CVS seeks confirmation with pharmacists that prescriptions will not be used to end pregnancy. CVS spokesperson stated the drugstore chain recently started the verification for methotrexate and misoprostol, two drugs used in medication abortions. (Associated Press)
The Biden administration is elevating a division in the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the country’s response to future pandemics and other health emergencies. The agency will have responsibilities similar to those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. (The New York Times)
Patients waiting in a Georgia doctor’s office were sent home when the state’s new abortion regulations kicked in. The patients were told that certain procedures that had been legal earlier in the day were no longer legal in the state. (ABC News)
New Zealand’s COVID-19 death rates have reached an all-time high. Deaths from the virus reached 151 in one week, and 26 people died within the last 24 hours. (Reuters)
The World Health Organization is considering a declaration that monkeypox is a global emergency. African officials report they are already treating the epidemic as a regional emergency. (Associated Press)
