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Biotech and health care

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State’s COVID-19 death toll falls by more than 3,700 under new counting method

The change comes after the Department of Public Health announced last week it would narrow the state’s definition of a COVID-related death and was expecting the total number of deaths to fall by about 3,700.

Massachusetts spent $1.5 billion less on health care in first year of pandemic
The decrease came as health care institutions halted elective procedures and patients cancelled screenings and other preventative appointments out of fear of catching COVID-19.

Tell us: Will you ever stop wearing a mask indoors in public?
With rules easing, are you still keeping your mask on in public indoor spaces? Will you ever feel comfortable enough to remove it? Tell us in this survey.

Impossible Foods sues Ginkgo spinout Motif in ‘beef replica’ dispute
It claims Boston-based Motif FoodWorks copied a patented process for making alternative ‘meat’ products. Motif calls the complaint ‘baseless.’

COVID-19, 2 years later: These 11 charts show the toll of the pandemic
As we mark the grim second anniversary of the pandemic, here’s an overview of how public health agencies have sought to measure the immeasurable.

Two years of COVID: A new analysis reveals a heavy toll on young families of color in Massachusetts
Data obtained by the Globe shows Black and Latino people in the prime of their lives died at rates up to three times higher than white people.

Featured stories

Moderna millionaires and the double-edged sword of stock market riches

The state's thriving life sciences and tech sectors are creating fortunes, bolstering the economy — and widening the wealth gap.

New research shows how and when COVID-19 first spread to Massachusetts

A study from Northeastern University published Monday in “Nature” retraces the path of the coronavirus pandemic from China to Europe and the United States.

At Mass General Brigham, a sweeping effort to unify hospitals and shed old rivalries

Executives say greater cooperation is necessary to stay relevant in a dynamic and competitive health care industry. But the aggressive push to integrate is stirring tensions and sowing discontent among doctors and hospital leaders.

There’s a new frontier in detecting cancer: blood tests

Often called liquid biopsies, the gene-based tests from several US startups hone in on worrisome biomarkers that can signal cancer.
Biotech

Impossible Foods sues Ginkgo spinout Motif in ‘beef replica’ dispute

It claims Boston-based Motif FoodWorks copied a patented process for making alternative ‘meat’ products. Motif calls the complaint ‘baseless.’

Scientists say we need universal coronavirus vaccines, but will they arrive in time?

Next-generation vaccines could protect against future variants, but they will take longer to design than the original COVID shots.

Sherlock Bio raises $80 million to apply COVID-testing tech to other diseases

The Boston company will use the new money to develop 10-minute lab tests for infectious diseases, as well as at-home tests that provide results in under an hour.
Lifestyle

FDA approves a condom for anal sex, a first in the sexual health movement

Although public health experts have long advised the use of condoms for anal sex to protect against HIV and other infections, regulators did not have enough data to allow marketing for that use.

Pregnant people with COVID are unlikely to transmit to newborns, new research shows

Pregnant people who are positive with COVID-19 when they give birth rarely transmit the virus to their newborns, according to a spate of new research. The reason: COVID isn't often found in a patient's bloodstream.
INNOVATORS Q&A

R.I. study finds group yoga helps stressed-out teens

Clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Uebelacker is working to compare the impact of Hatha yoga versus group cognitive behavioral therapy treatment.
Spotlight

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

In a deal worth millions with Chinese developer Evergrande, a Harvard teaching hospital risked its reputation on what would become a near-empty shell.

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

Hospital chiefs and trustees defend this as boosting public-private partnerships, but critics say these board positions — some paying millions of dollars — raise troubling issues of conflict of interest and hospital priorities.

More biotech and health care stories

Empty chairs were placed in a park in Lawrence to honor coronavirus victims in December 2020.

Number of COVID-19 deaths in Mass. will drop under state’s new counting method

Currently, Massachusetts records those who died within 60 days of diagnosis as having died from COVID. Under the new system, COVID deaths will be those that occur within 30 days of a diagnosis.

A nurse drew a COVID-19 vaccine dose from a vial in February 2021.

Mass. reports 3,194 breakthrough COVID-19 cases, raising total to 8.6 percent of fully vaccinated people

The department also reported 60 more COVID-19 deaths among fully vaccinated people, bringing the total to 2,484 deaths.

Dr. Nelya Melnitchouk appeared in a video to train civilians how to treat trauma wounds.

Brigham & Women’s doctors with ties to Ukraine create video to help Ukrainians respond to traumatic injuries

“The idea is to get this out to as many people as possible, to empower them and help them save lives,” said Dr. Goralnick, an emergency medicine specialist.

In a photo from the US Attorney's Office for the District of Utah, fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills collected during an investigation.

Health commissioner: Fentanyl, cocaine fuel ‘concerning trends’ in epidemic

State public health officials observed “concerning trends” in the opioid epidemic last year, particularly driven by the rising prevalence of fentanyl and cocaine in overdose deaths.

Sherlock Biosciences chief executive Bryan Dechairo in the startup's lab.

Sherlock Bio raises $80 million to apply COVID-testing tech to other diseases

The Boston company will use the new money to develop 10-minute lab tests for infectious diseases, as well as at-home tests that provide results in under an hour.

A member of the Salem Board of Health handed a COVID-19 antigen rapid test kit to a Salem resident in December.

COVID test stockpile is enough for half of state’s population

Massachusetts aims to keep a stockpile of 3.5 million rapid antigen tests on hand at all times to meet demand and to be prepared for any future upticks in infection rates.

BU researchers seek thousands of former soccer, football players for head impact study

Researchers say the two-hour online survey could answer key questions about the effects of head impacts in sports.

Boston hospitals to participate in national study of long COVID

Nationally, 15 research groups studying adults aim to recruit 17,680 participants, with about 900 of them in the Boston area.