Clinical research centers across the US, including the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research, are being impacted by the Department of Health and Human Services’ announcement to cancel contracts and withdraw funding for vaccines being developed to combat viruses like COVID-19 and the flu.

The Department of Health and Human Services plans to cancel contracts and pull funding for some vaccines being developed to fight respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu.

A federal judge says it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants issued by the National Institutes of Health.

The Trump administration will welcome more than two dozen white South Africans to the United States as refugees next week.

The Food and Drug Administration is again trying to rehire some staffers who were recently fired amid mass layoffs at the agency.

The Trump administration has laid off the entire staff of a $4.1 billion program that helps low-income households nationwide pay for heat.

Legal aid clinics that represent migrant children alone in the U.S. say they are still in limbo a day after a federal judge in California ordered the Trump administration temporarily reinstate direct legal assistance.

Thousands of people at the nation’s top health agencies were laid off Tuesday.

As they readied to leave work Monday, some workers at the Food and Drug Administration were told to pack their laptops and prepare for the possibility that they wouldn’t be back.

An appeals court in California has refused to halt a judge’s order requiring the Trump administration to rehire thousands of probationary workers who were let go in mass firings.

President Donald Trump has nominated a Republican attorney who was once accused of mishandling taxpayer funds and who has a history of launching investigations against abortion clinics to lead the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.

Two federal judges have handed down orders requiring President Donald Trump’s administration to rehire thousands, if not tens of thousands, of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies.

About 300 protesters rallied outside the headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Department of Health and Human Services officials expected most of the agency’s roughly 5,200 probationary employees to be fired.

Robert F.

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert F.

Attorneys for migrant children who arrived to the United States on their own say the Biden administration’s new rules are not enough to ensure their safety while they are in U.S. custody and should not replace a decades-old agreement that requires court oversight.

The Biden administration is estimating that it could collect as much as $4.7 billion from insurance companies with newer and tougher penalties for submitting improper charges on the taxpayers’ tab for Medicare Advantage care.

The World Health Organization says the number of coronavirus cases rose by 18% in the last week, with more than 4.1 million new cases reported globally.

Health officials are taking more steps to slow the spread of monkeypox. They're now making a vaccine available to more people who could be at risk.

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing logistical support to import the equivalent of about 16 million 8-ounce baby formula bottles from Mexico.

Another member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet has tested positive for COVID-19.

With the nation yearning for a new normal after its long struggle with the coronavirus, U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra is warning that vaccines, tests and treatments will be “stuck on the ground” unless Congress provides additional funds the White House has demanded.

An influential scientific advisory panel says the U.S. transplant system needs an overhaul to stop wasting organs and give more patients a fair chance.

A nonpartisan congressional watchdog says the federal Department of Health and Human Services is failing to meet its responsibilities for leading the nation’s response to public health emergencies including the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather disasters and even potential bioterror attacks.

Kids two and older enrolled in Head Start Programs must wear masks indoors starting Monday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he’s looking into ways to stop planes with migrants from landing in Florida.

The Biden administration is reversing a ban on abortion referrals by federally funded family planning clinics.

The number of new hospital admissions of adults with COVID-19 in Florida continues on a general downward trend, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. The data shows the number of total adult patients with COVID-19 in the state has also been dropping over the past week or so.

Some immigrant teens say they've waited weeks or months in massive facilities and don't know when they'll be released to relatives in the United States.

The Justice Department is announcing criminal charges against more than a dozen people from Florida to California in a series of Medicare scams that exploited coronavirus fears to bill tens of millions of dollars in bogus claims.

The Biden administration says the government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, reversing a Trump-era policy.

The Biden administration is unveiling a coalition of community, religious and celebrity partners to promote COVID-19 shots as it seeks to overcome vaccine hesitancy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized two changes to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that can provide extra doses from each vial.

A lawyer, not a doctor, his main experience with the health care system came through helping to pass the Obama-era Affordable Care Act and defending it when Donald Trump was president. AdBecerra also will also be the point man on Biden's health care agenda, which includes insurance for all Americans, deputizing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and tackling persistent racial and ethnic disparities in the health care system. Prescription drugs and health insurance will lead to major legislative battles. “It’s a different time and it’s a time of tremendous opportunity in health care,” he said. But during committee hearings several indicated a willingness to work with on prescription drugs, rural health care and other matters.

BALTIMORE – The Biden administration hopes to relieve the strain of thousands of unaccompanied children coming to the southern border by ending a Trump-era order that discouraged potential family sponsors from coming forward to care for them. It comes as U.S. authorities saw a 60% increase in children crossing the southwest border alone between January and February to more than 9,400. Officials say children are staying an average of 37 days at Health and Human Services-sponsored facilities. AdEarlier this week, the administration announced it was resuming a program that Trump ended that makes it easier for Central American children to join their parents in the United States. Under the Central American minors policy, children can apply for legal status in the United States in their own countries instead of making the dangerous journey to the U.S. border with Mexico.

(Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, File)ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The entire University of Michigan athletic department is pausing after several positive tests for the new COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate. The state Department of Health and Human Services said Sunday it issued recommendations for the school, although not an order. The school said Saturday night its move followed the positive COVID-19 tests for several individuals linked to the athletic department. The women's team currently has its highest AP ranking ever. The Wolverines were supposed to play six games between Sunday and Feb. 7, including two against Michigan State.

A court-appointed committee has yet to find the parents of 628 children separated at the border early in the Trump administration. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, along with other top leaders in the Trump administration, were bent on curbing immigration. The “zero tolerance” policy was one of several increasingly restrictive policies aimed at discouraging migrants from coming to the Southern border. About 5,500 children have been separated from their parents since Trump took office, and many of those parents were deported without their children. The watchdog report found that judges, advocacy groups and even federal prosecutors raised concerns over the policy.

(AP Photo/Mark Baker)CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is advancing the start of its coronavirus vaccination program to mid-February, with plans to inoculate 15% of the population by late March. Mexico’s vaccination effort continues at a glacial rate, with about 7,500 shots administered Wednesday, a rate similar to previous days. John Bel Edwards and public health officials said Wednesday that efforts are being made to speed up vaccinations for the coronavirus. So far, state officials have administered 126,602 of the 522,550 doses the state has received. More than 329,000 people have been vaccinated in Florida — or about 1.5% of the population — almost all of them either health care workers, residents in care homes, or people over the age of 65.

(Youngrae Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – Pfizer said Wednesday it will supply the U.S. government with an additional 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine under a new agreement between the pharmaceutical giant and the Trump administration. The government also has an option to purchase an additional 400 million doses. The cost to taxpayers: $1.95 billion for the additional 100 million doses. To aid vaccine production, the government said it is using its authority under a Cold War-era law that allows it to direct private manufacturing. The government began shipping the Pfizer vaccine to states last week, and the one from Moderna this week.

Separately, Biden picked a Harvard infectious disease expert, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A former senior House Democrat, Becerra was involved in steering the Obama health law through Congress in 2009 and 2010. Biden, who is expected to announce key health care picks as early as Tuesday, is taking a team approach to his administration's virus response. Three churches in Southern California had sued Newsom, Becerra and other state officials because in-person church services had been halted. Becerra studied the advice of famous golfers while practicing with a set of used clubs costing less than $100.

This photo combination shows from left: musician Christina Aguilera in Los Angeles, March 29, 2012, comedian George Lopez in Los Angeles, Dec. 25, 2012, and actor Jack Black in Las Vegas, April 25, 2012. Public relations firms hired by the Department of Health and Human Services vetted the political views of hundreds of celebrities, including Aguilera, Lopez, and Black, for a health education advertising campaign on the coronavirus outbreak. That's according to documents released Thursday by a House committee.

(AP Photo/Lewis Joly)MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, has loosened lockdown restrictions as new and active COVID-19 continue to decline. Victoria state reported only two new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and no deaths. The total number of cases on the reservation is now 10,913. Nine new deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths associated with the virus to 8,466. There are 106,503 total cases reported since the pandemic began in March and 1,168 deaths due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

We can’t take another hit.”___MIAMI - Florida has reported a slight uptick in daily confirmed COVID-19 cases, adding 3,449 to its total caseload on Friday. There were 3,861 new coronavirus cases reported in Wisconsin on Friday, breaking the previous record set just a day earlier of 3,747. The report, released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looks at coronavirus-associated deaths reported between May 1 and August 31. The deaths reported Friday include 10 women and eight men, all in their 60s or older. With 222 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, Spain’s total has reached 33,775.

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration health official embroiled in a furor over political meddling with the coronavirus response is taking a leave of absence, the government announced Wednesday. The Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that Michael Caputo was taking the time “to focus on his health and the well-being of his family.”Caputo, the department's top spokesman, apologized on Tuesday to his staff for a Facebook video in which he reportedly said scientists battling the coronavirus are conspiring against President Donald Trump and warned of shooting in America if Trump were to lose the November election. The Trump appointee also was accused of trying to muzzle a scientific weekly put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fauci has warned that the United States could soon see 100,000 infections per day. We havent even begun to see the end of it yet, Fauci said during a talk hosted by Stanford Universitys School of Medicine. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the first game of Major League Baseball’s pandemic-delayed regular season. The Washington Nationals announced Monday that Fauci -- a self-described fan of the reigning World Series champions -- accepted the team’s invitation to have the pregame honor Thursday night. Spring training was halted in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak and teams resumed preparing to play this month.

Michael Caputo, the HHS secretary for public affairs, said the CDC had a one week lag in reporting hospital data. They will simply no longer control it.News4Jax checked with UF Health to find out how it has been reporting coronavirus data to the federal government. COVID-19 test result data is sent to the Florida Department of Health. The spokesperson added that any other pertinent data was sent to the CDC, but local hospitals are now sending the data to HHS through a portal. Doctors said this could affect researchers, modelers and health officials, who relied on the CDC to make projections and decisions.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. As Jacksonville nears 12,000 confirmed coronavirus cases since state officials began tracking data, three new federal testing sites have opened in the city, which has been identified by as a surge site by the Department of Health and Human Services. The three new sites, combined with current testing locations in Jacksonville, are expected to increase the citys testing capacity to an estimated 5,000 tests daily. Those sites along with an existing site at Lot J are set to close on Wednesday. As we talked about on Tuesday, while we are seeing more COVID-19 related hospitalizations than we did in April, the percentage of those hospitalizations requiring ICU care is lower, Elsbury said. One of those sites will open on Monday at the Jim Fortuna Senior Center at 11751 McCormick Rd.

Public health officials and experts say the heavy reliance on statewide hospital data is a misleading and sometimes irresponsible metric to justify keeping a state open or holding back on imposing new limits. The issue of hospital capacity has gained urgency across the nation this week as Florida, Texas, California, Arizona and other states reported skyrocketing case numbers. Governors have repeatedly invoked hospital capacity in arguing against new business restrictions, though the dynamic began to shift Friday when Texas and Florida clamped down on bars amid an increasingly dire situation with COVID-19. Hospital beds in Houston are filling so fast that Texas Children’s Hospital is starting to treat adult patients, and 97% of ICU beds at Texas Medical Center were in use. Ducey has condemned as “misinformation” the notion that hospital space is running short, even as state data shows that 85% of Arizona’s hospital beds are occupied.

The cost to hire the contractor, Mayhew told members of the Senate Health Policy Committee, will be about $25 million. AHCA submitted a concept paper to the federal Department of Health and Human Services on July 21 outlining what Florida wants to do with its program. Lawmakers during the 2019 legislative session passed a measure that allows Florida to establish Canadian and international drug-importation programs. The international drug-importation program would be for residents. The international program is under the auspices of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which will be invited to speak to the Senate committee in December.

(CNN) - The United States Food and Drug Administration is warning pet owners to stay away from Performance Dog frozen raw pet food produced on or after July 22, 2019, after a sample tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. The beef pet food tested positive for Salmonella and the Performance Dog tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. The FDA cautions against all Performance Dog raw pet food produced after July 22, saying it "represents a serious threat to human and animal health," the statement said. Bravo Packing, Inc. also tested positive for contamination in September 2018, prompting a recall. Dog food has come under scrutiny by the FDA this year -- not over concerns about bacteria, but heart disease.

(CNN) - Four additional cases of Eastern equine encephalitis, including two deaths, have been confirmed in Southwest Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. Michigan has confirmed seven total EEE cases, including three deaths, officials said. Typically, only 5 to 10 human EEE cases are reported every year, but about 30% of all cases result in death, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to the Michigan cases, two more people in Rhode Island have been diagnosed with EEE, the Rhode Island Department of Health and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said Tuesday. In Massachusetts, there have been eight human EEE cases, the Massachusetts Department of Health said Friday.

CNN(CNN) - Michigan is set to become the first U.S. state to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, according to an announcement Wednesday by Gov. The ban gives sellers 30 days to comply and lasts six months -- though the governor can decide to renew it. "As governor, my number one priority is keeping our kids safe," Whitmer said in the statement. In June, San Francisco's board of supervisors unanimously voted to make the city the first in the US to effectively ban e-cigarette sales. Previous research also suggested that the majority of kids who have tried pod-based e-cigarettes started with one that was flavored.

"We were engaged in good faith negotiations about my departure based on philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood." The non-profit organization's board of directors said Wen was departing her role effective immediately and that former Planned Parenthood board chair Alexis McGill Johnson had been named acting president. Planned Parenthood will begin looking for a new president and CEO early next year in hopes with the goal of having a permanent replacement by the end of the year, the group said. Planned Parenthood tweeted that the rule was "not something that (the group is) going to participate in." At least one state's Planned Parenthood office is opting not to accept Title X funds over the new rules.

These are just a few of the graphic details revealed in two reports on US hospice care released Tuesday by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. It is also nearly impossible for the public to know about hospice deficiencies like those described in the report because CMS does not include that information on its Hospice Compare website. But some of that government-funded care actively endangered patients, according to the Office of Inspector General, and hospices suffered few consequences. But the hospice said that it was under no obligation to report the possible sexual assault to CMS, according to the inspector general report. But agency actions can only go so far, according to the inspector general, and actually improving conditions may fall to congress.

By Mayo Clinic News NetworkFor most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines:Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity. You also can do a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. Moderate aerobic exercise includes such activities as brisk walking, swimming and mowing the lawn. Vigorous aerobic exercise includes such activities as running and aerobic dancing.