There’s a new coronavirus variant traveling around this summer at a record clip.

We spoke to public-health experts about how concerned you should be about the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron, on a scale of 1 to 10, and how to avoid it. ⬇️
businessinsider.com/how-worried-to… It’s getting trickier to avoid a COVID-19 infection altogether.

BA.5 is strategically evading our built-up defenses against prior versions of the virus, which means that reinfections — even in vaccinated and recently infected people — are way up. businessinsider.com/covid-variant-…

The reversal of Roe v. Wade doesn’t just mean that abortions will be harder to come by. It also means that data about abortions will be harder to come by.

And that means we won't know how the decision is actually affecting people, @jetjocko reports. ⬇️

businessinsider.com/abortion-data-… Key pro-choice arguments revolve around rights: personal liberty, bodily autonomy, a constitutional right to privacy.

For those opposed, pro-choice arguments clash with their ideas about when a fertilized human egg becomes a person with its own rights.

businessinsider.com/abortion-data-…

On March 15, 2020, Karyn Bishof got #COVID19.

Nearly two years later, the former firefighter paramedic is still suffering from “long COVID.” She is unable to work and spends most of her time in bed.

This is her story, as told to @fi_lowenstein.⤵️

businessinsider.com/long-covid-sur… For 10 years, Bishof (@K_Bishof) struggled as a single mom. When she was hired as a firefighter paramedic, it was the first time she had the feeling that everything was going to be okay.

Then, she got COVID-19.

businessinsider.com/long-covid-sur…

Top ER doctors in several states told Insider this #COVID19 wave is forcing them to refuse life-saving treatment to other patients because there isn’t enough room for all the sick and injured people to get the emergency care they need. ⬇️

businessinsider.com/er-doctors-cov… Dr. John Hick told Insider his colleagues @hcmcEM are examining people sitting on the floor because they have "literally run out of any space to put them."

businessinsider.com/er-doctors-cov…

Dozens of Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill have invested in companies that have a direct stake in the nation’s response to the #COVID19 pandemic, according to a @thisisinsider analysis of federal financial records. ⬇️

businessinsider.com/lawmakers-boug… In 2020, at least 13 senators and 35 US Representatives held shares of Johnson & Johnson and at least 11 senators and 34 representatives also held shares in Pfizer.

Two representatives or their spouses held shares of Moderna in 2020.

businessinsider.com/lawmakers-boug…

The biotech market has set a record for the number of initial public offerings in 2021.

More than 90 companies have gone public, raising a total of $12.2 billion in capital.

Here are the investors set to shape the industry in 2022. 👇

businessinsider.com/analysis-top-b… Foresite is a healthcare investor that does everything from incubating startups to acting as a crossover investor in companies about to go public.

It holds shares in four biotechs that went public this year.

businessinsider.com/analysis-top-b…

More than 18,000 Mississippi students have caught COVID-19 in the first month of the school year.

Teachers told @thisisinsider the state of education in Mississippi is a tragedy and they want a mask mandate. ⬇️

insider.com/mississippi-te… Last month, an eighth-grader at a Mississippi middle school died from COVID-19 just days after Republican Gov. Tate Reeves held a press conference claiming the virus only causes “sniffles” in children under 18.

businessinsider.com/mississippi-ei…

The next few months could bring an onslaught of news about COVID-19 vaccines and potential new treatments that could shape the next chapter of the pandemic.

Here are the top events to watch for that are expected before the end of the year. 👇

businessinsider.com/10-top-catalys… 👧 Vaccines for kids.

With kids younger than 12 returning to school, and the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases already increasing with the Delta variant, finding a safe and effective vaccine for younger kids is a top priority.

businessinsider.com/10-top-catalys…

In the US, most people with COVID-19 are not allowed to know which variant of the virus infected them, even if they contracted the highly contagious Delta strain.

Insider spoke to lab scientists and experts in the field to find out why.

businessinsider.com/covid-patients… The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) requires federal approval for genome-sequencing tests before results can be disclosed to doctors or patients. These tests detect variants but there's little incentive for labs to validate them right now.

businessinsider.com/covid-patients…

Texas passed a bill that bans abortions six weeks and incentivizes citizens to sue anyone who doesn't comply.

The ban went into effect on Tuesday after the Supreme Court declined an emergency stop.

Here are the unexpected implications of the law. ⬇️

insider.com/texas-abortion… 1️⃣ Healthcare workers could lose their jobs or face jail time

Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, an abortion provider who went to medical school in Texas and practices there, told NPR that job loss could also mean being unable to provide financially for her family.

insider.com/texas-abortion…

Self-managed at-home abortions are now being eyed as a lifeline for people in Texas, who can no longer get an abortion after six weeks without breaking the law.

Here's everything you need to know about abortion pills. ⬇️

insider.com/the-abortion-p… Since the FDA approved the abortion pill mifepristone in 2000, self-managed at-home abortions — which can be done in the first 11 weeks of pregnancy — have become increasingly common in the US.

insider.com/the-abortion-p…

A woman from Illinois was arrested in Hawaii on suspicion of submitting a fake vaccination card for a vacation there, according to a report by Hawaii News Now.

A photo apparently showing the card indicates that Moderna was misspelled as "Maderna." ⬇️

businessinsider.com/fake-maderna-m… Authorities arrested Chloe Mrozak, 24, on Saturday over allegations that she used a fake vaccine card to fly to Hawaii on August 23 and bypass a mandatory 10-day quarantine for unvaccinated visitors, the publication reported.

businessinsider.com/fake-maderna-m…

Eating disorders are often associated with "young girls," leading to men who also struggle being misunderstood.

@thisisinsider spoke to men who have lived with disordered eating and muscle dysmorphia experts.

insider.com/muscle-dysmorp… When someone suffers from muscle dysmorphia, they're hyper-fixated on building muscle and looking "ripped," with and often have weight and muscle goals.

Muscle dysmorphia is a subset of body dysmorphia disorder, which is a subset of
OCD.

insider.com/muscle-dysmorp…

Florida is experiencing its most devastating COVID-19 surge yet, fueled by the Delta variant.

Hospitals are being stretched to the brink once again, with mounting wait times and limited oxygen.

Here's what it's like on the front lines. 👇

businessinsider.com/florida-hospit… Florida has become the epicenter of a new wave of infections in the US, and its vaccination rate is far short of states like Connecticut and New York.

About half of adults in Florida (50.8%) are fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University.

businessinsider.com/florida-hospit…

Led by its coronavirus vaccine, Moderna has surged into the drug industry's top ranks. 💉

@thisisinsider visited @moderna_tx's labs to learn about the biotech's plans beyond #COVID19. 👇

businessinsider.com/inside-moderna… In the main lobby of the biotech's sprawling campus in the Boston suburbs, baskets are filled with pins touting the company's milestones: delivering 100 million and then 200 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine.

businessinsider.com/inside-moderna…

🧬 mRNA, the genetic code in Moderna’s and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines, tells cells what to produce.

Experts told Insider how they see a future where this tech could mend any protein in the body, from heart attacks and malaria to deadly snake bites. businessinsider.com/vaccine-mrna-c… In jabs that use mRNA technology, the genetic code teaches the body how to make a specific part of the target virus, to then trigger an immune response.

Then, if the body actually encounters the virus, the immune system can act faster to fight it off. businessinsider.com/vaccine-mrna-c…

Vaccine passports are being unveiled across the world.

Here's how they could work in the US. 👇 businessinsider.com/vaccine-passpo… The US government says it won't introduce federally mandated vaccine passports.

But restaurants, sports stadiums, and other venues could require documents as proof a person has been vaccinated.

They may also be required for international travel: insider.com/do-i-need-proo…

What Would Fauci Do?

Anthony Fauci told Insider how his behavior has and hasn't changed since getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

🚨 Spoiler alert: Indoor restaurants are still a no.

businessinsider.com/fauci-how-beha… When Dr. Fauci and his wife did gather with their neighbors pre-vaccine, they took no chances.

The households stayed socially distanced and outdoors, even in the fall and winter when the weather got chilly.

businessinsider.com/fauci-how-beha…