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The last time the world needed an antiviral medicine as quickly as possible, Daria Hazuda, vice president of infectious disease and vaccine discovery research at Merck, answered the call. Around 150,000 Americans were infected with HIV each year when rates peaked in the mid-1980s, and by the year 2000 nearly 500,000 people had died of AIDS in the U.S. Hazuda’s research at the time focused on HIV’s ability to insert its genetic material into the human genome. Her lab developed a novel way to target that process with a drug called raltegravir, which was approved for use in 2007 and is still used today. Now, she hopes to develop a drug for COVID-19 — at a substantially faster pace. (Meador, 6/1)

COVID-19 infection was 94% less likely in people previously infected than in those never infected, according to a research letter late last week in JAMA Internal Medicine. However, the researchers note, their study concluded before COVID-19 variants became dominant. (6/1)

People who previously had COVID can donate blood without transmitting the virus, according to a National Institute of Health study released Tuesday. The findings show donors have a less than 1% chance of transmitting the virus as long as any COVID-related symptoms and infections cleared up 14 days prior to donating blood, per U.S Food and Drug Administration guidelines. (Gellman, 6/1)

Yale New Haven Children's Hospital is the latest provider to specifically focus on treating long-term health complications from COVID-19. The hospital opened a new comprehensive care program within its Pediatric Specialty Center to provide a patient-centered approach for children experiencing lingering COVID-19 symptoms. The program is set to create a clinical specialist network in one setting to give children easier access to treatment, according to Rebecca Ciaburri, associate director of quality, safety and program development for Yale New Haven Children's. (Ross Johnson, 6/1)