Louisiana Bans State Funded Promotion of COVID-19, Influenza and Mpox Vaccines
In December 2024, Louisiana’s Department of Health issued a directive barring public health workers from promoting COVID-19, influenza, or mpox vaccines.1 This includes prohibiting staff from sending press releases, giving interviews, holding vaccine events, creating social media posts, or even displaying signs in clinics indicating that vaccines are available.2 The policy, which officials declined to […]
U.S. Government Extends Liability Shield for COVID Shot Makers
On Dec. 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) announced it would extend through Dec. 31, 2029 liability protections for pharmaceutical companies that produce COVID-19 biologics. According to Bloomberg Law, the liability shield also protects “health professionals prescribing, dispensing or administering vaccines, including state-licensed pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns.” The […]
Recall of Clonazepam Anxiety Drug After Potential Life-Threatening Labeling Error
A voluntary recall in the United States has been issued for clonazepam (the generic name for Klonopin), an anxiety-reducing drug, due to a potentially fatal labeling mistake. The recall involves 16 lots of clonazepam Orally Disintegrating Tablets, which were found to be mislabeled with incorrect strengths and National Drug Code (NDC) numbers. The Pennsylvania-based pharmaceutical […]
BMJ Study Finds 1 in 3 Patients Harmed by Surgical Medical Errors
A 2024 study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on surgical safety has revealed that more than one-third of patients experience complications during or following surgery, with a significant proportion linked to preventable medical errors. Despite advances in patient care, the findings underscore ongoing concerns about the safety of hospital procedures and the widespread […]
Most U.S. Health Care Workers Reject COVID-19 Booster Shot This Year
A recent study published in U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) showed a decline in the uptake of COVID-19 shots among health care workers in the United States this year.1 During the 2023–2024 respiratory virus season, fewer than one in six health care personnel working in acute […]
Idaho Health Department Bans Giving COVID-19 Shots
In Idaho, the Southwest District’s Board of Health has voted to prohibit COVID-19 shots from being administered in its medical facilities, a regional public health department in Idaho, has been prohibited from administering COVID shots to residents in six counties along the Idaho-Oregon border.1 The regional public health department serves Adams, Canyon, Gem, Owyhee, Payette […]