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In some ways, California has learned from the long-lasting 2012-2016 drought that caused water-use restrictions. This year, water managers in Southern California are confident that they will be able to meet water demand. That said, precipitation is only about half of average in the northern…

Even as vaccinations become available to those 16 and up, children remain unvaccinated. However, exciting new details are on the way. On March 31st, Pfizer announced that its COVID vaccine is 100% effective at preventing symptoms for children ages 12-15. Meanwhile, Moderna is currently in clinical…

Facebook has banned the Myanmar military television network page following a military coup on Monday that put Gen. Min Aung Hliang in power. The situation is sensitive since Facebook failed to stop a  torrent of posts in 2018 encouraging genocide in Myanmar.  The company stated that they will be…

In response to President Biden's executive order on promoting COVID-19 safety, the CDC requires masking for travelers into, within, or out of the United States. As of February 2nd, this applies to airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares. While non-essential travel…

Cigarette sales have been on the decline for decades, but recent trends have slowed that decline: sales in 2020 were flat compared to 2019. On one hand, people have had more opportunities to smoke and drink liquor during the pandemic. On the other, increases in e-cigarette taxes and confusion about…

Johnson and Johnson's announcement of a 72% efficacy may seem underwhelming compared to the stats we have on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. However, Dr. Fauci points out that these numbers do not reflect the vaccine's ability to prevent severe disease, which was 85%. Opting to take a "lower…

In an effort to reopen schools, governor Newsom has proposed a $2 billion plan to incentivize them to create reopening plans by February 1st. So far some Texas, Florida, and New York  schools have reintroduced classroom instruction. But teachers unions in California have called this deadline…

The FDA has approved Cabenuva, an injectable once-a-month therapeutic for HIV-1. For some HIV patients, this could mean a substantial improvement over taking daily pills. The treatment is intended for adults who are virologically suppressed and have no history of treatment failure or resistance to…

WhatsApp’s recent notification to users about updating its terms of use and privacy policy reveals that the company has been sharing user data with Facebook since 2016. While end-to-end encryption still protects the contents of a user's messages, information such as phone numbers, IP address,…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a National Risk Index map, created by 80 experts over 6 years. Taking into account community resilience and 18 natural disasters, the map has ranked Los Angeles County as having the highest risk in the United States. Some of the natural…

The Pfizer vaccine is on its way to providers and patients, but what is the distribution plan? The vaccine will go first to workers and patients at skilled nursing facilities, second to health care workers at high risk of infection and primary care, and lastly to health care workers in less risky…

Applicants to medical school have increased 18% compared to last year, and there are likely multiple reasons for this. The AAMC is attributing this to admiration for Dr. Fauci, while others cite increased free time to devote to the application process. Still more believe this reflects a sense of…

The mRNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech must be kept at -70 degrees Celsius. So as Pfizer plans to ship 1.3 billion doses next year, dry ice and isothermic boxes will be vital for distribution. Ethanol, a source of CO2 for dry ice, may become a limiting factor. Moreover, areas beyond the cold chain…

A study with data from 47 states found that mental health related ED visits have increased 31% for children ages 12-17 compared to last year. One possible explanation is that families are more reliant on emergency rooms since they have reduced access to schools and community clinics. The article…