When the coronavirus pandemic reached its peak in March and April in the United States, the response was drastic: surgeries and doctor visits were canceled, governors issued stay-at-home orders and people stayed away from emergency rooms in droves.

Doctors who spoke on the subject at the time worried that the public and medical response to the pandemic was itself going to be the cause of additional, non-COVID-related deaths. Emergency room visits decreased 42%, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If people were afraid of seeking medical attention for critical needs such as heart attacks, for example, medical professionals wondered out loud if we would see a spike in deaths that could have been prevented.

Facebook announced that both Facebook and Instagram would be banning any content that promotes so-called “conversion therapy.” As reported by CNN Business, Facebook said it would be updating its “hate speech” policies “to include posts that advertise or promote the practice.”

“Conversion therapy” is a term adopted by opponents of change from homosexuality or transgenderism. It’s used by activists to describe any sort of help for individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions or gender confusion — including counseling, prayer and support groups offered by pastors, licensed counselors, churches and Christian ministries.

Scientists recently concluded an initial human test of a new COVID-19 vaccine, and the results were encouraging. As a result, the stock market got a little boost as investors were hopeful that an end to the lockdowns and restrictions may finally be in sight.

Conducted by biotech company Moderna with cooperation from the federal government, the preliminary study included 45 healthy adults between the ages of 18-55. To verify the efficacy of the treatment, the participants received varying doses of 25μg (low), 100μg (medium), and 250μg (high) of the drug known as mRNA-1273, 28 days apart.