N.Y.C. Drops Toddler Mask Mandate; Big Win for RSV Vaccine; COVID Origins Still Murky

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Come Monday, toddlers ages 2 to 4 will no longer be required to wear masks at day care or preschool in New York City. (Newsday)

Nine infant deaths possibly related to Abbott’s powdered baby formula have been reported to the FDA. (eFoodAlert)

GlaxoSmithKline announced positive interim findings from a study evaluating its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate for adults 60 and older — the first phase III trial to show a significant benefit in this population, the company says.

A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to a slew of charges after allegedly amassing millions in a scam selling pesticides he said were “approved” as disinfectants to fight COVID, the Justice Department announced.

Maine funneled $230 million into its statewide suicide prevention program and mental health services after it discovered that 85% of gun deaths in 2020 were from suicides. (AP)

Confirmed U.S. cases of monkeypox/orthopoxvirus reached 45 as of Thursday, according to the CDC’s new state-by-state counter.

Just how prepared is the nation to treat these rising monkeypox cases? (STAT)

Meanwhile, as of Friday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID toll reached 85,333,917 infections and 1,009,856 deaths, increases of 126,304 and 275, respectively, from this time yesterday.

Curious to know exactly where COVID came from? Well, the jury is still out, mainly due to a lack of pertinent data from China, according to a new World Health Organization report. (Reuters)

Ukraine is making quick moves to legalize medical cannabis, hastened by the mental health toll of the war. (NPR)

A new, yet-to-be-named novel form of macular dystrophy potentially caused by TIMP3 signal peptide defects was discovered by researchers at the National Eye Institute. (JAMA Ophthalmology)

Geico was ordered to pay a Missouri woman $5.2 million as part of a settlement after she apparently contracted HPV from her partner in his vehicle, which happened to be insured by the company. (CNN)

HHS announced a national competition offering $1 million in cash prizes to bolster innovation through technical assistance to health centers.

And the National Association of County and City Health Officials doled out $300,000 to aid local health departments in their fight against vaccine hesitancy.

A new lawsuit is alleging that sexual abuse ran rampant at a Los Angeles County-run shelter for kids, with charges including a physician who worked there. (AP)

NFL player Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, MD, is putting his football career on hold to enroll in a residency program at a hospital next week. (ESPN)