| Headlines for a healthier you | | | Anisa Arsenault, Associate Editorial Director | | | | Moderna COVID Vaccines Will Continue to Be Free |  | COVID vaccines are here to stay, and luckily, at least one of them will be free forever.
Moderna is pledging to keep its COVID-19 vaccines free to everyone in the U.S. even after the federal funding from the COVID Public Health Emergency ends in May, the company announced on February 15.
The move is a reversal of earlier plans to charge $110-$130 per dose, as reported by the Wall Street Journal in January. | | Know More | | Unfortunately, free vaccines aren't really the norm for people who don't have health insurance. Getting a quadrivalent flu shot at CVS can cost $95 out of pocket, while a regular flu shot is $50. A shingles vaccine is $179, and pneumonia vaccines are between $141 and $226. Contracts between the federal government and vaccine manufacturers supported the production and delivery of COVID vaccines and allowed the public to receive them at no cost—but those are set to expire. That's why Moderna is stepping up to shoulder the costs. | | Feel Better | | If you have health insurance, you'll likely be able to get any COVID vaccine for free even after federal funding stops, not just Moderna's. And thanks to something called the Section 317 Immunization Program, a limited supply of free COVID shots will still be available to those without health insurance in the absence of federal funding. | | |  | What Else Should You Know | | | How Common Is Bruce Willis's Frontotemporal Dementia? | | Actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), his family shared in a statement Thursday. The condition can cause people to exhibit unusual behaviors, difficulty communicating, emotional problems, and trouble walking. While it's the most prevalent type of dementia in people younger than 60 years old, overall, it's not a very common form of dementia. Estimates suggest 60,000 Americans are living with FTD, compared to 6,000,000 living with Alzheimer's. | | | | | | What Is Happening In Ohio? | | Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, are left with questions about their long-term health and safety after a train derailment in the area spilled industrial chemicals, including vinyl chloride. High-intensity short-term exposure to the chemical, which is used to make hard plastic, may cause symptoms like coughing, dizziness, drowsiness, and headache. Long-term exposure, which can happen if vinyl chloride's byproducts remain in water, food, and the environment, is linked to issues like liver damage and liver cancer. The EPA has since deemed the area and its drinking water safe. But extensive cleanup efforts of the soil and nearby rivers remain. | | | | |  | In Other News | | | | |
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