New Pandemic Origin Probe; A First for CMS and LGBTQ Care; COVID-Flu Jab Mix-up

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The WHO released its proposed roster of scientific advisors who have the “last chance” to conduct an official inquiry into the origin of how SARS-CoV-2 came to infect humans. (Reuters)

Black Americans are catching up in COVID vaccination rates. (New York Times)

Apple seeks to make AirPods a wearable health device. (Wall Street Journal)

As of Thursday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll reached 44,684,338 cases and 719,546 deaths, up 112,605 cases and 2,976 deaths since this time a day ago.

Will the coming colder months extend the tail end of the Delta variant’s spread? (CNN)

How pandemic restrictions may live on as tools to stamp out the flu. (The Atlantic)

After Texas Gov. Abbott banned workplace COVID vaccine mandates, former Houston Methodist employees are demanding their jobs back. (Houston Public Media)

A judge blocked a vaccine mandate for correctional officers that had been set to take effect Friday in California. (Sacramento Bee)

Melbourne is ending its months-long lockdown ahead of schedule, thanks to fast vaccine uptake in the Australian city. (Reuters)

Ebola vaccination is back on in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the death of a toddler and his family members, the WHO announced.

The WHO honored Henrietta Lacks, the provider of the HeLa cell line, with a posthumous award for her contributions to science. (Al Jazeera)

Lateral flow tests for coronavirus may be more accurate than previously thought, researchers say. (BBC)

CMS is covering gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit for the first time, starting in 2023 with one state, HHS announced.

Scientists share their experiences of being attacked or threatened during the pandemic. (Nature)

Wind makes a difference in outdoor SARS-CoV-2 transmission, says a fluid dynamics study. (Physics of Fluids)

What does waning immunity mean for people around the world who received the CoronaVac and Sinopharm vaccines? (Nature)

The National Academy of Medicine is launching a public-private partnership on reducing carbon emissions from the healthcare industry. (New England Journal of Medicine)

An Indiana pharmacy accidentally gave COVID-19 vaccines to two young children and their parents who had gone in for flu shots. (CNN)

A conversation in a Florida bar, and a man is persuaded to get a coronavirus vaccine. (Washington Post)

Vaccine holdouts in Auckland, New Zealand, are eligible for a unique experience: a Pfizer jab in an Air New Zealand plane, a tour of the hangar, service by crew members, and a commemorative boarding pass. (CNN)