| Proposed ban on menthol cigarettes expected to be announced this week The Biden administration is expected to announce a proposed ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes this week, according to multiple reports. The action has long been sought by public health advocacy groups, and the administration is facing a Thursday deadline to respond to a lawsuit demanding that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) take action on a 2013 citizen petition seeking a menthol cigarette ban. An announcement is expected tomorrow, but could also be previewed by President Biden tonight. The White House directed questions to the FDA, which declined to comment. The FDA's decision would not immediately ban menthol flavors, but would instead launch a rulemaking process that would likely take years. Any final decision would also likely be challenged in court by the tobacco industry Anti-smoking and civil rights groups have long argued Black Americans have been disproportionately harmed by menthol cigarettes, as the tobacco industry deliberately targeted Black communities for decades. Read more here. NIH readies grants for more research on long-term health effects of COVID-19 NIH is preparing to offer more than $1 billion in grants within three weeks for more research into the long-term health issues after a COVID-19 infection, commonly known as "long COVID-19." NIH Director Francis Collins told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Wednesday that the agency is moving forward with an “unprecedented” large-scale study on tens of thousands of COVID-19 long-haulers to examine the “prevalence, severity and persistence” of the ongoing health problems after infection. How many have long COVID-19: Preliminary research has found between 10 percent to 30 percent of people who had COVID-19 may develop long-term health issues. With more than 32 million confirmed cases in the U.S. in the past year, that could amount to millions dealing with long COVID-19. Symptoms of long COVID-19 include fatigue, brain fog, disturbed sleep, shortness of breath, palpitations, depression, loss of taste and smell and muscle and joint pain, which persist four weeks after diagnosis. Message to long-haulers: “Some of you have been suffering for more than a year, with no answers, no treatment options, not even a forecast of what your future may hold,” Collins said during the hearing. “Some of you have even faced skepticism about whether your symptoms are real. I want to assure you that we at NIH hear you and believe you.” What’s next: The agency has already received 273 responses for its February request for research proposals, Collins said, adding he expects intensive laboratory and imaging studies to start by the summer. Read more here. New research out of the UK: Single COVID-19 vaccine dose can reduce household transmission by up to half Public Health England released a study on Wednesday that found a single dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine can limit household transmission by up to half, signaling the effectiveness of the vaccines at preventing spread. The research, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, found that people who got COVID-19 three weeks after receiving one dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccines were between 38 percent and 49 percent less likely to give the virus to those in their household, compared to those who didn’t receive any vaccine dose. Public Health England analyzed more than 57,000 contacts from 24,000 households in which a person who had received a vaccine dose tested positive for the virus and compared it with almost 1 million contacts of cases among unvaccinated people. Researchers said the results would likely be similar in other high-risk transmission locations besides households, such as shared accommodations and prisons. A vast majority of the participants were under 60 years old, although Public Health England noted other research has shown the two vaccines reduce infections and deaths among the older population. 'Terrific news': British Health Secretary Matt Hancock called the study “terrific news,” saying, “We already know vaccines save lives and this study is the most comprehensive real-world data showing they also cut transmission of this deadly virus.” Read more here. | 
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