A pig medical milestone

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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Officials revised the death toll in Sunday's devastating New York City apartment fire. And when will schools in Chicago reopen?

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First pig-to-human heart transplant offers hope

A Maryland man has now lived for three days with a pig heart beating inside his chest. The surgery at the University of Maryland marks the first time a gene-edited pig has been used as an organ donor. Dave Bennett, 57, agreed to be the first to risk the experimental surgery, hoping it would give him a shot at making it home to his beloved dog, Lucky. In the nine-hour surgery, doctors replaced his heart with one from a 1-year-old, 240-pound pig that was gene-edited and bred specifically for this purpose. Right now, more than 100,000 people are on organ transplant waitlists, and 6,000 of them die every year waiting in vain for a new kidney, heart or lung. Because pigs have organs similar to those of humans, if those organs could be used in transplants, those on the waiting list could go back to living their lives. That's the promise of so-called xenotransplantation. Read more about the procedure here.

A surgical team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine works to give patient Dave Bennett, 57, of Maryland, a gene-edited pig heart.
A surgical team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine works to give patient Dave Bennett, 57, of Maryland, a gene-edited pig heart.

17 dead, dozens still hospitalized after Bronx apartment fire

Cleanup crews in white suits cleared debris Monday from the high-rise Bronx apartment building where choking smoke from an accidental blaze a day earlier killed 17 people, including eight children. Authorities had initially put the death toll at 19. But New York City Mayor Eric Adams, calling the tragedy at the Twin Parks North West complex an "evolving crisis," confirmed the revised number Monday. "There was a bit of a double count," Fire Department of New York Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. Dozens of people remained hospitalized from the nation's deadliest apartment fire in almost 40 years. Thirteen survivors were in critical condition, and Nigro warned that the death toll could rise. Adams, who described the blaze as one of the "worst fires in modern times," ordered flags to remain at half staff until sunset Wednesday. "This is an unspeakable tragedy," Adams said. “It is not going to define us. It is going to show our resiliency.” Here's the latest on the fire in the Bronx.

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in New York.
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal fire at an apartment building in the Bronx on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in New York.

What everyone's talking about

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Chicago schools closed again

Students in Chicago public schools were out of school for a fourth day Monday as city and district leaders negotiate with the teachers union over the safety of in-person schooling in the nation’s third-largest district. Kids and families have been stuck in the middle since last Wednesday, when teachers voted to go remote after two days of in-person instruction. The city said that wasn't an option and cut off remote schooling altogether. Negotiations continued over the weekend, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement. "There has not been sufficient progress for us to predict a return to class tomorrow," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted Sunday night.

Protesters hold signs during the Occupy City Hall Protest and Car Caravan hosted by Chicago Teachers Union in Chicago.
Protesters hold signs during the Occupy City Hall Protest and Car Caravan hosted by Chicago Teachers Union in Chicago.

Nearly 25% of US hospitals critically short on staff

Almost a quarter of U.S. hospitals are reporting "critical staffing shortages" as counties across the country set COVID-19 case records. About 24% of nearly 5,000 hospitals are experiencing a shortage – the most since the start of the pandemic – and another 100 expect shortages this week, according to the newest data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The shortages come as more than one-third of U.S. counties have set COVID-19 case records just 10 days into the new year, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. About 1,350 counties are reporting their highest weekly case counts of the pandemic.

People waited more than four hours Thursday morning for COVID-19 testing at the state testing site at the Sarasota Kennel Club in Florida. (Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
People waited more than four hours Thursday morning for COVID-19 testing at the state testing site at the Sarasota Kennel Club in Florida. (Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

Real quick

🥗 Check your prepackaged salad

Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. is voluntarily recalling dozens of types of prepackaged salad for a “possible health risk" from listeria from dozens of states. The company had a similar recall in December and one in October. According to the Jan. 7 recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration's website, the affected products are Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at its Springfield, Ohio, and Soledad, California, production facilities. Consumers are advised to throw out the recalled items. Affected store brands include Walmart’s Marketside brand, Aldi’s Little Salad Bar, Kroger, H-E-B and Presidents Choice. According to the FDA, listeria causes fever, nausea and other types of symptoms generally associated with foodborne illnesses, but it can be deadly for children, elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

A break from the news

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bronx fire, Chicago schools, pig-human heart transplant. It's Monday's news.