News Day Tuesday

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $217 million to fund research at Indiana University School of Medicine in the current fiscal year.

As we prepare for the midweek storm, it’s important to keep yourself safe not only indoors, but also outdoors. The American Heart Association is encouraging Hoosiers to protect themselves while shoveling snow and to know the signs of a heart attack.

The Biden administration on Tuesday quietly launched its website for Americans to request free at-home COVID-19 tests, a day before the official launch.

Chlorthalidone, a low-cost prescription drug, has been around for more than 60 years. It was approved by the FDA to treat high-blood pressure in 1960, but there was still an unknown component.

As the nation grapples with a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases and a shortage of rapid tests, Indiana is limiting who can undergo rapid testing at its sites to those most at risk and to schoolchildren looking to return to the classroom.

Over the weekend, health officials in Indiana confirmed the first case of the omicron variant in the state. The arrival of the highly infectious variant – now identified in at least 45 states – comes when hospitals across Indiana are already facing critical shortages.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The Irsay family is donating $3 million to Indiana University for a new research institute on the Bloomington campus that will focus on addressing the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the U.S. was identified Wednesday, a little more than a week after its initial discovery in South Africa. While the World Health Organization has already listed omicron as a variant of concern, experts are still trying to learn about the new strain.

Pfizer announced Tuesday that it had entered an agreement with the UN that will expand access of its new COVID-19 antiviral pill to millions of people in poorer countries upon its approval.

INDIANAPOLIS — Investigators from two of Indiana University School of Medicine’s largest funded research programs are collaborating on a study investigating the biology behind a gene associated with Alzheimer’s disease, with the hopes of developing a drug to treat the disease.