SCOTUS Hears Vax Arguments; 5-Month Moderna Booster OK’d; ‘Like a Different Planet’

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The Supreme Court will convene today in a highly unusual Friday session to hear arguments in a challenge to the Biden administration’s vaccination mandate for certain healthcare workers and for employers with 100 or more workers. (NBC News) Look for MedPage Today‘s story on the oral arguments later today.

FDA updated the emergency use authorization for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, allowing for a 5-month interval between the second primary series’ dose and a booster.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) plans to seek permission from federal officials to begin offering a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to residents. (AP)

Mexico may surpass 300,000 COVID-related deaths this week, the fifth highest death toll worldwide. (NBC News)

While less severe than Delta, categorizing Omicron as “mild” is a misnomer, said World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD. (Reuters)

As of Friday at 8 a.m. EST, the unofficial U.S. COVID toll included 58,487,940 cases and 833,989 deaths, increases of 725,796 and 1,841, respectively, versus the same time a day ago.

“Like a different planet.” A reporter describes her holiday visit to Hong Kong, where a 21-day quarantine and other strict COVID mandates have kept the pandemic at bay. (ProPublica)

In a small, preliminary study, an experimental drug showed potential for helping calm “noisy brain” in patients with autism spectrum disorder. (CTV News)

Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of the Today show, tested positive for COVID despite being fully vaccinated and boosted. (People)

Is it a cold, the flu, or COVID-19? (AP)

About 1.3 million Britons — 2% of the population — report having long-COVID symptoms. (Office for National Statistics)

Kroger and Walmart wasted no time in raising the price of at-home COVID tests after an agreement with the Biden administration expired. (NBC News)

Fueled by smoking, obesity, and high blood sugar, worldwide dementia cases could triple by 2050. (ABC News)

U.S. hospitals have started hiring more foreign nurses to deal with COVID-related staffing shortages, fatigue, and burnout. (NPR)

Enrollment of Black students has increased dramatically at U.S. medical schools. (WGBH)

A re-engineered Chinese COVID vaccine elicited a stronger antibody response against Omicron when used as a booster, as compared with the original version of the vaccine. (Reuters)

After video of maskless drinking, dancing, and rowdy behavior on a charter flight to Cancun was leaked, a group of Canadian vacationers find themselves stranded in Mexico after their return flight was canceled and no other airlines will accept them. (CNN)

Five Americans died of rabies during 2021, the highest number in a decade. (ABC News)

Japan has asked U.S. military in the country to remain on bases until further notice to help control a surge in COVID cases. (AP)

Despite a countywide surge in COVID cases, the Super Bowl is still on schedule for next month at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (CNN)

Last Updated January 07, 2022