Covid boosters are a gamechanger – if they are free for everyone Only private jabs are available to most, but annual shots could reduce healthcare costs and prevent deaths The Guardian

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Study describes more severe pediatric mental health crises during pandemic Children visiting the emergency department (ED) for mental health crises during the pandemic had longer stays and more severe diagnoses, according to a new study in Academic Emergency Medicine. CIDRAP

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The study was based on ED visits to nine US hospitals participating in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry from 2017 to 2022.

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Fitch says UnitedHealth unit hack to have no credit impact on not-for-profit hospitals

April 1 (Reuters) - Fitch does not anticipate any credit impact on not-for-profit hospitals in the United States from the cyberattack at UnitedHealth's (UNH.N) 

HHS tells hospitals to get patient consent before invasive exams Hospitals must obtain informed consent from patients before allowing physicians to conduct sensitive and invasive examinations, such as pelvic and prostate, particularly if the patients are under a… nweixel The Hill

Hospitals must obtain informed consent from patients before allowing physicians to conduct sensitive and invasive examinations, such as pelvic and prostate, particularly if the patients are under anesthesia, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Monday. 

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-04-broadly-coronavirus-vaccine.html#google_vignette

Researchers develop more broadly protective coronavirus vaccine

Scientists have been searching for the optimal coronavirus vaccine since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The mRNA vaccines developed through the federal government's "Operation Warp Speed" program were a massive innovation; however, annually updating those boosters for specific SARS-CoV-2 variants is inefficient for scientists and patients.

SARS-CoV-2 is just one member of the Sarbecovirus (SARS Betacoronavirus) subfamily (others include SARS-CoV-1, which caused the 2002 SARS outbreak, as well as other viruses circulating in bats that could cause future pandemics).