Unlike prior strains, the Delta variant is triggering higher viral loads in rare cases of “breakthrough” infections in people fully vaccinated against COVID-19, making transmission more likely and causing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to call for everyone to wear masks indoors in some contexts. The latest decision is a sharp reversal… read on > read on >
COVID-19 cases in Britain have fallen for six days in a row, even though the government lifted all but a few social distancing restrictions last week. The shift has scientists scratching their heads, as many of them predicted a powerful surge in cases after the government reopened the country. The steady decrease may be due… read on > read on >
In a sign that the United States has reached a “tipping point” in its campaign to vaccinate Americans, California and New York City announced vaccine or testing mandates for their employees on Monday while the Department of Veterans Affairs said its frontline health care workers must get immunized or face possible termination. The VA becomes… read on > read on >
Serious “long COVID” symptoms could qualify as a disability and make patients eligible for federal assistance, President Joe Biden said Monday. Some recovered COVID-19 patients have lasting problems such as fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, fever and double vision, which “can sometimes rise to the level of a disability,” Biden said during a White House… read on > read on >
Pfizer and Moderna are expanding trials of their COVID-19 vaccines in children ages 5 to 11, to more closely measure the risk of heart inflammation and other rare side effects that occurred in teens and young adults who received the vaccines. The companies made the move after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told them… read on > read on >
Two long used types of blood pressure drugs are equally effective, but the less popular one seems to have fewer side effects, according to a large “real-world” study. The two classes of medication are both recommended as “first-line” treatments for high blood pressure: angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). ACE inhibitors have… read on > read on >
While efforts to develop Alzheimer’s medications have so far borne little fruit, new research highlights the therapeutic promise of two non-drug tools: light and sound. According to a pair of small new studies, exposing Alzheimer’s patients to an hour a day of carefully modulated light and/or sound appears, over time, to slow down the telltale… read on > read on >
(HealthDay News) – If you’re a rare case of someone who had an allergic reaction to your first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, here’s reassuring news: It’s safe for you to get that necessary second dose. That’s according to a team of allergists working at several U.S. hospitals. They examined second-dose vaccine… read on > read on >
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among American adults fell by one-third in the first five months of 2021, a new study finds, but distrust of vaccines and the government are still keeping many people from getting vaccinated. Researchers analyzed data gathered from about 1 million Americans a month between January and May as part of an ongoing… read on > read on >
Weight-loss surgery can be a double-edged sword for obese women who want to shed pounds before becoming pregnant: New research shows it lowers the risk of some complications, but it may increase the risk of others. Investigators followed more than 20,000 women in California who became pregnant between 2007 and 2018. Of those, 9.3% had… read on > read on >
