Iowa news
Nearly 100 Iowa sites set for Drug Take Back Day on Saturday
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday and state officials along with local health and safety groups are urging Iowans to take advantage of the opportunity to safely dispose of leftover or out-of-date medicines. The take-back events will operate from 10 am to 2 pm Saturday in about 100 communities. Besides Saturday’s special one-day drop-off events, several permanent Take Back sites now offer Iowans year-round opportunities to safely dispose of prescription drugs. (Business Record)
MercyOne hosting Waterloo walk-in vaccine clinic April 29
MercyOne will host a walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Waterloo Thursday, April 29, administering about 200 Pfizer doses. The clinic will be held at 432 King Dr. from 1-4 p.m. on the MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center campus where OB/GYN appointments usually are. Because the Pfizer vaccine will be administered, anyone 16 or older is eligible for the walk-in clinic. (KWWL)
Mental Health Board opposes changes in mental health funding
County Supervisors on the Eastern Iowa Mental Health Region Board do not support Senate File 587, a bill that details changes in the way mental health services would be funded. The first division of the legislation involves getting rid of the mental health levy, moving the funding to a more sustainable funding revenue stream from the state general fund and also has built-in increases for mental health, Iowa Sen. Chris Cournoyer, R-LeClaire, said Saturday. The bill also includes a phaseout of the backfill intended to make up for lost revenue due to commercial and property tax rollback, Cournoyer said. (Clinton Herald)
National news
Do we still need to keep wearing masks outdoors?
As more people get vaccinated and spring weather and sunshine beckon us outdoors, one question may be nagging at you: Do we still need to wear masks outside? More than a year into pandemic life, many people remain confused about the risk of spending time outdoors around other people. A growing body of research shows that transmission of COVID-19 is far less likely outdoors than inside, and the risk will get even lower as more people get vaccinated and cases continue to decline. But many states have yet to lift strict outdoor mask mandates. (The New York Times)
Overdose deaths surged in pandemic, as more drugs were laced with fentanyl
Researchers gathered for a conference on addiction this week received a grim update on the growing spread of street drugs laced with deadly synthetic opioids including fentanyl. The trend contributed to a stark rise in overdoses that left more than 90,000 Americans dead during the 12-month period ending in September 2020, according to the latest data. (Iowa Public Radio)
No evidence that Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are unsafe during pregnancy, a preliminary study says.
In an early analysis of coronavirus vaccine safety data, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found no evidence that the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines pose serious risks during pregnancy. The findings are preliminary and cover just the first 11 weeks of the US vaccination program. But the study, which included self-reported data on more than 35,000 people who received one of the vaccines during or shortly before pregnancy, is the largest yet on the safety of the coronavirus vaccines in pregnant people. (The New York Times)