Covid 19 Pandemic

Moderna’s CEO is defending a plan to more than quadruple the company’s COVID-19 vaccine price. But he also says the drugmaker will work to ensure patients continue paying nothing at drugstores or clinics. Stephane Bancel appeared before a Senate committee Wednesday. He says the drugmaker will charge a list price of around $130 per dose for the vaccine in the U.S. That price is expected to go into effect later this year. Until now, the federal government had been Moderna’s lone U.S. customer, buying doses in bulk to make sure people weren’t charged anything.

Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted “hand on heart” that he did not lie to lawmakers about government parties during the COVID-19 pandemic. The House of Commons standards committee questioned Johnson on Wednesday over misleading statements he made to Parliament about a slew of parties that breached lockdown rules.  If the committee concludes he deliberately lied, Johnson could face suspension or even lose his House of Commons seat. He told the committee that the rule-breaking events were wrong and “I bitterly regret it.” But he said that “If anybody thinks I was partying during lockdown, they are completely wrong.” The “partygate” scandal helped hasten the end of Johnson's premiership.

Health experts proposed detailed plans for a gradual end to anti-virus controls, but the Chinese government rebuffed them and dropped restrictions in December with no preparations to cope with the chaotic aftermath, The Associated Press has found. Over a year ago, scientists called on authorities to begin preparations for reopening. But Beijing took none of the steps experts said were needed before dropping controls. Millions of older people weren’t vaccinated, and hospitals weren’t reinforced for a possible surge in cases. Experts and scientific models estimate China’s lack of preparation led to hundreds of thousands of deaths that could have been avoided.

Health experts proposed detailed plans for a gradual end to anti-virus controls, but the Chinese government rebuffed them and dropped restrictions in December with no preparations to cope with the chaotic aftermath, The Associated Press has found. Over a year ago, scientists called on authorities to begin preparations for reopening. But Beijing took none of the steps experts said were needed before dropping controls. Millions of older people weren’t vaccinated, and hospitals weren’t reinforced for a possible surge in cases. Experts and scientific models estimate China’s lack of preparation led to hundreds of thousands of deaths that could have been avoided.

U.S. cases of a dangerous fungus tripled over just three years, and more than half of states have now reported it. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote about the infections. They say the COVID-19 pandemic is likely part of the reason for the spread. Hospital workers were strained by coronavirus patients, and that likely shifted their focus away from disinfecting some other kinds of germs. The fungus is called Candida auris. It's a form of yeast that is usually not harmful to healthy people but can be a deadly risk to fragile hospital and nursing home patients. Some strains are so-called superbugs that are resistant to antibiotic drugs.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged that he misled Parliament about rule-breaking government parties during the COVID-19 pandemic. But he insists that he never intentionally lied. Britain’s boisterous former leader is set to be grilled by lawmakers on Wednesday over whether he lied when he repeatedly denied that staffers held parties in his Downing Street offices in violation of COVID-19 lockdown rules. He could be suspended or even lose his seat in Parliament if found to have lied deliberately. Johnson acknowledged in written evidence that some of his statements “did not turn out to be correct.” But he said they “were made in good faith” and he did not "intentionally or recklessly mislead the House.”

President Joe Biden has signed a bipartisan bill that directs the federal government to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of COVID-19 more than three years after the start of the pandemic. The legislation signed Monday passed both the House and Senate without dissent. It directs the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify intelligence related to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. The law cites “potential links” between the research that was done there and the outbreak of COVID-19, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The law allows for redactions to protect sensitive sources and methods.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed legislation to solidify a full year of Medicaid coverage for women after birth. The Republican signed it Thursday, saying the change is part of a “new pro-life agenda." The new law takes effect July 1. Mississippi usually allows two months of postpartum Medicaid coverage. The state has allowed a full year of coverage after birth since the COVID-19 public health emergency started in 2020. That emergency expires in May, and Mississippi officials intensified debate over committing to a full year of postpartum coverage. Reeves is seeking reelection, and Democrats criticized his longtime reluctance to endorse the longer coverage.

U.S. health advisers are backing the continued use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill Paxlovid, saying it remains an important option for adults at high risk of severe illness. The panel of Food and Drug Administration experts agreed Thursday that the drug is safe and effective for preventing severe COVID-19 in adults with health risks. The medication has been used by millions of Americans since the FDA  granted it emergency use authorization more than two years ago. Pfizer is asking the FDA to grant the drug full approval to remain on the market. The agency is expected to make a decision by May.

China will reopen its borders to tourists and resume issuing all visas Wednesday as it tries to revive tourism and its economy following a three-year halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. China is one of the last major countries to reopen its borders to tourists. In February, China had declared a “decisive victory” over COVID-19. The move announced Tuesday would “further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel,” according to the notice. China had stuck to a harsh “zero-COVID” strategy involving sudden lockdowns and daily COVID-19 testing to try to stop the virus before abandoning most aspects of the policy in December amid growing opposition.

Ten more people have been charged in connection with a scheme to steal more than $250 million from a federal program designed to provide meals to low-income children in Minnesota. A total of 60 people have now been charged. The indictments allege that a Minnesota nonprofit called Feeding Our Future was at the center of the plot. Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said in September that the conspiracy was the largest pandemic-related fraud scheme to date. On Monday, he said that six people have pleaded guilty so far, more information is coming about who organized the scheme, and more charges are expected.