more than 50 years in government, he confirmed Monday to The Washington Post. “By the time we get to the end of …

CNBC reports: The Food and Drug Administration has authorized Novavax’s two-dose vaccine for adults ages 18 and over, the fourth Covid shot to get emergency approval in the U.S. since the pandemic began. The FDA decision comes weeks after its committee of independent vaccine experts voted overwhelming in favor of Novavax’s shot in early June, after an all-day public meeting …

The New York Daily News reports: Coronavirus infection rates are spiking in the city with more than 15% of all tests coming back positive on average in the past week, data from the Health Department shows — and it remains unclear if Mayor Adams will take any new steps to address the pandemic resurgence. While the weeklong test positivity average …

The Washington Post reports: Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has tested positive for the coronavirus, his spokesman said in a statement late Sunday. The positive result came “as a part of his regular testing regimen,” said the spokesman, Justin Goodman. Schumer is fully vaccinated and “double boosted” and is experiencing very mild symptoms, Goodman said. “Anyone who knows …

The Washington Post reports: America has decided the pandemic is over. The coronavirus has other ideas. The latest omicron offshoot, BA.5, has quickly become dominant in the United States, and thanks to its elusiveness when encountering the human immune system, is driving a wave of cases across the country. Many people now see the pandemic as part of the fabric …

New York City’s CBS affiliate reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says COVID is a concern in New York City. All five boroughs have a “high” community level and that’s prompting local health officials to recommend New Yorkers wear masks again. The city is up to a 15.4 percent positivity rate. But going back to wearing masks might …

The New York Post reports: The Department of Education has filed suit to keep at least 82 New York City teachers suspended without pay for allegedly submitting fake proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The staffers were notified on April 19 that they would be placed on unpaid leave April 25 “based on information that the DOE had received from an independent …

The Washington Post reports: As gas prices climbed toward record highs this May, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) secured a pause on the state’s fuel taxes — a $200 million plan he helped pay for with a pot of federal funds awarded earlier in the pandemic. The policy was intended to save money for local drivers and state coffers alike. …

Ars Technica reports: After an intense, detailed investigation, North Korea has determined what sparked an explosive outbreak of COVID-19 that has led to over 4.7 million “fevers” within its borders since late April. The culprit: “alien things” blown into the country from the South. According to a report from the official KCNA news agency, North Korea’s outbreak began in early …