CDC modeling indicates the variant could account for a majority of COVID cases in the U.S. in March, peaking at around 80,000 cases a day in late April. Source: Medical News

The projection: Due to pandemic deaths, life expectancy at birth for Americans will shrink by 1.13 years, to 77.48 years. Source: Medical News

he Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership Program has tapped two pharmacy chains per state to offer free COVID-19 vaccines. Already signed are CVS, Walgreens, Duane Reade, Costco, Walmart, Rite Aid, Publix and more. Source: Medical News

WebMD is providing ongoing coverage about misinformation and myths around the COVID-19 vaccine. Source: Medical News

A new study found that a majority of breast cancer patients — 74% — who had opted to “go flat” were satisfied with the outcome. Source: Medical News

Black respondents are much more likely (69.4%) than white ones (33.2%) to believe that systemic racism affects the health of people of color, according to the poll. Source: Medical News

With tourism and other economic sectors largely shuttered by the pandemic, countries are eagerly looking at alternatives to travel restrictions and quarantine to safely reopen their borders. Source: Medical News

The U.S. government’s race to beat back the pandemic with vaccines — dubbed Operation Warp Speed — has faltered in its last phase: Getting badly needed doses to the public. Source: Medical News

On some campuses, 1 in 5 students had been infected with the virus by the end of the fall term. Four of the schools had more than 5,000 cases. Source: Medical News

Imbalances in the microbiome may cause continued inflammatory symptoms, often called “long-haul” COVID, the researchers added. Source: Medical News