The public U.K. COVID inquiry began with investigators vowing to expose any culpable conduct. Britain has recorded almost 20 million COVID infections and more than 166,000 deaths — the seventh highest fatality total globally — and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ministers have faced criticism for their handling of the crisis. (Reuters)
The World Health Organization requested cholera vaccines and warned that the death toll from infections in Haiti is likely to rise. Haiti’s cholera outbreak death toll is likely “much higher” than reported and cases are expected to rise, the WHO said Tuesday, warning the country’s multiple crises would complicate response efforts. (Barron’s)
A multi-pronged approach in the Bay Area crushed the monkeypox curve as new cases slow nationally. Local public health officials credit an enthusiastic embrace of an effective vaccine and social precautions that stemmed the spread of the virus. (The Mercury News)
A decades-old law is keeping older adults in the U.S. from trying new weight-management therapies like Wegovy and drug companies are paying millions of dollars to try to get it changed. Additionally, the stigma surrounding obesity, meanwhile, may be discouraging insurers and policymakers from covering these drugs. (MarketWatch)
Swedish scientist Svante Paabo won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discoveries in human evolution that unlocked secrets of Neanderthal DNA. Techniques that Paabo spearheaded allowed researchers to compare the genome of modern humans and that of other hominins — the Denisovans as well as Neanderthals. (Associated Press)
