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Short on community health workers, a county trains teens as youth ambassadors
In Fairfax County, Va., the health department is training high school students to become health ambassadors in underserved communities and get a leg up on future careers in public health.
New doctors aren’t choosing to go into infectious disease
New U.S. doctors aren’t choosing to specialize in infectious disease, despite the clear need. In 2022, 44% of the training programs went unfilled. The pay is relatively low, and the hours are long.
Newest doctors shun infectious diseases specialty
The pandemic put infectious diseases doctors in the spotlight. The ‘Fauci Effect’ raised the number of fellowship applicants in 2020, but this year almost half of the training programs went unfilled.
Encore: Infusions of antibodies used to treat COVID are being phased out
More than 3.5 million infusions of antibodies have been used to treat COVID. The treatment is being phased out because the antibodies have lost their efficacy against new variants of coronavirus.
With supplies low, FDA authorizes plan to stretch limited monkeypox vaccine doses
The Biden administration is allowing the shot to be given between layers of skin — a method that only requires a fifth of the full dose — in order to increase vaccinations and slow the outbreak.
The Midwest and South could see larger abortion deserts if Roe v. Wade is overturned
About a quarter of clinics that offer abortions would shut down if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Those closures would be concentrated in the Midwest and South where abortion services are already scarce.
Battle over CDC’s powers goes far beyond travel mask mandate
A federal judge’s decision to strike down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask mandate for travelers is only the latest in a series of challenges that seek to rein in the agency.
U.K. COVID cases are rising. Health officials are watching to see if the U.S. is next
The rise of the more infectious BA.2 variant in the U.S. — plus signals in the sewage — also point to a possible uptick in cases, and have health officials on alert.
Doctors find limited use for less effective COVID pill
The antiviral pill molnupiravir was authorized and distributed by the government late last year. But it’s not doctors’ first choice of treatment, except for a narrow slice of patients.
Why remdesivir, a highly effective treatment, is a last resort for providers
The antiviral infusion was just revived as an early treatment for COVID patients. But the drug is relatively expensive and hard to administer, relegating it what some are calling “stopgap” status.
