Human Composting; Hospital Hires the Formerly Incarcerated; Roundup on Your Corn?

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In Washington state, death is a part of life at one of the world’s first human composting facilities. (The Verge)

Oxford University and AstraZeneca’s initial attempts at a nasal-spray version of their COVID vaccine have not yielded the desired protection. (Reuters)

The Biden administration is scrambling to get more people boosted against COVID before the winter. (Politico)

But it’s not just COVID that health experts are worried about this year. Hospitals are bracing for an “unprecedented winter of viruses,” including respiratory ailments that were more silent during earlier years of the pandemic. (NBC News)

Haiti has 16 confirmed deaths from an outbreak of cholera and 32 confirmed cases, a spokesperson from the United Nations confirmed. (Reuters)

An executive from Pfizer has “categorically” ruled out that the pharmaceutical company’s chief executive negotiated a bulk supply agreement for its COVID vaccine with the European Commission via text message. (Reuters)

Scientists are not giving up on cancer vaccines. (New York Times)

U.S. drug inspectors have reported new quality control issues at a New Jersey Eli Lilly facility where diabetes drug dulaglutide (Trulicity), migraine therapy galcanezumab (Emgality), and cancer treatments cetuximab (Erbitux) and ramucirumab (Cyramza) are manufactured. (Reuters)

Moving forward, health insurers will face tough decisions when it comes to care coverage for long COVID. (Fierce Healthcare)

Amid a tight job market, prospective employers are expanding reproductive health benefits. (Axios)

However, maternity care “deserts” are on the rise across the U.S. (STAT)

And as Catholic health systems gain more ground — controlling one in seven hospital beds across the country — questions grow about their limitations on everything from abortions to miscarriages to ectopic pregnancies. (Washington Post)

A judge in Cincinnati has put Ohio’s 6-week abortion ban on hold indefinitely. (CNN)

Post-Roe, a network of activists is working to bring abortion pills across the Mexican border to Americans. (The New Yorker)

In Connecticut, UConn Health is planning to fill 5% of its entry-level openings with formerly incarcerated individuals. (Connecticut Public Radio)

In the lead-up to the midterm elections, Pennsylvania doctors concerned about abortion and their profession are taking to the campaign trail in unprecedented ways. (Politico)

Looking for diet tips and health hacks that are backed by science? A new tool unveiled in Nature Medicine can help with that. (STAT)

In the latest water shortage, officials expect the water supply in Coalinga, California to dry up before the end of the year. (Washington Post)

Shortness of breath, black saliva, sore throats: Just how dangerous is wildfire season for farmers in the U.S.? (USA Today)

Corn and soybeans are among the crops most commonly exposed to glyphosate (Roundup) — a potentially cancer-causing weedkiller. This is where the exposure may be highest in the U.S. (NBC News)

A new HHS office has been tasked with the sprawling goal of addressing environmental justice. (STAT)