First Deer-to-Human COVID Case? SCOTUS Hears Pill Mill Case; Alexa, Call the Doctor

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Oh deer! Canadian researchers report a first case of deer-to-human COVID transmission in a preprint paper. (bioRxiv)

California, Washington, and Oregon will join other states in dropping school mask mandates. (AP)

The CDC is telling unvaccinated travelers to avoid Hong Kong, where mortuaries are struggling to keep up amid a surge in COVID-19 deaths. (Reuters)

Efforts aimed at getting Medicaid enrollees vaccinated are not panning out. (Kaiser Health News)

The latest U.N. climate change report suggests the health and economic effects of severe weather will be more dire than previously predicted, and about half the world’s population could be affected. (Washington Post)

As of Tuesday at 8 a.m. EST, the unofficial COVID toll reached 79,045,719 cases and 950,521 deaths, up 106,516 cases and 2,092 deaths from this time a day ago.

Also today, the Supreme Court will hear the cases of two physicians convicted of illegally prescribing opioids through pill mill clinics. (New York Times)

Alexa can now call the doctor from Amazon Echo devices. (AP)

Psychedelic therapy? Dr. Bronner’s says yes. The soap company has donated over $23 million to psychedelic therapy and advocacy. (New York Times)

In a letter to healthcare providers, the FDA is urging lifelong surveillance of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) — including imaging within 30-days of EVAR, and then annually — to monitor for signs of serious or life-threatening adverse events from the procedure.

Meanwhile, the agency rejected approval of Oleogel-S10, an investigational herbal ointment for dystrophic and junctional epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic skin disease for which there are currently no approved therapies, developer Amryt Pharma announced.

Arbutus has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Moderna for part of its mRNA vaccine technology. (Reuters)

In other vaccine news, GlaxoSmithKline said it halted three respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine trials in pregnant women following a safety review.

Three fertility doctors in Rochester, New York, were found to have been impregnating patients with their own sperm since the 1960s. Their biological children found out from DNA testing through sites like Ancestry.com. (New York Times)

Drugs for HIV prevention are still costing people thousands despite federal rules requiring insurance companies cover the costs. (CNN)

Will states ever get universal healthcare? The future of single-payer healthcare is looking dim after California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) backed away from his campaign promise. (Kaiser Health News)

Adolescents that smoke, have obesity, or have certain psychological disorders may age faster than their peers, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.

In Peru, a cancer prevention group is using 1,000-year-old erotic statues to teach men how to identify signs of prostate and testicular cancer. (Reuters)

In Somaliland and other parts of Africa, female genital mutilation rates “rose alarmingly” during the pandemic, health workers warned. (AP)