What We’re Reading: Appeals Court Hears ACA Case; Wildfire Smoke Sparks Health Alerts; Latest COVID-19 Vaccine Data

Appeals Court Deliberating on ACA Freeze

A federal appeals court panel seemed suspicious on Tuesday of calls to execute a nationwide freeze on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) rules for no-cost coverage of preventive care while litigation in the Braidwood v Becerra case continues, reported Politico. Both sides agreed that the individual Texas businesses that sued over the mandate should be protected as litigation proceeds; they were divided on if more harm would be caused by keeping the current coverage rules unbroken for everyone else in the country, or by suspending them nationwide. The Biden administration warned that halting coverage would threaten access to more than 50 types of care for millions of Americans.

Wildfire Smoke Triggers Health Alerts

Officials across nearly half of the United States issued warnings about the health threats from air polluted by smoke from unprecedented early summer wildfires in eastern Canada, according to The New York Times. Wildfire smoke can cause harm even at low concentrations, and those with lung or heart diseases, older adults, children, and pregnant women are at higher risk, said Environment Canada. In New York City, field trips were canceled, and some commuters returned to waring masks if they had to be outdoors.

Large Study Demonstrates COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Young Children

Messenger RNA vaccines for COVID-19 present little risk to young children, with no myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation around the heart) seen in vaccine recipients age 0 to 4, reported CIDRAP. Data were collected via the Vaccine Safety Datalink and in collaboration with the CDC that obtained patient information from 8 major US health systems. Children were followed for 9 months. However, vaccine uptake in the age group was low.