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Here are some articles I’ve worked on for 2023. You can also find them by Googling me.

December 2023

• New COVID variant JN.1 surges to 44% of cases, CDC estimates
• Are COVID-19 symptoms still the same? What to know about this winter’s JN.1 wave
• WHO declares new JN.1 COVID strain a “variant of interest.” Here’s what that means.
• Recalled applesauce pouches now linked to more than 200 lead poisoning cases in 33 states, CDC says
• COVID and flu surge could strain hospitals as JN.1 variant grows, CDC warns
• Hundreds of young children killed playing with guns, CDC reports
• Use of Plan B “morning after” pills doubles, teen sex rates decline in CDC survey
• CDC reports “alarming” rise in drug-resistant germs in Ukraine
• COVID-19 now increasing again, especially in Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, CDC says

November 2023

• Balance of Nature says it is back in business after FDA shutdown
• COVID variant BA.2.86 triples in new CDC estimates, now 8.8% of cases
• FDA warns about Neptune’s Fix supplements after reports of seizures and hospitalizations
• Most applesauce lead poisonings were in toddlers, FDA says
• More free COVID-19 tests can be ordered now, as uptick looms
• Why is there lead in some applesauce? FDA now screening cinnamon imports
• Court orders Balance of Nature to stop sales of supplements after FDA lawsuits
• “Staggering” rise in global measles outbreaks in 2022, CDC and WHO report
• FDA approves a new weight loss drug, Zepbound from Eli Lilly
• FDA investigating reports of hospitalizations after fake Ozempic
• FDA moves to pull common drug used by pork industry, citing human cancer risk
• Potential cure for sickle cell disease raises few concerns for FDA panel

October 2023

• FDA authorizes Novavax’s updated COVID vaccine for fall 2023
• Is your Ozempic pen fake? FDA investigating counterfeit weight loss drugs, trade group says
• This flesh-eating parasite spread by sand flies has foothold in U.S., appears to be endemic in Texas
• Potential cure for sickle cell disease raises few concerns for FDA panel
• FDA investigating baby’s death linked to probiotic given by hospital
• In a first, CDC to recommend antibiotic pill after sex for some

September 2023

• FDA updates Ozempic label with potential blocked intestines side effect
• COVID vaccine during pregnancy still helps protect newborns, CDC finds
• How to get the new COVID vaccine for free, with or without insurance
• CDC to avoid “scare tactic” in new effort to reset flu shot expectations
• Free COVID test kits are back. Here’s how to get them.
• How FDA’s top vaccines official is timing his COVID booster and flu shot for fall 2023
• FDA declines to approve Neffy epinephrine nasal spray for severe allergic reactions
• New COVID variant BA.2.86 spotted in 10 states, though highly mutated strain remains rare
• Why officials aren’t calling this year’s new COVID shots “boosters”
• New COVID vaccine and booster shots for this fall to be available by mid-September
• Why the CDC recommends everyone get the new COVID vaccine booster for fall 2023
• FDA and CDC sign off on new COVID vaccines. Here’s what to know

August 2023

• Should I get a COVID shot? CDC warns most should wait for September
• As schools resume, CDC reports new rise in COVID emergency room visits from adolescents
• New COVID variant BA.2.86 in at least 4 states — what to know about the highly mutated strain
• COVID hospitalizations climb 22% this week — and the CDC predicts further increases
• New COVID variants EG.5, FL.1.5.1 and BA.2.86 are spreading. Here’s what to know.
• FDA approves first RSV vaccine for pregnancy to protect newborns
• CDC tracking new COVID variant BA.2.86 after highly mutated strain reported in Michigan
• COVID hospitalizations accelerate for fourth straight week
• Air pollution may be to blame for thousands of dementia cases each year, researchers say
• New COVID vaccine and booster shots for this fall to be available by end of September
• Loss of smell or taste was once a telltale sign of COVID. Not anymore.
• First long COVID treatment clinical trials from NIH getting underway
• CDC says COVID variant EG.5 is now dominant, including strain some call “Eris”
• FDA approves zuranolone, first pill for postpartum depression
• Valley fever is on the rise in the U.S., and climate change could be helping the fungus spread
• Babies born in fall and winter should get RSV shots, CDC recommends
• Thousands of Tydemy birth control pills recalled, may be ineffective, FDA warns

July 2023

• U.S. COVID hospitalizations climb for second straight week. Is it a summer surge?
• First long COVID treatment clinical trials from NIH getting underway
• Up to 450,000 in U.S. have red meat allergies due to alpha-gal syndrome spread by ticks, CDC says
• FDA approves new drug to protect babies from RSV
• Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. children have been diagnosed with a developmental disability, CDC reports
• House GOP chair accuses HHS of “changing their story” on NIH reappointments snafu
• Deer spread COVID to humans multiple times, new research suggests
• Billions in NIH grants could be jeopardized by appointments snafu, Republicans say
• How many Americans still haven’t caught COVID-19? CDC publishes final 2022 estimates

June 2023

• Malaria confirmed in Florida mosquitoes after several human cases
• Overdose deaths from fentanyl combined with xylazine surge in some states, CDC reports
• CDC recommends first RSV vaccines for some seniors
• CDC tracking new COVID variant EU.1.1
• E-cigarette sales surge — and so do calls to poison control, health officials say
• CDC to investigate swine flu virus behind woman’s death in Brazil
• Last winter saw a “large spike” in very rare pediatric brain infections, CDC reports
• Fewer babies born in U.S. in 2022, and teen birth rate hit record low, CDC reports

May 2023

• U.S., Mexico ask WHO for emergency declaration over deadly fungal outbreak
• COVID hospitalizations reach new record low nationwide, CDC says
• Pfizer’s Paxlovid still free, for now, after FDA grants full approval to COVID drug
• CDC reports more mpox cases as authorities brace for summer resurgence
• HIV infections continued to slow nationwide in 2021, CDC reports
• Contaminated eye drops outbreak climbs to 81 cases, 4 deaths
• First RSV vaccine to protect infants wins backing of FDA panel
• Mpox outbreak “not over,” warns CDC, amid “ongoing community transmission”
• FDA approves drug called Veozah to treat hot flashes resulting from menopause
• First epinephrine nasal spray clears key FDA hurdle, promising needle-free alternative
• Youth mental health crisis may be improving, early ER data suggests
• CDC investigating possible mpox resurgence amid dozens of new cases nationwide
• FDA panel backs over-the-counter birth control pill, teeing up approval
• COVID global health emergency is officially ending, WHO says, but warns virus remains a risk
• Thousands of COVID tests recalled over bacteria risk, FDA warns
• COVID-19 fell to fourth leading cause of death for Americans in 2022, CDC reports
• FDA approves first RSV vaccine to protect older adults

April 2023

• Does the “Arcturus” COVID variant cause pink eye?
• Uptick of very rare brain infections in kids prompts CDC investigation
• AstraZeneca says new COVID drug could guard against all variants of concern to date
• 3 in 4 high schoolers not eating breakfast daily, CDC survey finds
• CDC eases COVID vaccination rule on international travelers as expiration looms
• U.S. reports no new weekly mpox cases for first time since outbreak began
• Many seniors now eligible to get another COVID booster, CDC says
• At least 1 dead, 96 sickened in fungal outbreak that shuttered Michigan paper mill
• Marburg virus outbreak: CDC issues alert as 2 countries in Africa battle spread of deadly disease
• FDA finds dirty equipment, dozens of other issues at eye drops factory linked to deadly outbreak

March 2023

• U.S. at risk of mpox surge even worse than last year, CDC modelers warn
• Biden administration warns of $35 billion shortfall for health emergency stockpile
• COVID left some with damaged immune response, study finds
• Death toll climbs in outbreak linked to recalled eye drops as new treatment identified
• CDC warns of “alarming” rise of potentially deadly fungal threat in hospitals
• New genetic analysis finds clues to animal origin of COVID outbreak
• U.S. to end COVID-19 testing requirement on travelers from China
• A quarter of Americans distrust CDC recommendations, survey finds
• FDA panel to reevaluate the most common over-the-counter decongestant, phenylephrine, criticized as useless
• FDA warns of false negative results for food allergies after skin test recall
• Flu and COVID combo shots won’t come in time for this year, FDA official says
• CDC says 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at Asbury University religious revival
• CDC warns about drug-resistant stomach bug deemed “serious public health threat”

February 2023

• FDA expands recall of potentially contaminated eye products amid outbreak
• Overflowing demand for mental health care stretching hospitals, new data shows
• Moderna to offer free COVID vaccine shots to uninsured after emergency ends
• FDA panel backs allowing a naloxone spray to be sold over-the-counter
• While health authorities are racing to contain a deadly Marburg outbreak in Equatorial Guinea, the U.S. has experimental vaccines
• Nearly a third of teen girls say they have seriously considered suicide, CDC survey shows
• U.S. to test shots against bird flu outbreak, as Biden administration weighs poultry vaccinations
• Suicide rates show growing racial disparities, CDC finds
• What the end of the COVID-19 emergency means for free vaccines, health data and more
• CDC says surge of severe strep in kids was a return to pre-pandemic levels
• FDA faults company behind recalled eye drops for multiple violations, bans imports
• COVID-19 vaccines and treatments could go to private market this summer, White House official says

January 2023

• FDA advisers vote to simplify COVID vaccines, retire original “monovalent” shots
• Heart-related deaths rose sharply during first year of COVID-19 pandemic, report shows
• U.S. investigating first cases of “concerning” new drug-resistant gonorrhea strain
• Kindergarten routine vaccination rates fell for second straight year, CDC warns
• COVID-19 vaccines: From nasal drops to a redesign, what 2023 could have in store
• CDC tracking rapid rise of new XBB.1.5 COVID variant, not yet a majority nationwide