Health News

San Francisco bans smoking in apartments; pot OK
Coronavirus likely in US as early as December 2019
Nevada doctor's selfie used to claim COVID-19 is a hoax
Some hospitals are suspending elective surgeries
UN removes cannabis from strictest drug category
Leaders criticized for ignoring own COVID-19 rules
How climate change is already hurting your health
VIRUS TODAY: Hospitals desperate for help as cases pile up
Which states have mask mandates: Map

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30 minutes ago

Nurse explains what it's like to care for COVID-19 patients in full hospital

Health care workers video call families to help dying patients say goodbye.
30 minutes ago
A sign over route 28 north of downtown Pittsburgh alerts out of state motorists to Pennsylvania Covid-19 travel restrictions on Nov. 24, 2020.
1 hour ago

Vaccine 1st puts spotlight on German pharma company BioNTech

News that British regulators have granted emergency authorization to the first rigorously tested coronavirus vaccine marked a turning point in the global effort curb the pandemic
1 hour ago
File -- In this Tuesday, Nov.10, 2020 file photo windows are illuminated at the headquarters of the German biotechnology company BioNTech in Mainz, Germany. Pfizer and BioNTech say they've won permission Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain, the world's first coronavirus shot that's backed by rigorous science -- and a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic.(AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
2 hours ago

NYC bar owner who defied coronavirus restrictions arrested

The New York City sheriff's office says a bar owner who was providing indoor service in defiance of coronavirus restrictions has been arrested
2 hours ago
3 hours ago

VIRUS TODAY: Hospitals desperate for help as cases pile up

With hospitalizations hitting new peaks every day, medical providers are desperately trying to add beds and find nurses and doctors
3 hours ago
Workers talk in a hallway of a newly opened field hospital operated by Care New England to handle a surge of COVID-19 patients in Cranston, R.I, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
3 hours ago

Putin orders 'large-scale' COVID-19 vaccination in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a “large-scale” COVID-19 immunization campaign to start by late next week
3 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced start of large-scale vaccination of medics and teachers against COVID next week. Speaking during an online meeting dedicated to inauguration of new hospitals for coronavirus patients built by Russian Defense Ministry, Putin said Russia has enough capacity to start "large-scale" vaccination of teachers and doctors. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
3 hours ago

Washington state to boost workers' comp rates for Amazon

A labor agency in Washington state has announced that it will increase workers’ compensation rates for Amazon fulfillment centers, deeming them more hazardous than other types of warehouses
3 hours ago
3 hours ago

The Latest: Pfizer CEO urges patience on reopening economies

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla urged global governments not to reopen economies too quickly because of the optimism created by possible COVID-19 vaccines
3 hours ago
People walk in after queuing up as the Selfridges department open as non-essential shops are allowed to reopen after England's second lockdown ended at midnight, on Oxford Street, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Pfizer and BioNTech say they've won permission Wednesday for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain, the world's first coronavirus shot that's backed by rigorous science -- and a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
3 hours ago

San Francisco bans smoking inside apartments; pot smoking OK

San Francisco has banned all tobacco smoking inside apartments, citing concerns about secondhand smoke
3 hours ago
FILE - In this June 17, 2019, file photo, Jacky Chan takes a vaping break from his job at a smoke shop in San Francisco. City officials in San Francisco have voted to ban all tobacco smoking inside apartments, citing concerns about secondhand smoke. The Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, to approve the ordinance making San Francisco the largest city in the country to ban tobacco smoking inside apartments, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Supervisors voted to exclude marijuana after cannabis activists said the law would take away their only legal place to smoke. (AP Photo/Samantha Maldonado, File)
4 hours ago

Who, when and how? A look at the UK's vaccination rollout

British regulators have become the first to authorize the COVID-19 vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech for emergency use
4 hours ago
In this Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 photo, the company sign of BioNtech stands in front of the companies headquarters in Mainz, Germany. Pfizer and BioNTech say they've won permission Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain, the world’s first coronavirus shot that’s backed by rigorous science -- and a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)
December 02

UN agency removes cannabis from strictest drug category

The U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs has voted to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs, which could impact the global medical marijuana industry
December 02
FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2019 file photo, marijuana grows at an indoor cannabis farm in Gardena, Calif. On Monday, Nov. 23, 2020, cannabis stocks are flying high this month after voters in four states passed measures clearing the way for sales of marijuana to adults. That alone is projected to boost the market for legal cannabis sales in the U.S. by 20%. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
December 02

Pasadena bucks LA County order, keeps outdoor dining going

The city of Pasadena has kept outdoor dining open despite Los Angeles County restricting restaurants to takeout to reduce the spread of the coronavirus
December 02
*** Hold For Story *** A costumer exits Pie 'N Burger Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Pasadena, Calif. Pasadena has become an island in the center of the nation's most populous county, where a surge of COVID-19 cases last week led to a three-week end to outdoor dining and California's first stay-home order since the pandemic began to spread across the state in March. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
December 02

Sheriff shuts down bar for violating COVID rules

Undercover deputies observed numerous patrons eating and drinking inside.
December 02
Undercover deputies observed numerous patrons eating and drinking inside.
December 02

Health officials urge Americans to stay home during the holiday season and consider getting virus tests if they travel.

Health officials urge Americans to stay home during the holiday season and consider getting virus tests if they travel.
December 02
December 02

Austria to allow Christmas skiing but many restrictions stay

Austrian officials say they will allow skiing to start on Dec. 24, but will limit the capacity of ski lifts and keep restaurants, bars and hotels largely closed until early January
December 02
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz wears a face mask as he arrives behind plexiglass shields for a press conference at the federal chancellery in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The Austrian government has moved to restrict freedom of movement for people, in an effort to slow the onset of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
December 02

EU stops short of advising against holiday travel over virus

The European Union’s executive commission is urging member countries to keep strong anti-COVID 19 restrictions in place to avoid a post-holiday surge of coronavirus cases and deaths but has stopped short of advising against travel
December 02
European Council President Charles Michel arrives to participate in a video conference with member states in preparation for the upcoming EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. (Johanna Geron, Pool via AP)
December 02

UK authorizes Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use

British officials have authorized a COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, greenlighting the world’s first shot against the virus that’s backed by rigorous science and taking a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic
December 02
FILE - This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Pfizer and BioNTech say they've won permission Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain, the world’s first coronavirus shot that’s backed by rigorous science -- and a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. (Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File)
December 02

Rage and hope fuel women's revolt over abortion in Poland

When Polish authorities sought to impose a near-total ban on abortion in October, actress and singer Karolina Micula spontaneously stripped to her waist along with a friend and climbed on the roof of a car at a busy Warsaw intersection during a protest
December 02
People face a riot police line during a protest against a top court ruling restricting abortions in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Poland is facing one of the biggest protest movements since the collapse of Communism three decades ago. It erupted after the country's constitutional court, packed by loyalists of the conservative ruling party, attempted to further tighten one of the world's most restrictive abortion laws. The women-led protest for some feels like a revolutionary moment that signals a deeper generational change. (AP Photo/Agata Grzybowska)
December 02

Asia Today: S. Korea says stay home ahead of national exams

South Korean officials are urging people to remain at home if possible and cancel gatherings as around half a million students prepare for a crucial national college exam
December 02
A health official disinfects a classroom as a precaution against the coronavirus for the upcoming college entrance exams, at a high school in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. About 490,000 high school seniors and graduates across the country are expected to take the College Scholastic Ability Test on Thursday, Dec. 3. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
December 02

As cases rise, some hospitals are again forced to suspend elective surgeries

New York and West Virginia are among the states delaying some procedures.
December 02
In this undated file photo, a hospital patient is transported on a gurney.
December 02

US panel: 1st vaccines to health care workers, nursing homes

An influential government advisory panel says health care workers and nursing home residents should be at the front of the line when the first coronavirus vaccine shots become available
December 02
FILE - In this July 27, 2020, file photo, Nurse Kathe Olmstead, right, gives volunteer Melissa Harting, of Harpersville, N.Y., an injection as a study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., gets underway in Binghamton, N.Y. An influential scientific panel on Tuesday, Dec. 1, is set to tackle one of the most pressing questions in the U.S. coronavirus epidemic: When the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine become available, who should be at the front of the line for shots? (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)
December 02

'Very dark couple of weeks': Morgues and hospitals overflow

Nearly 37,000 people died of COVID-19 in the U.S. in November, the most since the dark early days of the pandemic
December 02
FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2020, file photo, EMT Giselle Dorgalli, second from right, looks at a monitor while performing chest compression on a patient who tested positive for coronavirus in the emergency room at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles. Amid the coronavirus resurgence, states have begun reopening field hospitals to handle an influx of sick patients that is pushing health care systems — and their workers — to the breaking point. Hospitals are bringing in mobile morgues. And funerals are once again being livestreamed or performed as drive-by affairs. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
December 02

The Latest: Tucson votes in mandatory nightly curfew

At the urging of Mayor Regina Romero, the Tucson City Council voted to establish a mandatory nightly curfew for three weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19
December 02
Orange County Fire Rescue workers give out Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), consisting of disposable masks and hand sanitizer, free to small businesses, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
December 02

Pasadena bucks LA County order, keeps outdoor dining going

The city of Pasadena has kept outdoor dining open despite Los Angeles County restricting restaurants to takeout to reduce the spread of the coronavirus
December 02
*** Hold For Story *** A costumer exits Pie 'N Burger Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Pasadena, Calif. Pasadena has become an island in the center of the nation's most populous county, where a surge of COVID-19 cases last week led to a three-week end to outdoor dining and California's first stay-home order since the pandemic began to spread across the state in March. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
December 01

Elected officials criticized for not following own COVID-19 advice

Officials across the country have apologized for not heeding rules or guidance.
December 01
In this Oct. 30, 2020, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility in Valencia, Calif.
December 01

Nevada doctor's selfie used to claim COVID-19 is a hoax

With cases of coronavirus surging in Nevada, social media posts calling the pandemic a made-up crisis are swirling on social media as users share a doctor's selfie from an alternative care site in Reno to make it appear no one is using the facility
December 01
This Nov. 12, 2020 selfie photo provided by the Renown Regional Medical Center shows Dr. Jacob Keeperman, the Renown Transfer and Operations Center medical director who snapped the photo on the opening day of the Renown Regional Medical Center's alternative care site located in a parking garage. Keeperman's photo was being misrepresented online to support the false narrative that the coronavirus pandemic is a scam. (Jacob Keeperman/Renown Regional Medical Center via AP)
December 01

AP Interview: Biden adviser says race central to virus fight

A top adviser to President-elect Joe Biden on the pandemic response says addressing racial disparities cannot be an afterthought
December 01
This undated photo provided by Yale University shows Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. Addressing racial disparities in the U.S. coronavirus crisis cannot be an afterthought, the top adviser to President-elect Joe Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic response said Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. (Yale University via AP)
December 01

CDC to shorten COVID-19 quarantine to 10 days, 7 with test

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to shorten the recommended length of quarantine after exposure to someone who is positive for COVID-19, as the virus rages across the nation
December 01
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar leaves the White House Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
December 01

CDC to shorten COVID-19 quarantine to 10 days, 7 with test

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to shorten the recommended length of quarantine after exposure to someone who is positive for COVID-19, as the virus rages across the nation
December 01
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar leaves the White House Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
December 01

Official: CDC to shorten guidance for quarantining after COVID-19 exposure to 10 days, 7 with a negative test

Official: CDC to shorten guidance for quarantining after COVID-19 exposure to 10 days, 7 with a negative test
December 01
December 01

Pushed to rush, FDA head says feds will get vaccine 'right'

The head of the agency responsible for authorizing COVID-19 vaccines says it will take the time needed to get the vaccine right
December 01
FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2020, file photo Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn speaks during a media briefing in the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. Hahn, the head of the agency responsible for approving any COVID-19 vaccine, was summoned to the White House Tuesday, Dec. 1, as an increasingly frustrated President Donald Trump complained that approval hasn't moved faster. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
December 01

Key dates as US regulators weigh emergency use of vaccines

The next few weeks will likely see a lot of action as U.S. regulators assess COVID-19 vaccines and state officials get ready to start giving the shots to people
December 01
A COVID-19 test is handed through the vehicle window at a mobile testing site on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
December 01

City advises elderly to remain at home as COVID cases grow

New York is also facing a blood shortage.
December 01
A man wears a face mask while walking in Times Square in New York, Nov. 18, 2020.
December 01

UN: Pandemic to fan surge in humanitarian needs in 2021

The U.N. humanitarian office says needs for assistance have ballooned to unprecedented levels this year because of COVID-19, projecting that a staggering 235 million people will require help in 2021
December 01
FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020 file photo, Tigray refugees who fled the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, wait to receive aid at Umm Rakouba refugee camp in Qadarif, eastern Sudan. A key U.N. aid agency says needs for humanitarian assistance have ballooned this year because of COVID-19, projecting that a staggering 235 million people — who together would make up the world's fifth most-populous country — are likely to require such help next year for troubles like the pandemic as well as war, forced migration and the impact of global warming (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
December 01

VIRUS TODAY: A deadly November, and who gets vaccine first

A scientific panel is meeting to provide guidance on who should be at the front of the line when the first vaccine shots become available
December 01
December 01

UK leader touts local virus rules but pubs are in distress

British lawmakers have voted to approve new coronavirus restrictions in England that will take effect within hours
December 01
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street to attend Parliament in London, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Members of Parliament will vote later Tuesday on the proposed tier system as the country prepares to come out of lockdown. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
December 01

Canada: US border measures to last until virus under control

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the ban on nonessential travel with the United States won't be lifted until COVID-19 is significantly more under control everywhere in the world
December 01
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference at Rideau Cottage during the COVID pandemic in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
December 01

Pop-up school for US asylum seekers thrives despite pandemic

It started as a kind of pop-up school on a sidewalk to teach reading, writing and math to Central American children living in a camp of U.S. asylum seekers stuck in Mexico
December 01
Sidewalk School founder Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, right, works with teacher Gabriela Fajardo, a 26-year-old Honduran seeking asylum in the United States, left, and assistant Victor Cavazos on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Matamoros, Mexico. Like countless schools, the Sidewalk School went to virtual learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, but instead of being hampered by the change, it has blossomed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
December 01

EU eyes Dec 29 approval for 1st virus vaccine, later than US

The European Union drug agency says it may need four more weeks to approve its first coronavirus vaccine, even as authorities in the United States and Britain continue to aim for a green light before Christmas
December 01
Potential COVID-19 vaccine vials from Pfizer, Oct. 31, 2020.
December 01

Coronavirus likely in US as early as December 2019: Study

Scientists found antibodies in last year's blood bank donations.
December 01
A nurse dons personal protective equipment (PPE) as she prepares to enter the room of a COVID-19 patient being treated at UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 18, 2020.
December 01

Drug makers prepare for emergency FDA approval

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunizations meets today to recommend who gets the first vaccines, plus when to manage COVID-19 symptoms at home and when to head to the hospital.
December 01
VIDEO: Drug makers prepare for emergency FDA approval
December 01

Non-essential shops reopen in Belgium as virus numbers drop

Nonessential shops in Belgium reopened Tuesday in the wake of encouraging figures about declining daily coronavirus infection rates and hospital admissions
December 01
FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct 20, 2020 file photo, people wait in their cars in a line to be tested at the mobile COVID-19 testing site in Antwerp, Belgium. With nothing on their agendas for months to come, organizers of music festivals in Belgium want to use their know-how to help the coronavirus vaccination campaign. The Belgian government has set up the goal to vaccine about 70 percent of the country's population, the equivalent of eight million people, when efficient COVID-19 shots become available. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
December 01

UK court rules against clinic in puberty blocking drugs case

Britain’s High Court has ruled that children under 16 years old who are considering gender reassignment are unlikely to be able to give informed consent to medical treatment involving drugs that delay puberty
December 01
Keira Bell speaks to the media outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Britain’s High Court has ruled that children under 16 years old who are considering gender reassignment are unlikely to be able to give informed consent to medical treatment involving drugs that delay puberty. The case was brought by two claimants against a National Health Service trust that runs the U.K.’s public gender identity development service for children. Bell, one of the claimants, who was prescribed hormone blockers at 16, argued that the clinic should have challenged her more over her decision to transition to a male. (Sam Tobin/PA via AP)
December 01

France's Macron warns against going skiing in Switzerland

French President Emmanuel Macron says that France will apply restrictions to prevent vacationers from going to Swiss ski resorts, and French slopes will remain closed during the Christmas season amid the coronavirus pandemic
December 01
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, welcomes Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, prior to a meeting, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
December 01

Glimmers of hope for world economy, but dangers lurk

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts that the world economy will bounce back to its pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year
December 01
People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk through China Town in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, near Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
December 01

76 Franciscan nuns test positive at monastery in Germany

Church authorities say 76 Catholic nuns have tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak of coronavirus at a Franciscan convent in northwestern Germany
December 01
Exterior view of the monastery of the Franciscan Order in Thuine, Germany, Tuesday, Dec.1, 2020. Church authorities say 76 Catholic nuns have tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak of coronavirus at a Franciscan convent in northwestern Germany. Another 85 nuns received negative test results at the monastery in Thuine, not far from the Dutch border, the convent’s Mother Superior told The Associated Press on Tuesday. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP)
December 01

Without patients or staff, Madrid opens new $119M hospital

Authorities in Spain's capital have held a ceremony to open part of a 1,000-bed emergency hospital for COVID-19 patients
December 01
A security guard walks in the empty Isabel Zendal new hospital during the official opening in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Authorities in Madrid are holding a ceremony to open part of a 1,000-bed hospital for emergencies that critics say is no more than a vanity project, a building with beds not ready to receive patients and unnecessary now that contagion and hospitalizations are waning. Spain has officially logged 1.6 million infections and over 45,000 deaths confirmed for COVID-19 since the beginning of the year. (AP Photo/Paul White)
December 01

Asia Today: Vietnam reports 1st local infection in 89 days

Vietnamese authorities are conducting intensive contact tracing after discovering the country’s first confirmed local transmission of the coronavirus in 89 days
December 01
Women wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk along a pedestrian bridge in Beijing, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
December 01

Americans face new COVID-19 restrictions after Thanksgiving

Americans returning from Thanksgiving break are facing strict new coronavirus measures around the country as health officials brace for a disastrous worsening of the surge because of holiday gatherings over the long weekend
December 01
A health care worker direct a person to use a swab for a self administered test at the Miami-Dade County Youth Fairgrounds at Tamiami Park, on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Miami. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)
December 01

At tiny rural hospitals, weary doctors treat friends, family

The coronavirus pandemic is devastating rural hospitals, including the tiny 25-bed facility in Memphis, Missouri
December 01
December 01

CORRECTS: BioNTech and Pfizer ask European regulator for expedited approval of their COVID-19 vaccine

CORRECTS: BioNTech and Pfizer ask European regulator for expedited approval of their COVID-19 vaccine
December 01
Amira Hassan, of Burnsville, Minn., plays in the waiting room at the specialty clinic at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis, May 2, 2017. Hassan went to the hospital's clinic for a routine wellness check, but had to wear a mask to protect her from measles after an outbreak has sickened more than 30 children in Minnesota.
Amira Hassan, of Burnsville, Minn., plays in the waiting room at the specialty clinic at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis, May 2, 2017. Hassan went to the hospital's clinic for a routine wellness check, but had to wear a mask to protect her from measles after an outbreak has sickened more than 30 children in Minnesota.
In Minnesota's worst measles outbreak, a battle of beliefs over vaccines
May 04
Amy Forliti/AP Photo
A doctor talks to an older patient in this undated photo.
A doctor talks to an older patient in this undated photo.
What patients need to know about new recommendations for prostate cancer screening
Apr 11
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