2 J&J Shots Better Than 1; Texas Abortion Doc Sued; Could iPhones Spot Depression?

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Johnson & Johnson said a booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine given 2 months after the first dose improved efficacy against symptomatic illness to 94%.

In November, the Biden administration will lift restrictions on international travelers from 33 countries who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (New York Times)

Alan Braid, MD — who admitted to violating Texas’s abortion ban in an opinion piece last week — was sued, marking the first lawsuit that will challenge whether the law is constitutional. (Washington Post)

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court set a December 1 date to hear the Mississippi case challenging Roe v. Wade; the case will assess whether state laws that ban pre-viability abortions are unconstitutional. (NPR)

As of Tuesday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial COVID-19 toll in the U.S. was 42,291,718 cases and 676,268 deaths, up 203,314 cases and 2,500 deaths since this time a day ago.

The Biden administration’s plan to donate hundreds of millions of vaccine doses to developing nations is running into logistical challenges. (Wall Street Journal)

New York City is adjusting its strategy for reopening public schools, requiring weekly testing for unvaccinated students and relaxing quarantine protocols. (New York Times)

Health systems across the U.S. are facing severe equipment shortages, including items such as exam tables, heart defibrillators, and crutches. (Reuters)

The Atlantic outlines six principles to guide us through the upcoming pandemic winter.

The federal government announced that it will create new workplace regulations to protect farm laborers, construction workers, and others from extreme heat, as well as improve cooling measures in at-risk communities. (USA Today)

CDC recommended that clinicians be on the lookout for measles, mumps, and other infectious diseases among evacuees from Afghanistan, following the detection of 16 measles cases.

Australian Olympic swimmer Madi Wilson, who is fully vaccinated, announced that she was hospitalized for COVID-19 in Italy as a precaution for underlying chest and lung issues. (NBC News)

Apple is developing new iPhone technology that will aim to diagnose mental health conditions, such as depression and cognitive decline. (Wall Street Journal)

Two people were hospitalized following a shooting at a high school in Newport News, Virginia. (CNN)

FDA issued a complete response letter to Verrica Pharmaceuticals, rejecting its new drug application for VP-102 for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum due to deficiencies at one of the manufacturing facilities.

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