America Is About to Test How Long ‘Normal’ Can Hold Whenever it arrives, the next surge could put the country’s tolerance for disease and death in full relief. Katherine J. Wu The Atlantic

At this very moment, the United States, as a whole, remains in its legit pandemic lull. Coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations are lower than they’ve been since last summer. There’s now a nice, chonky gap between us and January’s Omicron peak.

Vulnerable Americans are desperate to find this Covid-19 drug. Thousands of boxes are sitting around unused Soon after the US Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to Evusheld, a new drug to prevent Covid-19, pharmacist Tom Henry alerted his blog readers. He was thrilled because finally, there was a drug that could protect people like him who are immune-compromised and had a weak response, or no response at all, to their vaccinations. Elizabeth Cohen and Danielle Herman, CNN CNN

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NIH’s identity crisis: The pandemic and the search for a new leader leave the agency at a crossroads Francis Collins’ popularity masked a debate raging in university labs and biotech boardrooms over whether the NIH is living up to its mission — or what its mission should be. Lev Facher STAT

WASHINGTON — Under the reign of Francis Collins, the National Institutes of Health was untouchable.

From virtually the moment President Obama appointed him in 2009, prominent figures in government and science have been enchanted by Collins, the Harley-riding, guitar-playing geneticist who brought newfound attention to the nation’s medical research agency.

Pandemic relief money spent on hotel, ballpark, ski slopes WASHINGTON (AP) — Thanks to a sudden $140 million cash infusion, officials in Broward County, Florida, recently broke ground on a high-end hotel that will have views of the Atlantic Ocean and an 11,000-square-foot spa. AP NEWS

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