News that drew views Jan. 4 to 8

Among the many Americans refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when their turn comes up is a prominent surgeon who’s also a professional medical communicator and a Johns Hopkins public-health professor.

It’s not inconvenience or expectations of long waits that are prompting the deliberated refusals.

UnitedHealth Group is acquiring Change Healthcare for about $8 billion cash, the companies jointly announced Wednesday morning.

If a scientific survey of 788 representative Americans conducted in July is a reliable bellwether, the country could fall short of getting to the 70% vaccination rate needed to achieve community, or “herd,” immunity.

The Mayo Clinic has had better outcomes with COVID-19 patients than the national average, achieving a mortality rate of 1.1% vs. approximately 3% for the U.S. as a whole.

CDC researchers are estimating that asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers account for at least half of all community transmissions. This includes carriers who never develop symptoms as well as those who later do.

AI researchers and developers across the U.S. received a powerful if overshadowed shot in the arm on New Year’s Day.

Gastroenterologists need not fear being replaced by machines—and patients don’t have to worry about robot colonoscopists.