ANNE SCHUCHAT

Political infighting contributed to a sub-par pandemic response, says one official.

COVID-19 rates are plunging among migrants crossing the border from Mexico as the Biden administration faces a decision to end or extend sweeping restrictions on asylum that are aimed at limiting the virus’ spread.

Migrants are once again seeking asylum in Canada after the country lifted a 20-month ban.

Trump "neglected the pandemic response" to "promote the Big Lie" of a stolen election, per a report by the House Oversight Committee.

Steve Inskeep talks with the CDC's outgoing Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat about her tenure, the pandemic and lessons learned.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is testifying before Congress Wednesday on the agency's annual budget.

Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Principal Deputy Director of the CDC Dr. Anne Schuchat told lawmakers that they've already received "reassuring data" on vaccines given to women in their third trimester. "We'll be expecting this summer to have even more data particularly about vaccines given earlier in pregnancy," Schuchat said at a Senate hearing on the agency's annual budget. Although the vaccines haven't been cleared for use in pregnant women yet, Schuchat said pregnant women should have access to the vaccines because they can get sicker from Covid than other people. "Women who are pregnant and get Covid have worse experiences with the infection than do non-pregnant women," Schuchat said.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in addition to the Food and Drug Administration made a recommendation to place a pause on giving the COVID-19 Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The warning from U.S. officials to states is likely to fuel more hesitancy in taking J&J's shot and other vaccines, threatening to stall the pandemic recovery.

If you got the J&J Covid vaccine, here are symptoms of blood clotting and low blood platelets that you should know about—but the complication is extremely rare.

The FDA and CDC recommended a pause in the use of J&J's vaccine after six women developed a rare blood clotting disorder.

As of Monday over 6.8 million doses of the single-dose vaccine had been administered across the country.

As of Monday over 6.8 million doses of the single-dose vaccine had been administered across the country.

The U.S. recommendation to “pause” use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine set off a chain reaction worldwide and dealt a setback to the global vaccine campaign.

All six cases occurred in women ages 18 to 48, with symptoms developing six to 13 days after they received the shot.

US President Joe Biden signs executive orders for economic relief to Covid-hit families and businesses in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2021. Biden will also reinstate travel restrictions on the entry of non-U.S. citizens from the U.K. and Brazil, where new Covid strains have emerged. Reuters first reported news of the travel restrictions on Sunday. Before Biden took office, incoming White House press secretary Jen Psaki criticized Trump's move to lift international travel restrictions even as more contagious variants emerged across the world. The U.S. has not yet detected any cases of the South African variant, but several states have detected the U.K. variant.

This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Bill Whitaker reported on the national shortage of protective medical equipment including gloves, masks and face shields. In a 2005 story "Chasing the Flu," 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft reported on H5N1 or avian flu. The Centers for Disease Control gave 60 Minutes rare access to see how it was responding to the nationwide crisis. "We think the virus is virtually everywhere in the country," Schuchat told 60 Minutes in 2009. 60 Minutes' 2005 report on pandemic preparedness"Chasing the Flu" was produced by L. Franklin Devine and Associate Producer Kay Lim.

All of the deaths have occurred in Washington state, and most were residents of a nursing home in suburban Seattle. The number of cases in the U.S. overall climbed past 100 scattered across at least 14 states, with 27 in Washington. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers expressed skepticism about U.S. health officials' claims that testing for the new virus should be widely available by the end of the week. But health officials were careful about making hard promises. In Washington state, researchers believe the virus may have been circulating undetected for weeks.

The World Health Organization will likely deem the coronavirus a global pandemic once sustained person-to-person spread takes hold outside China, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official told Congress on Tuesday. "If sustained person-to-person spread in the community takes hold outside China, this will increase the likelihood that the WHO will deem it a global pandemic." On Monday, WHO officials said the number of new COVID-19 cases outside China was almost nine times higher than that inside the country in the previous 24 hours. "CDC's most expert and practiced infectious disease and public health experts are dedicated to this response 24/7 to protect the American people," she said. As of Monday, the CDC said 91 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the United States.

The number of cases in the U.S. overall climbed past 100 scattered across at least 14 states, with nearly 20 in Washington state. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers expressed skepticism about U.S. health officials' claims that testing for the new virus should be widely available by the end of the week. But health officials were careful about making hard promises. In Washington state, researchers believe the virus may have been circulating undetected for weeks. One lab was already testing for coronavirus in Washington state and a second was scheduled to begin doing so Tuesday.

World Health Organization officials called on medical supply manufacturers to "urgently increase production" to meet the global demand that is needed to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak rapidly spreading across the world. WHO estimates that each month 89 million medical masks will be required for the COVID-19 response, 76 million examination gloves and 1.6 million goggles," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the organization's Geneva headquarters. Tedros said manufacturers need to increase personal protective gear supplies by 40% to meet the needs of the medical community. In January, it declared the virus a global health emergency, while urging the public against overreacting to the virus. Every country should prepare for its first case and no one should assume it won't get any cases, Tedros said last month.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is holding a hearing Tuesday on the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak. Top U.S. health officials are scheduled to speak, including Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Director of the National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases for the National Institutes of Health Dr. Anthony Fauci is also slated to speak. As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are 91 cases of COVID-19 in the United States. New York officials confirmed on Sunday the first COVID-19 infection in New York.

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday alerted Americans to begin preparing for the spread of coronavirus in the United States after infections surfaced in several more countries. In a teleconference later on Tuesday, Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDCs principal deputy director, said that while the immediate risk in the United States was low, the current global situation suggested a pandemic was likely. All nations, including Iran, should tell the truth about the coronavirus and cooperate with international aid organizations, Pompeo said. The United States has said it was considering a range of responses to their expulsion. Expelling our journalists exposes once again the governments issue that led to SARS and now the coronavirus: namely censorship.

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday alerted Americans to begin preparing for the spread of coronavirus in the United States after infections surfaced in several more countries. All nations, including Iran, should tell the truth about the coronavirus and cooperate with international aid organizations, Pompeo said. The United States has said it was considering a range of responses to their expulsion. Slideshow (3 Images)Expelling our journalists exposes once again the governments issue that led to SARS and now the coronavirus: namely censorship. Despite the coronavirus epidemic, Pompeo said the United States still planned to host a special meeting with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Las Vegas in March.

"I think you can add quite a bit of sell-off to what" the Democrats are saying in debates, the president said. "I think the financial markets are very upset when they look at the Democrat candidates standing on that stage making fools out of themselves." President Donald Trump said in a press conference Wednesday that he believes the stock market will recover its steep, multiday losses and said that fears a Democrat could win the election contributed substantially to the sell-off along with the coronavirus. The S&P 500 is down a similar 6.6% for the week, on pace for its worst week since 2011. "We've been hurt, in my opinion, very badly by our own Federal Reserve who has also created a very strong dollar," said Trump.

And Trump acknowledged that the administration has plans for large scale quarantines should they be needed. Trump did not rule out possibly barring visitors from South Korea, Italy and other countries with confirmed outbreaks. I just dont recall when public health issues have ever been politicized like they are now, Ridge said. No sooner did the White House release the funding request than some politicians were on the air criticizing you for not asking for enough, said Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.). Brown said CDC officials were right to offer unvarnished warnings, even if it meant resisting or defying White House pressure.

Zhuying Hua, 40, of Rockville, Maryland is concerned about coronavirus and wears a mask while shopping. There are now 57 confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S., Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday. "It is very dangerous to make predictions with a virus, especially a novel virus," Azar said. While COVID-19 is contained in the U.S. so far, CDC officials said earlier Tuesday that the public needs to prepare for an eventual outbreak here. "We must use this time to continue to prepare for the event of community transmission in the United States," Schuchat said.

A woman wears a masks in Chinatown following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. January 30, 2020. The COVID-19 epidemic in China has not yet met world health officials' designation of a global pandemic that spreads far and wide throughout the world. The threat of the new virus comes at an already busy time for most U.S. hospitals. AtlantaAt Northside Hospital, a network of hospitals and medical facilities in Atlanta, the staff is continuously monitoring the coronavirus outbreak, according to a spokesperson. The health-care system has implemented a conservation plan and medical supplies, especially respirator masks, are only given to staff as needed, she said.

(Reuters) - Nearly 200 Americans evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China could be released from quarantine at a U.S. Air Force base in California on Tuesday after 14 days, a leading U.S. health official said. The fast-spreading virus has killed more than 1,000 people in China, where there have been nearly 43,000 cases. The 195 people arrived in the United States on Jan. 29 and their quarantine expires on Tuesday. The first group was limited to a fenced quarantine area on the base, where only official medical staff were allowed to enter. However, employees at the base including uniformed airmen have been accosted out of unfounded fears that they were at increased risk of exposure, a local health official said.

FILE PHOTO: The ultrastructural morphology exhibited by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China, is seen in an illustration released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. January 29, 2020. Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM/CDC/Handout via REUTERS. (Reuters) - An official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said she hoped the first group of Americans evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan could be released from their quarantine on Tuesday. They will have been under quarantine for 14 days. The group, mostly U.S. State Department employees and their families, were evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak aboard a U.S. government-chartered cargo jet and flown to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County about 60 miles (97 km) east of Los Angeles.

[The stream is slated to start at 10 a.m. Dr. Anne Schuchat, a top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is holding a press conference in Washington on Tuesday about the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more people than SARS. Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the CDC, is speaking at the National Press Club. As of Tuesday, more than 43,100 cases of coronavirus have been reported in over two dozen countries, resulting in at least 1,018 deaths almost exclusively in China. [To see the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit CNBC's live updates here.]

The Food and Drug Administration would consider restricting the sale of menthol-flavored vaping products if teens start using them as the agency moves to ban most other flavors, an FDA official said Friday. Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that if kids start to "migrate" to menthol-flavored pods, then the agency will "revisit" its rules. The FDA announced Thursday it is banning most fruit- and mint-flavored nicotine vaping products in an effort to curb a surge in teen use. It is specifically banning cartridge-based nicotine pods like Juul, allowing vape shops to continue selling tank-based flavored nicotine liquids. Companies will still be able to sell tobacco and menthol-flavored pods for adults who use them to quit smoking.

Schuchat said THC vaping largely explains the big increase in acute cases that spiked over the summer, but the findings do not imply that nicotine vaping is entirely safe. In one report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, public health officials found that emergency room visits for the vaping lung injuries rose sharply beginning in June and peaked in September. In a second report in the New England Journal, researchers report that additional testing of lung samples from people who had vaping injuries strengthens earlier studies pointing to vitamin E acetate as a likely culprit in the outbreak. The study, which looked at lung samples from patients in 16 states, found vitamin E acetate in 94 percent of lung samples taken from patients who vaped THC. Patients who got sick after discharge tended to have a history of heart disease, respiratory conditions and diabetes.

Schuchat said THC vaping largely explains the big increase in acute cases that spiked over the summer, but the findings do not imply that nicotine vaping is entirely safe. In one report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, public health officials found that emergency room visits for the vaping lung injuries rose sharply beginning in June and peaked in September. In a second report in the New England Journal, researchers report that additional testing of lung samples from people who had vaping injuries strengthens earlier studies pointing to vitamin E acetate as a likely culprit in the outbreak. The study, which looked at lung samples from patients in 16 states, found vitamin E acetate in 94 percent of lung samples taken from patients who vaped THC. Patients who got sick after discharge tended to have a history of heart disease, respiratory conditions and diabetes.

Health officials now blame vitamin E acetate for the "vast majority" of cases in the U.S. outbreak of vaping illnesses and they say doctors should monitor patients more closely after they go home from the hospital. The new medical advice is based on a close look at about 3% of vaping illness patients who returned to the hospital after discharge and seven who died after hospital discharge. More than 2,500 cases of vaping illness have been reported by all 50 states. Investigators have said they are not interested in taking action against individuals who use vaping products, and are focused instead on suppliers. Some of the websites shut down were scam sites intended to collect money without ever mailing consumers any products, authorities said.

Vitamin E acetate, an additive sometimes used in THC and other vaping products, may be to blame for a national outbreak of e-cigarette-related lung injuries thats linked to dozens of deaths, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials. There may be more than one cause.The CDC says its tests found vitamin E acetate in samples taken from 29 patients who were sick with vaping-related illness in 10 states. He added finding THC in 82% of the samples from 28 patients was noteworthy.In September, New York health officials linked cases of severe lung illness to vitamin E acetate in cannabis-containing vaping products. At the time, investigators said it was a key focus of the states investigation into the illnesses. The investigation has found that many of these products patients used were bought online or received through friends or family, rather than through vaping shops or at licensed THC dispensaries.

A vaping-related lung disease has sickened at least 2,051 people and killed 39, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Health officials are calling the disease EVALI, short for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury. The CDC and Food and Drug Administration are still hunting for a cause or causes of the deadly illness. The agencies are focusing their investigations on vaping products that contain THC, the compound that produces a high in marijuana. Two top health officials will testify before Congress on the response to the outbreak next week.

The number of cases of a deadly vaping illness continues to rise with 37 confirmed deaths and more than 1,800 sickened throughout the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The total number of probable cases is now at 1,888, with 284 new cases diagnosed and three new fatalities over the last week, according to CDC data compiled through Tuesday. The CDC is tentatively calling the illness EVALI, short for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury. Most patients have reported vaping THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, according to the CDC. However, public health officials say the long-term health risks are unknown.

The number of cases of a deadly lung illness linked to vaping appears to be "leveling off or even declining," a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said Friday. Warnings from health officials about the dangers of vaping and actions by authorities on the product supply chain may be partly responsible for the ease in vaping lung cases, Schuchat said. Public health officials still don't know what's making people sick. Most patients have reported vaping THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, according to the CDC. The CDC is tentatively calling the illness EVALI, short for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury.

A man uses a vape as he walks on Broadway in New York City, U.S., September 9, 2019. It's fatal or potentially fatal with half of the cases requiring intensive care," CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat told House lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday. Almost all of the patients who get sick end up hospitalized, the CDC has previously said. Among the 1,358 patients where the CDC has age and gender data, 79% are under 35 years old with the median age of 23. Some 70% of the victims are men and the youngest one is 13 years old.

The federal investigation into what exactly is causing a peculiar outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries nationwide could continue for months. All patients in the outbreak have reported a history of using e-cigarette products, according to the CDC, and most have reported a history of using products containing tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. Last week, the FDA warned consumers to stop using THC vaping products as investigations into vaping-related lung injuries and deaths continue. In the guidance, the CDC refers to the e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury by a new acronym, EVALI. Schuchat said on Friday that a handful of lung injury patients have been readmitted to hospitals from five to 55 days after they were discharged.

(CNN) - The federal investigation into what exactly is causing a peculiar outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries nationwide could continue for months. Last week, the FDA warned consumers to stop using THC vaping products as investigations into vaping-related lung injuries and deaths continue. The CDC on Friday released updated guidance for health workers caring for people with vaping-related lung injuries. In the guidance, the CDC refers to the e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury by a new acronym, EVALI. Schuchat said on Friday that a "handful" of lung injury patients have been readmitted to hospitals from five to 55 days after they were discharged.

In a conference call with reporters, health officials said more than one agent may be involved in the mysterious illness that has sickened more than 1,000 people in the United States. Schuchat said a handful of vaping patients who recovered and were discharged were later readmitted to the hospital, but it was not clear whether these individuals resumed vaping and incurred a new injury. Sharpless said the FDA is collaborating with customs and border control agents to intercept any products containing illicit substances. If we determine that someone is manufacturing or distributing illicit, adulterated vaping products that cause illness or death for personal profit, we would consider that to be a criminal act, he said. The CDC and the FDA continue to urge people to stop vaping, especially products containing THC.

REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/Illustration(Reuters) - U.S. health officials said on Friday there may be more than one cause to the outbreak of the mysterious lung illness linked to e-cigarette use and said they do not see a meaningful drop in new cases. As of Tuesday, 1,299 confirmed or probable cases of lung injuries linked to vaping were recorded in the United States. About 80% of patients were under age 35, and 26 deaths have been linked to the illness. The CDC also said it has issued an updated guidance for doctors caring for patients who may have both a vaping lung injury and a lung infection. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to urge people to stop vaping, especially products containing THC - the high-inducing component in marijuana.

U.S. health officials are tentatively calling it EVALI, short for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury. "I can't stress enough the seriousness of these lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products," Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, told reporters on a call Friday. Among roughly 1,000 of the cases CDC has studied, 96% of the patients were hospitalized, the agency said. Of 342 of the cases, 47% of patients were admitted to the intensive care unit. The Food and Drug Administration has received or collected more than 725 samples of the products patients were vaping from 23 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.

A deadly lung illness linked to vaping has taken the lives of more than two dozen people across 21 states as U.S. health officials struggle to identify a precise cause of the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Health officials still don't know what is making people sick. The illness impacts mostly men, and 80% of patients are under the age of 35, the CDC said. However, public health officials say the long-term health risks are unknown. The CDC is recommending that consumers stop vaping, particularly THC and especially anything bought off the street.

Cases have been reported in 48 states and the US Virgin Islands. Additional deaths are under investigation, Schuchat said. While the cause of the outbreak remains unknown, we found that about 78% reported using THC containing products, she said. This is a critical issue.As part of the investigation, health officials have been zeroing in on potential clues including the prevalence of THC-containing products, in particular. At this stage in the investigation, we really need to keep an open mind.The CDC recommends that people refrain from using e-cigarette or vaping products.

US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi announced new legislation Monday that would put a cap the concentration of nicotine in e-cigarette products. The move mirrors regulations in places like the European Union, which imposes the same cap of 20 milligrams per milliliter. Under the legislation, the US Food and Drug Administration would also be able to lower the cap further if necessary. Experts say that high nicotine concentrations have played a role in what they describe as an epidemic of vaping among youth. Capping the concentration of nicotine in e-cigarettes is integral to ending the youth vaping epidemic by making these products less addictive, less appealing to youth, and less harmful to public health.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(CNN) - The US Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to stop using THC vaping products as investigations into vaping-related lung injuries and deaths continue. "We're strengthening our message to the public in an updated consumer alert stating that they should not use vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of the cannabis plant," Sharpless said in the statement. "Additionally, consumers who choose to use any vaping products should not modify or add any substances such as THC or other oils to products purchased in stores and should not purchase any vaping products, including those containing THC, off the street or from other illicit channels," he said, adding that "according to recent findings, most of the patients impacted by these illnesses reported using THC-containing products, suggesting THC products are playing a role in the these illnesses." For those who choose to continue using vaping products, particularly those containing THC, Sharpless urged monitoring for symptoms and promptly seeking medical attention if people have concerns about their health. While the cause of the outbreak remains unknown, "we found that about 78% reported using THC containing products," she said.

We need to take steps to prevent additional cases, Schuchat said. Investigators have not linked the illnesses to any specific product or compound, but have pointed to vaping oils containing THC - the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana - as being especially risky. Schuchat said of the 578 patients for whom data was available, 78% said they used some products containing THC and 37% reported only vaping THC. That compared to 58% who reported vaping some products containing nicotine, and 17% who said they had only vaped nicotine. The CDC last week recommended that people should stop using vaping products, especially those containing THC oils.

The number of cases of a deadly vaping illness continues to rise "at a brisk pace" with 18 confirmed deaths and more than 1,000 cases throughout the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has identified 275 new cases over the last week and is investigating several other deaths that are suspected of being caused by vaping, Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's principle deputy director, told reporters on a conference call Thursday. Schuchat called it a "very concerning outbreak" with no signs of abating. "We haven't seen a measurable drop in the occurrences of new cases," she said. "The data that we've seen doesn't suggest it has peaked, it doesn't suggest this is declining."

Copyright 2019 CNN(CNN) - Nebraska health officials on Monday announced the state's first death due to severe lung disease linked to vaping, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed deaths to 14. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said the death occurred in May -- before the outbreak was officially recognized this summer. "Once the problem was recognized, states quickly ramped up surveillance and found current cases, but have also discovered cases that occurred before the August outbreak." A specific cause of the nationwide outbreak of lung injuries remains unknown, but health officials are zeroing in on potential clues. "However, we do not know whether the only risky substance for lung injury is the THC-containing products."

The disease is mostly hitting men, and all reported cases have a history of e-cigarette or vaping use. Michigan is the first state to ban sales of flavored e-cigarettes, while San Francisco became the first U.S. city to prohibit the sales of flavored e-cigarette products. Israel's Ministry of Health is imposing an immediate ban on the sales of oil-based flavored vaping pods, according to the Times of Israel. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said earlier this month that President Donald Trump was preparing a ban on flavored e-cigarettes as the vaping-related deaths intensified. Congressional hearingsLawmakers grilled the CDC, and then the FDA, over two days of hearings this week looking into the vaping crisis.

Of more than 500 patients who offered information on what substances they used, nearly 77% reported THC-containing products, while nearly 57% reported nicotine-containing products. Health officials identified 234 unique vaping products across 87 brand names. In some cases, patients were found to have used THC products who initially said they hadn't. Multiple avenues are being tested for, including cutting agents or adulterants that might be added to vaping products. "However, we do not know whether the only risky substance for lung injury is the THC-containing products."

Two reports published Friday shed more light on the mysterious, growing outbreak of lung injuries linked to vaping, highlighting the prevalence of THC-containing products in particular. Of more than 500 patients who offered information on what substances they used, nearly 77% reported THC-containing products, while nearly 57% reported nicotine-containing products. Health officials identified 234 unique vaping products across 87 brand names. Multiple avenues are being tested for, including cutting agents or adulterants that might be added to vaping products. The outbreak currently is pointing to a greater concern around THC-containing products, Schuchat said.

The New York State Department of Health shared photos of some of the products it found to contain vitamin E acetate, a key focus of the department's investigation into potential causes of vaping-associated lung disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people to stop vaping THC products as the death toll from a mysterious lung disease rises with no signs of abating. The vaping-related illness has sickened 805 people across 46 states and one territory, the CDC said Friday. One person died in Oregon this week, bringing the death toll from the disease to at least 13; a new death in North Carolina also may have been related. THC, or the compound that produces a high in marijuana, was used by patients in most of the cases, CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat told reporters Friday.

Hundreds more cases of vaping-related lung injuries across the United States have been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are now 805 confirmed and probable cases of lung injury associated with e-cigarette use in 46 states and the US Virgin Islands, as of Tuesday, the CDC reported on Thursday. Kate Brown announced the death and said the state health agency was urging residents to stop vaping. A specific cause of the nationwide outbreak of lung injuries remains unknown, but all reported cases have a history of e-cigarette use or vaping. According to the CDC, most patients have reported a history of using e-cigarette products containing THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive substance in cannabis.

A specific cause of the outbreak remains unknown, but all reported cases of lung injury have a history of e-cigarette use or vaping. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order directing the state's health department to establish "emergency regulations" forbidding the sale of flavored vaping products in the state. Charlie Baker on Tuesday called for a temporary four-month ban on the sale of all e-cigarettes and vaping products in his state in response to the outbreak. Earlier this month, Michigan banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and New York banned most flavored e-cigarettes. On the national front, the FDA has been working on a compliance policy related to enforcing premarket authorization requirements for flavored e-cigarettes, excluding tobacco flavored.

The House of Representatives began public hearings this week about the mystery vaping-related lung disease that, as of last week, had sickened 530 people in 38 states. We believe that probably hundreds more (cases) have come in since the numbers we released last week, said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For those who continue vaping, public health officials urge consumers to avoid buying vaping products on the street, using marijuana-derived oil with the products or modifying a store-bought vape product. On Wednesday, health officials from Michigan, North Carolina, Kansas and Massachusetts will appear before the Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee along with Schuchat and the FDAs Norman Sharpless. Slideshow (5 Images)The FDA has warned Juul that it violated regulations because it marketed its vaping products as less risky than traditional cigarettes.

I suspect weekly numbers will be higher, Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC, which has activated its emergency operations center to coordinate an investigation, has advised that people quit vaping if they can. For those who continue vaping, public health officials urge consumers to avoid buying vaping products on the street, using marijuana-derived oil with the products or modifying a store-bought vape product. On Wednesday, health officials from Michigan, North Carolina, Kansas and Massachusetts will appear before the Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee along with Schuchat and the FDAs Norman Sharpless. Slideshow (6 Images)The FDA has warned Juul that it violated regulations because it marketed its vaping products as less risky than traditional cigarettes.

E-Cigarette vaporizer components and products are displayed at Smoke and Gift Shop on June 25, 2019, in San Francisco. Vaping-related illnesses have been linked to seven deaths, two in California and one each in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Oregon. "I wish we had more answers," Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said during a media briefing. The CDC and various state health departments have reported widespread use of products containing THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive substance within cannabis. But health officials emphasized Thursday that not all people who became ill had used THC, and many had used multiple substances.

Last year saw the highest number of cases of acute flaccid myelitis so far -- 233 confirmed cases in 41 states. So far this year, there have been 11 confirmed cases in eight states out of 57 patients under investigation. The CDC estimates it affects fewer than 1 or 2 in a million children each year in the United States. "AFM is a devastating illness for patients and their families," Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC's principal deputy director, told reporters Tuesday. The CDC escalated its response to the illness, more than doubling the number of staffers working on AFM late last year.