Judge Halts Texas’ Trans Investigations; Obama Has COVID; Child Deaths and Omicron

Note that some links may require registration or subscription.

A Texas judge has temporarily blocked the state from investigating parents of transgender children for possible child abuse in relation to the use of gender-affirming care. (NPR)

“If they come to our door, we’re going to fight,” said Tracy and Matt, parents of a transgender son who declined to give their last name, during a rally for transgender children in Austin, Texas. (Dallas Morning News)

Barrack Obama announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19; the former president, who is vaccinated and boosted, urged holdouts to get their shot.

Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough plans to recommend an overhaul to the VA health system, including closing certain hospitals and outpatient clinics. (Washington Post)

Multiple states are resisting CDC’s plan to monitor sewage to anticipate the next COVID-19 surge. (Politico)

As of Monday at 8 a.m. EST, the unofficial U.S. COVID toll is 79,517,492 cases and 967,552 deaths, up 246,026 cases and 8,931 deaths from this time last week.

One in three COVID deaths in children happened during the Omicron surge, according to CDC data. (New York Post)

The FDA rejected benralizumab (Fasenra) as a treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, AstraZeneca announced.

Patient advocacy groups are starting a pressure campaign to get Medicare to pay for aducanumab (Aduhelm), the controversial new Alzheimer’s disease drug. (Reuters)

The World Health Organization (WHO) and others called for “an immediate cessation of all attacks on health care in Ukraine,” citing 31 documented attacks on facilities and ambulances.

The WHO said health supplies are reaching the nation, but raised concerns that the war could cause a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the region. (Reuters, CNN)

A young neurologist, who fled Kyiv for Lutsk in western Ukraine, shared how she now spends her days: sorting medical and food supplies. (NPR)

The Texas Supreme Court has essentially closed the door on a federal challenge of the state’s ban on most abortions after 6 weeks. (New York Times)

If a bill in Missouri is passed into law, women with ectopic pregnancies would be criminalized for getting abortions. (Newsweek)

Sutter Health, a large Northern California health system, was cleared by a federal jury on allegations that it abused its market power to drive up costs. (AP)

An internal memo shared by one Las Vegas hospital triggered backlash from nurses for suggesting a mandatory overtime policy. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

The trial of four men suspected of planning to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) has been postponed after an “essential participant” tested positive for coronavirus. (AP via ABC News)

Gun buying and suicides have both spiked among Black Americans in the last few years — are the two linked? (Kaiser Health News)

Some good news: Texas saw a 42% jump in enrollments for Affordable Care Act health exchange plans for 2022 compared to the prior year, and other southern states saw sign-ups increase 30% or more, according to White House data. (Fierce Healthcare)