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Suicide-Related Ambulance Calls Rose By More Than 50% During COVID, Australian Study Finds

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Suicide-Related Ambulance Calls Rose By More Than 50% During COVID, Australian Study Finds
The Guardian reported: Suicide-related ambulance presentations in Australia increased by more than 50% in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests. Analysis of ambulance data between March 2020 and March 2021 found a significant and sustained increase in attendances for suicide attempts, suicidal ideation and self-harm compared to before the pandemic. The study, published as a preprint that has not yet been peer-reviewed, drew on data from the National Ambulance Surveillance System.… Read the rest

Study: Ineffective Blood Oxygen Readers Have Endangered Black and Latino COVID-19 Patients

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Study: Ineffective Blood Oxygen Readers Have Endangered Black and Latino COVID-19 Patients
NBC News reported: Black and Latino patients experienced significant delays in obtaining life-saving COVID-19 treatments due to a popular medical device that inaccurately reads darker skin tones, according to a study released last week in JAMA Internal Medicine. The report shows that pulse oximeters, a device that clips onto a person’s fingertips and reads oxygen levels, is more likely to produce inaccurate results in Black, Latino and Asian Americans than in white patients.… Read the rest

Court Bans Expert From Alleging Cover-Up of COVID-19 Chinese Lab Origins

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Court Bans Expert From Alleging Cover-Up of COVID-19 Chinese Lab Origins
Newsweek reported: A scientist who accused a COVID-19 expert of hiding that the virus originated in a Chinese lab has been banned from spreading “fake news” after a legal challenge. Hamburg-based nanoscience specialist Professor Dr. Roland Wiesendanger alleged in an interview with German magazine Cicero, published in February of this year, that Professor Dr. Christian Drosten from Berlin’s Charite Clinic was consciously refusing to tell people the truth about the origin of the COVID-19 virus.… Read the rest

Omicron Sub-Variants BA.4 and BA.5 Account for up to 13% of COVID Variants in U.S. – CDC

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Omicron Sub-Variants BA.4 and BA.5 Account for up to 13% of COVID Variants in U.S. – CDC
US News reported: The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron are estimated to make up nearly 5% and 8% of the coronavirus variants in the United States as of June 4, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday. The two sublineages, which were added to the World Health Organization’s monitoring list in March and designated as variants of concern by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), were present in all U.S.… Read the rest

Moderna Announces First Participants Dosed in Phase 3 Study of Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Candidate (mRNA-1010)

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Moderna Announces First Participants Dosed in Phase 3 Study of Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Candidate (mRNA-1010)
AP News reported: A biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced the first participants have been dosed in a Phase 3 study of the Company’s seasonal influenza vaccine candidate (mRNA-1010). The trial is expected to enroll approximately 6,000 adults in Southern Hemisphere countries. “We are pleased to begin this Phase 3 study of our seasonal influenza vaccine candidate, mRNA-1010, our fourth mRNA vaccine candidate to begin a pivotal Phase 3 study.… Read the rest

Pennsylvania Governor Tests Positive for COVID-19 for Second Time

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Pennsylvania Governor Tests Positive for COVID-19 for Second Time
The Hill reported:  Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday for a second time but is experiencing “mild” symptoms. He tweeted Monday night that he is “grateful” that he recently received a second COVID-19 booster shot and will be isolating at his home in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Food and Drug Administration authorized a second booster shot in late March for anyone aged 50 or older after at least four months have passed since their first booster.… Read the rest

Novavax COVID Vaccine Clears Key Step on Path to FDA Authorization After Committee Endorses the Shot

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Novavax COVID Vaccine Clears Key Step on Path to FDA Authorization After Committee Endorses the Shot
Novavax’s two-dose dose COVID-19 vaccine for adults ages 18 and older cleared a key step on the path toward Food and Drug Administration authorization on Tuesday. The FDA’s committee of independent vaccine experts voted 21 to 0 with one abstention to recommend authorization of the shot for use in the U.S. after an all-day public meeting in which they weighed safety and effectiveness data.… Read the rest

Oracle Quietly Closes $28B Deal To Buy Electronic Health Records Company Cerner

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Oracle Quietly Closes $28B Deal To Buy Electronic Health Records Company Cerner
TechCrunch reported on June 7: At the end of last year, just before Christmas, Oracle made a big move when it announced it was acquiring electronic health records company Cerner for $28 billion, thrusting it quickly into the top enterprise deal for 2021, just under the wire. Today, the company announced it has closed the deal, effective tomorrow. The announcement was anticlimactic in a way, full of corporate financial speak: “Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) announced that a majority of the outstanding shares (the “Shares”) of Cerner Corporation (Nasdaq: CERN) were validly tendered, and the other conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived.… Read the rest

Will Anti-Abortionists Use ‘Uterus Surveillance’ Against Women in the U.S.? Weaponizing Fertility Trackers

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Will Anti-Abortionists Use ‘Uterus Surveillance’ Against Women in the U.S.? Weaponizing Fertility Trackers
Will Anti-Abortionists Use ‘Uterus Surveillance’ Against Women in the U.S.? The Guardian reported: If you are looking for a cheerful column that will make you giggle and distract you from everything that is wrong with the world, click away now. This week I have nothing but doom, gloom and data trackers for you. If you are hoping to sink into a well of existential despair, maybe let out a few screams into the void, then you’ve come to the right place.… Read the rest

CDC Says You Should Wear a Mask While Traveling — for Monkeypox, Contact Tracing

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CDC Says You Should Wear a Mask While Traveling — for Monkeypox, Contact Tracing
CDC Says You Should Wear a Mask While Traveling — for Monkeypox Gizmodo reported: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stepping up its guidance concerning monkeypox. While the risk of monkeypox is still thought to be low for the general public, the agency is now warning people to take more precautions while traveling. These precautions include avoiding contact with visibly sick people as well as wearing a mask.… Read the rest