New booster shots have arrived and social distancing guidelines have eased but COVID-19 infections aren’t going away anytime soon.
Health
New COVID-19 booster shots coming to Maine
Maine is expected to receive 80,500 doses of new omicron-targeting booster shots within the next 2 weeks.
U.S. advisers endorse updated COVID-19 shots for fall boosters
The original vaccines still offer strong protection against severe illness and death, especially among younger and healthier people, but those vaccines were designed to target the virus strain that circulated in early 2020.
Health insurance premiums for Maine small businesses to decline slightly in 2023
The Mills administration credits a reform combining individual and small-market plans, but Republicans call the 0.8 percent decrease ‘a one-time, election-year minuscule savings.’
Maine playwright channels message about addiction into a musical
Michael Gorman lost his older brother to a drug overdose in 1998 and has been writing about addiction ever since. His latest production will be staged at Augusta’s Colonial Theater this weekend.
New insurer in Maine’s ACA marketplace to offer hybrid health insurance
Taro Health will offer direct primary care packaged with conventional health insurance in Cumberland County beginning in 2023, and says it could go statewide in a few years.
‘Zombie’ cells emerge as central to the quest for active, vital old age
About 100 companies, plus academic teams, are exploring drugs to target cells that have stopped dividing.
FDA authorizes updated COVID boosters that target newest omicron variants
The hope is that the modified boosters will blunt yet another winter surge. They should be available in Maine starting next week.
Death of Texas person could be first fatal monkeypox case in U.S.
The patient, who was not identified, was an adult resident of Harris County who was severely immunocompromised.
Tea drinkers enjoy possible health benefits, study suggests
Past studies in China and Japan, where green tea is popular, suggested health benefits. The new study extends the good news to black tea.