Generics giant Teva Pharmaceuticals reached a $15 million agreement with the state of Louisiana to settle claims against the company over its marketing of opioid products that contributed to the opioid addiction epidemic that swept across the United States and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
The number of children hospitalized with Covid-19 in the United States hit a record high of more than 1,900 on Aug. 14, as hospitals across the South were stretched to capacity fighting outbreaks caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The cities of San Francisco and New Orleans on Aug. 12 ordered patrons to show proof of Covid-19 vaccinations to enter restaurants, gyms and other venues, joining New York in a severe step designed to contain the fast-spreading Delta variant.
California on Aug. 11 became the first U.S. state to require that its teachers and other school staff be vaccinated or regularly tested for Covid-19, a move Governor Gavin Newsom called “a responsible step” to ensure the safety of children.
Only eight intensive care unit beds were available on Aug. 9 in Arkansas, the state’s governor said, as the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus pushed cases and hospitalizations in the United States to a six-month high.
The number of new Covid-19 cases climbed to a six-month high in the United States, with more than 100,000 infections reported on Aug. 5 as the Delta variant ravages Florida and other states with lower vaccination rates.
New cases of Covid-19 in the United States fell for a third week in a row, the first time the country saw such an extended decline since last September, though more than a million people are still being infected every week.
Walmart Inc. is preparing to offer Covid-19 vaccinations in seven more states, as well as in Chicago and Puerto Rico, expanding beyond the two states where the company’s pharmacists are offering inoculations.
New York, the former epicenter of the U.S. Covid-19 pandemic, became the fourth U.S. state to surpass half a million coronavirus cases amid a nationwide surge in infections.
The United States surpassed 170,000 coronavirus deaths, according to a Reuters tally, as health officials express concerns over Covid-19 complicating the fall flu season.
