Antibody Tx Fail; Omicron Cases Rise in the U.S.; NFL Mandates Boosters for Coaches

Adagio raised more than $750 million to develop a neutralizing antibody that would treat various forms of COVID, but its latest effort appears to be a bust against Omicron. (Endpoints News)

The highly infectious variant now accounts for about 3% of all COVID cases in the U.S., and as high as 13% in some states as indicated by genomic surveillance, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said on NBC's Today show. (Becker's Hospital Review)

Harm reduction groups are asking the FDA to allow the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone (Narcan, Evzio) to be sold over the counter. (NPR)

As of Wednesday at 8 a.m. EST, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll is 50,236,602 cases and 800,473 deaths, up 117,165 and 1,760, respectively, since this time yesterday.

Without the introduction of effective COVID-19 vaccines, the death toll would have included an additional 1.1 million by this point, according to an analysis from the Commonwealth Fund.

Four COVID-19 vaccine developers were named Time's Heroes of the Year.

Coronavirus patients -- most of whom are unvaccinated -- are filling hospitals in Colorado, crowding out those with other serious ailments. (NPR)

The National Football League is mandating COVID-19 booster shots for coaches and some team personnel, but so far has stopped short of returning to daily testing. (New York Times)

In other NFL news, the late Phillip Adams, a former player who was alleged to have killed six people in South Carolina, was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, an autopsy found. (The Hill)

Hormone therapy was strongly associated with a lower risk of depression and suicide in transgender youth, researchers found. (NBC News)

Imagine a COVID-19 vaccine that uses a jet of air -- instead of a syringe -- to dispense the vaccine. (Express)

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is being ordered to forfeit the millions of dollars he earned for his pandemic memoir, American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic. (Wall Street Journal)

FDA issued a warning letter to Medtronic related to device quality management in its diabetes unit; several of the company's insulin pumps have been subject to serious recalls. (Reuters, MedPage Today)

Using nanotechnology to increase immune response at a tumor site could improve immunotherapy results, a mouse study found. (Medical Xpress)

North Carolina is seeing more cases of flu than at any time since the COVID pandemic began, with one death so far, in an adult male who tested positive for flu but negative for COVID. (WRAL)

Cornell University is shutting down its campus and moving finals online in the wake of 469 student cases of the coronavirus. (Cornell Daily Sun)

The Kroger grocery store chain is ending some COVID-related benefits for workers who aren't vaccinated. (Wall Street Journal)

The FDA updated its fact sheet on Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine to include a contraindication for individuals with a history of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia.

Nearly one-third of Americans skipped getting care for a health problem in the last 3 months because of affordability concerns, according to a survey from West Health and Gallup. (CBS News)

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