WASHINGTON (AP) In a solid start, more than 200,000 people signed up for coverage the first two weeks after President Joe Biden reopened HealthCare.gov as part of his coronavirus response, the government said Wednesday. Early consumer interest in the three-month special enrollment period shows pent-up demand for health insurance a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, […]

NEW YORK (AP) A public service ad campaign unveiled Thursday aims to convince Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, telling them “It’s Up to You.” The campaign by the Ad Council and its partners is focused on those who may be hesitant to get the shots. One print ad reads: “Getting back to hugs starts […]

As cases of COVID-19 are trending downward in our community, Rochester Regional Health is welcoming visitors back to their hospitals seven days a week. It is because the community and teams continue to follow safety guidelines that there was been a decrease in infections. RRH reminds the public to please continue to wear your mask, […]

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  New and limited data released Wednesday from the Connecticut Department of Public Health suggests there are racial disparities in the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in the state, mirroring what’s been happening in other states where Black populations lag far behind white populations in getting the shot. As of Feb. 3, nearly […]

By Geoff MulvihillAssociated Press The global business consulting firm McKinsey & Company has agreed to a $573 million settlement over its role in advising companies on how to “supercharge” opioid sales amid an overdose crisis, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person was not authorized to speak […]

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and LINDA A. JOHNSONAssociated Press Johnson & Johnson's long-awaited vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot - not as strong as some two-shot rivals but still potentially helpful for a world in dire need of more doses. J&J said Friday that in the U.S. and seven other countries, the […]

Two large studies give a much sharper picture of which inherited mutations raise the risk of breast cancer for women without a family history of the disease, and how common these flawed genes are in the general population. Doctors say the results published Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine can help women make […]

What should I know about COVID-19 vaccines if I’m pregnant? Vaccination is likely the best way to prevent COVID-19 in pregnancy, when risks for severe illness and death from the virus are higher than usual. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says COVID-19 vaccinations should not be withheld from pregnant women, and that women […]

By Tom MurphyAP Health Writer Walgreens Boots Alliance will sell its pharmaceutical wholesale business to AmerisourceBergen in a $6.5 billion cash and stock deal. Pharmaceutical wholesalers essentially act as middlemen, purchasing drugs from manufacturers and then distributing them to customers like drugstore chains, hospitals and doctor’s offices. Walgreens said Wednesday that the deal will allow […]

BEIJING (AP)  Chinese health regulators said Thursday that they have given conditional approval to a coronavirus vaccine developed by state-owned Sinopharm. The two-dose vaccine is the first approved for general use in China. The go-ahead comes as the country has begun to vaccinate 50 million people before the Lunar New Year holiday in February. Conditional […]