Health Highlights: July 26, 2021

Here’s some of HealthDay’s top stories for Monday, July 26:

Fauci pushes plan to help prevent future pandemics. America’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is proposing an ambitious new research plan aimed at readying vaccines against possible pathogens from 20 families of viruses that could harm humans. The program is expensive and long-term but viable, experts say. Read more

Half of U.S. parents won’t vaccinate kids under 12 against COVID. With a new school year approaching, a survey taken last month of 2,000 American parents finds them evenly split on whether they’d get their young child vaccinated against COVID-19 once vaccines are approved for those under 12. Read more

Black, Hispanic patients less likely to get referred to specialist care. In yet another sign that racial disparities are rife in U.S. health care, a new study finds that people of color are less likely to see a specialist for needed care, compared to whites. Cost is probably the major barrier, researchers say. Read more

Among the unvaccinated, most now say no to getting a COVID shot. As the Delta variant dominates and COVID-19 cases rise again, a new poll finds that 8 out of 10 of unvaccinated in America have their minds made up: They probably or definitely will not get the shots. Read more