Health Care

Parents who thought their children under 5 would have to wait several more months for COVID-19 vaccinations instead just might get them as early as March. Here’s what needs to happen first, and some things to expect if they do become available in the U.S.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday that Medicare would cover free over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests beginning early this spring.

The emerging BA.2 form of the Omicron coronavirus variant does not seem to be any more severe than the original BA.1 form, an official of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

Pfizer and BioNTech said Tuesday that the companies had asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize their COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in children younger than 5 years old.

The report calls for reform and investment including through the reduction in the use of packaging that has caused a rush for plastic and the use of protective gear made from reusable and recyclable materials.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Monday against travel to a dozen additional countries, citing high rates of COVID-19 infection.

A bill that would have created a first-of-its-kind, universal health care system died in the California state legislature on Monday after progressive Democrats failed to secure the necessary support for the legislation.

The COVID-19 situation at the Beijing Winter Olympics is within the "expected controllable range" despite increasing positive cases being detected, a senior official at China's Olympics Pandemic Prevention and Control Office said on Tuesday.

Asthma. Unhealthy gut bacteria. The presence of autoantibodies, usually associated with autoimmune conditions. These are among the risk factors identified in new studies as potentially making someone at greater risk of developing long COVID, a condition in which wide-ranging symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog and racing heart rate persist months after an initial COVID-19 infection.

Moderna said Monday that U.S. health regulators from the Food and Drug Administration have granted full approval to the company's COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderna Inc. announced Wednesday that it had begun its first study of an omicron-specific booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Michigan's attorney general said Wednesday she sought court approval to investigate Eli Lilly and Co., accusing the drugmaker of charging excessive prices for insulin medications used to treat diabetes.

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have reached the highest level since early last year, eclipsing daily averages from the recent delta-fueled surge, after the newer omicron variant spread wildly through the country and caused record-shattering case counts.

COVID-19 vaccine-makers Pfizer and BioNTech announced Tuesday that the companies would test an omicron-specific vaccine candidate in healthy adults ages 18 to 55.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that beginning Saturday it will require non-U.S. individuals hoping to enter the U.S. via land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

A new online pharmacy has been launched with a billionaire's backing.

A new, wearable device could give you an early warning that you've been exposed to COVID-19.

The United Nations-backed initiative to equally distribute COVID-19 vaccines is low on funds.

Pfizer Inc. said Tuesday that laboratory testing showed its COVID-19 pill Paxlovid appears to be effective against the omicron variant of the coronavirus.