Megan Barber

🚨Did you know that Paxlovid, the FDA-approved antiviral for treating COVID-19, is less accessible to African American and Latino communities? Discover how COPAL Minnesota is working to change this situation. 🚀🌟 publicgoodnews.com/2023/08/01/pax…

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are all rising significantly nationwide, with hospitalization rates seeing the sharpest spike among people 70 and older. bit.ly/3jbAZ76

La actividad de la gripe comenzó antes de lo habitual y sigue siendo alta en todo el país. El VRS también comenzó antes de lo habitual y ha estado ocasionando un aumento en las hospitalizaciones pediátricas este otoño. bit.ly/3OXIieH

Everything you need to know about lead exposure and lead poisoning, and how you can protect your children from it. bit.ly/3HcIeWL

We spoke to abortion advocates in six ban states—Arkansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin—to talk about what pregnant people are experiencing post-Roe. bit.ly/3FOSYtz

In the 13 states where abortion is now banned post-Roe, abortion funds & advocacy orgs have held the line and dealt with uncertainty, confusion, & distress as pregnant ppl struggle to find reproductive care. I wrote about what they're experiencing 👇🏽publicgoodnews.com/2022/11/07/abo…

Public health experts are warning of a triple-threat situation in which the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 are all in high circulation at the same time. bit.ly/3FMyFNg

It’s Halloween, so let’s say it again for the people in the back (Florida, I’m looking at you!) publicgoodnews.com/2022/10/25/rai…

Un grupo de variantes de ómicron podría impulsar la siguiente ola. Éstas tienen la habilidad de evadir la inmunidad existente. bit.ly/3SzooXL

Experts warn that we may not see one dominant variant of concern this winter but rather a group of Omicron spinoffs that each have some ability to evade immunity. bit.ly/3eJHAny

This is a big reason why I started @PublicGoodNews; I believe that everyone should have access to timely, understandable health news. publicgoodnews.com 4/

I also think @perrybaconjr is spot on about the need for nonprofit news: “It’s time to just accept that good local news won’t make anyone much money and will need philanthropic and perhaps even government funding.” 3/

Loving the kicker in @perrybaconjr latest: “All of the crises of the United States in 2022—the decline of newspapers, the deep racial tensions in many cities, the nation’s growing partisan polarization—show the need to create a new and improved version of local news.” 1/

3/ And for all those parents out there: kids 5-11 can also get the new booster. I’m getting my kids boosted so they have better protection in school. publicgoodnews.com/2022/10/14/omi…

2/ Please, get the new bivalent COVID-19 booster. It’s designed specifically to fight current variants. It’s safe. And how many people get it will determine how big our next COVID-19 wave is. Get your booster by 🎃 to ensure that you have protection over the holidays.

1/ The bad news: COVID-19 cases in Europe are rising, previewing a soon-to-arrive wave in the U.S. The good news: If you get an Omicron-specific booster, you’ll likely have good protection. The extra bad news: Most Americans haven’t gotten a booster or don’t know they should.

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid driving a very real overdose crisis. But when fears about drugs aren’t based in reality, they can have dangerous real-world consequences. bit.ly/3rt0uSC

I wrote about the rampant Spanish-language misinformation that has spread on social media over the past two years: Why it's spread so easily, what the main themes are, and what researchers say platforms & officials should do about it. publicgoodnews.com/2022/09/28/spa… 1/

Fetal cell lines are an indispensable part of modern medical research and crucial to the development of some of the most common medications on the market. bit.ly/3DsGA0Y