What We're Reading: US to Ship 80M Vaccines; Cyberattack on Irish Health Care; Recall of Abbott Pacemakers

US to Ship 80M Excess COVID-19 Vaccines Abroad

President Joe Biden announced that the United States will ship approximately 20 million doses of excess Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to in need countries abroad. Reported by NPR, shipments will also include 60 million AstraZeneca vaccines currently in the US total reserve, which has yet to be authorized for use in the United States. Distribution is planned to be completed by the end of June.

Irish Health System Struggles in Aftermath of Massive Ransomware Attack

It could be weeks before the Irish health system returns to normal in the wake of a cyberattack, the Associated Press reported. The attack happened on Friday and a Russian-speaking hacking group has demanded $20 million, the report said. The ransomware attack has forced the disruption of care involving diagnostic appointments, cancer treatment, and surgeries; in addition, health care workers cannot get paid.

FDA Issues Recall on Abbott Pacemakers

Due to the risk of electrical shorts and reduced battery life associated with Assurity and Endurity implantable pacemakers manufactured by Abbott, the FDA issued a Class 1 recall, the most serious type of recall, of nearly 62,000 pacemakers that were distributed between April 2015 and February 2019. Reported by Fox News, the devices have been linked with 135 complaints and 135 injuries, but no deaths have been reported.