Rush for Vasectomies; Catching COVID From a Cat; Some D.A.s to Let Abortions Slide

Note that some links may require registration or subscription.

Pfizer says the U.S. government is buying more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in a $3.2 billion deal that would potentially include orders of an adult Omicron-adapted vaccine, pending FDA authorization.

BioNTech and Pfizer plan to start testing their universal coronavirus vaccine later this year. (Reuters)

Men are rushing to get vasectomies in the wake of Roe v. Wade‘s reversal. (Washington Post)

As the World Health Organization investigates monkeypox cases in children, chief Tedros Ghebreyesus, PhD, says he is concerned about the virus moving to high-risk groups thanks to sustained transmission. (Reuters)

As of Thursday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID toll reached 87,349,108 cases and 1,015,924 deaths, increases of 146,154 and 139, respectively, since this time yesterday.

No automated blood pressure cuff. No naloxone (Narcan). Emergency medical kits on airplanes fall short of expectations of medical professionals. (NPR)

Better road safety measures could save over 500,00 lives every year worldwide, according to a report published ahead of the inaugural United Nations meeting on road safety. (The Lancet)

Scientists in Thailand reported the first confirmed case of a person catching SARS-CoV-2 from a cat. (Nature)

FDA authorized revisions to the recommended repeat dosing interval for the monoclonal antibody combination tixagevimab-cilgavimab (Evusheld).

The agency also approved the LungFit PH nitric oxide generator and delivery system to treat term and near-term neonates with hypoxic respiratory failure, BeyondAir announced.

District attorneys in several major metropolitan areas vowed not to prosecute abortion cases. (CNN)

Missouri’s large Saint Luke’s Health System is being criticized for its decision to stop offering emergency contraception. (Kansas City Star)

A young man in Ohio is getting prison time for threats of violence against a reproductive health clinic and an abortion patient, the Department of Justice announced.

A generic manufacturer of abortion pill mifepristone is preparing to legally challenge state restrictions or bans on its use. (Politico)

Washington, D.C., residents may soon buy medical marijuana without a doctor’s recommendation. (NBC4)

Wealthy New Yorkers are getting bladder surgery and Botox to avoid bathroom breaks on the long drive to the Hamptons. (Insider)

A mouse study showed that norovirus and other “stomach viruses” can spread through saliva. Whether this applies to humans needs to be confirmed. (Nature)