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COVID-19: Recall Issued For Brand Of Rapid Tests That Could Produce Inaccurate Results COVID-19: Recall Issued For Brand Of Rapid Tests That Could Produce Inaccurate Results
Covid-19: Recall Issued For Brand Of Rapid Tests That Could Produce Inaccurate Results A manufacturer has recalled more than 56,000 COVID-19 rapid tests because they could produce inaccurate results. Universal Meditech Inc. issued the recall for Skippack Medical Lab antigen tests because they were distributed without appropriate clearance or approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The kits were made from October 2021 to December 2021 and distributed in January 2022. The following styles/models have been recalled: Name of Product: Skippack Medical Lab SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test Kit UDI: None Model: Cassette Products were distributed with “Sk…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Friends, Family Of Ana Walshe Face Grim Reality As Husband Faces Murder Charges Friends, Family Of Ana Walshe Face Grim Reality As Husband Faces Murder Charges
Friends, Family Of Ana Walshe Face Grim Reality As Husband Faces Murder Charges Ana Walshe disappeared early on New Year's Day, and while her family and friends have held out hope, as the weeks have passed and evidence mounts against her husband, they are forced to face a grim truth. They will likely never see her again.  Norfolk County prosecutors charged Brian Walshe, 47, with Ana Walshe's murder and explained during his arraignment on Wednesday that he likely killed and dismembered her body. Police have found blood in their Cohasset basement, a bloody hatchet, blood on several trash bags, and her Covid-19 vaccination card, authorities have said.  They also found Bri…

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by Josh Lanier
News
COVID-19: 'Kraken' Subvariant XBB.1.5 Gaining More Ground Nationally, CDC Warns COVID-19: 'Kraken' Subvariant XBB.1.5 Gaining More Ground Nationally, CDC Warns
Covid-19: 'Kraken' Subvariant XBB.1.5 Gaining More Ground Nationally, CDC Warns Omicron strain called XBB.1.5 which accounts for a large majority of COVID-19 cases from the New York tristate area through New England, is gaining more ground nationally. Nicknamed the "Kraken" subvariant, it now makes up 43 percent of cases nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  "XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible form of COVID-19 that we know of to date and may be more likely to infect people who have been vaccinated or already had COVID-19," the CDC said in a statement posted on Twitter on Friday, Jan. 13. According to updated CDC data released …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Subvariant XBB Accounts For 70% Of Tristate NY Cases, Sparking Concerns Of New Wave COVID-19: Subvariant XBB Accounts For 70% Of Tristate NY Cases, Sparking Concerns Of New Wave
Covid-19: Subvariant XBB Accounts For 70% Of Tristate NY Cases, Sparking Concerns Of New Wave An Omicron strain called XBB.1.5 which now accounts for the majority of COVID-19 cases from the New York tristate area through New England has the potential to trigger a new wave of infections, a top expert is now saying. The XBB.1.5 variant makes up 40.5 percent of cases in the United States, and 70 percent of cases in the New York tristate area through New England, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "I would expect a wave of infection with this new variant," Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), told MS…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
CDC Warns Of Increase In Strep Throat Infections Among Kids Amid Rise In COVID, Flu, RSV Cases CDC Warns Of Increase In Strep Throat Infections Among Kids Amid Rise In COVID, Flu, RSV Cases
CDC Warns Of Increase In Strep Throat Infections Among Kids Amid Rise In COVID, Flu, RSV Cases The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an advisory warning of an increase in cases of strep throat infections among children amid the so-called "tripledemic" of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases. The CDC said it has notified clinicians and public health authorities of a recent increase in pediatric invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections.  In November 2022, the CDC said it was notified of a possible increase in iGAS infections among children at a hospital in Colorado. Potential increases in pediatric iG…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
COVID-19: Recall Issued For Brand Of Over-Counter Tests That Could Give False Negative Results COVID-19: Recall Issued For Brand Of Over-Counter Tests That Could Give False Negative Results
Covid-19: Recall Issued For Brand Of Over-Counter Tests That Could Give False Negative Results A new recall has been issued for a brand of COVID-19 tests due to an increased chance that the tests may give false negative results Detect, Inc. is voluntarily recalling specific lots of the Detect COVID-19 Test, an over-the-counter test used to identify SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in self-collected nasal swabs. The recall affects 11,102 tests shipped to customers from July 26, 2022, through Aug. 26, 2022, the company said. The test was granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October, 2021. There is an increased chance t…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Common Drug Shortage Hits US Common Drug Shortage Hits US
Common Drug Shortage Hits US There's a shortage of some commonly found medications as this cold and flu season is off to the worst start in more than a decade, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to VOX, the reason for the shortages could be either due a lack of raw materials or a problem at the manufacturing plant. The following drugs and medications might be more difficult to find on shelves this year, according to the FDA: Albuterol Sulfate Inhalational Solution: Caused by a high-demand for the drug at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, VOX says. Amoxicillin (Oral Powder for Suspensi…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Student Loan Repayment Program Open For Massachusetts Healthcare Workers Student Loan Repayment Program Open For Massachusetts Healthcare Workers
Student Loan Repayment Program Open For Massachusetts Healthcare Workers Some Massachusetts health care workers are getting are big "Thank You" from the state in the form of student loan repayments.  If eligible, clinicians and patient support staff in fields struggling with staff shortages can receive between $25k and $300k in loan repayments, according to the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. The MA Repay Program is repaying over $130 million in student loans for the current application cycle between Dec. 5, 2022 and Jan. 30, 2023. The program is designed to counteract burnout and stress from the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting health…

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by Morgan Gonzales
News
CDC Encouraging Americans To Mask Up For The Holidays Amid Tripledemic Of COVID-19, Flu, RSV CDC Encouraging Americans To Mask Up For The Holidays Amid Tripledemic Of COVID-19, Flu, RSV
CDC Encouraging Americans To Mask Up For The Holidays Amid Tripledemic Of Covid-19, Flu, RSV The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is encouraging Americans to wear masks during the holiday season to help prevent the spread of the so-called tripledemic of COVID-19, influenza, and Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It's especially important for people living in areas with high levels of COVID transmission to mask up, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Monday, Dec. 5. “The past several years have certainly not been easy, and we now face yet another surge of ailments, another moment of overstretched capacity, and really one of tragic and often preventab…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Massachusetts Residents Can Get $75 For Getting Vaccinated, Boosted: Report Massachusetts Residents Can Get $75 For Getting Vaccinated, Boosted: Report
Massachusetts Residents Can Get $75 For Getting Vaccinated, Boosted: Report COVID-19 vaccinations can help prevent hospitalizations and death, and now they also get you a $75 gift card. As part of a program called Get Boosted, Massachusetts residents can receive a gift card to local retailers now through Dec. 31 when they receive a first or second dose of the COVID vaccine, or a booster, while supplies last. The program is designed to improve vaccine access in communities that are most affected by COVID, working with the Vaccine Equity Initiative to target high-need areas with the lowest booster rates and highest BIPOC populations. The Vaccine Equity Initiative…

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by Morgan Gonzales
News
New Extension For REAL ID Deadline Announced By DHS New Extension For REAL ID Deadline Announced By DHS
New Extension For Real ID Deadline Announced By DHS You won't have to rush out to get your REAL ID if you haven't already done so, as officials announced plans to extend the full official enforcement deadline for the new form of identification that will be used to board domestic flights. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday, Dec. 5, that it has extended the deadline for the REAL ID by two years, changing it from May 3, 2023, to May 7, 2025. This gives states additional time to make sure their residents have licenses and ID cards that meet security standards established in the REAL ID Act. After the enforcement deadline, f…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: CDC Says It's Now Tracking More Immune-Evasive XBB Variant Growing In Northeast COVID-19: CDC Says It's Now Tracking More Immune-Evasive XBB Variant Growing In Northeast
Covid-19: CDC Says It's Now Tracking More Immune-Evasive XBB Variant Growing In Northeast With more than 300 COVID-19 Omicron sublineages circulating around the globe, a new potentially more contagious variant called XBB is being closely monitored by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). XBB is considered more immune-evasive than other Omicron variants, Chief White House medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week. But government officials said they don't think XBB will become a threat at the level of Omicron, which first emerged on the global scene almost exactly a year ago. Though XBB now accounts for just over 3 percent of new cases in t…

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by Joe Lombardi