You went jogging and developed a cough. You did some yard work and now you’re wheezing. Maybe your throat is scratchy. Your first thought is: Do I have COVID-19? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted a new coronavirus self-checker on its website that might ease your mind and steer you toward… read on >
Vietnam. South Korea. Taiwan. All three countries are placed uncomfortably close to China, the initial epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic that’s now swept across the world. But they also have one other thing in common: They’ve each managed to contain their COVID-19 infections, preventing the new coronavirus from reaching epidemic proportions within their borders. How… read on >
(HealthDay News) — The United States passed China as the country with the most coronavirus cases in the world late Thursday, as the U.S. House appeared poised to pass a $2 trillion stimulus package to bolster America’s sagging economy. The unprecedented legislation would send $1,200 checks to many Americans, create a $367 billion loan program… read on >
For people very sick with COVID-19, access to a mechanical ventilator can mean life or death. Trouble is, they’re in short supply in the United Sates and around the world. Now, research suggests that a widely used clot-busting stroke drug might help COVID-19 patients who can’t access a ventilator or who fail to improve even… read on >
Fostering a shelter animal during the coronavirus pandemic could benefit both of you, an animal welfare group says. “Shelters are swamped in the best of times, and with more and more staff in every sector of American life self-quarantining and falling ill, animals already abandoned and without homes are going to be increasingly vulnerable,” said… read on >
With bogus information about the new coronavirus spreading fast online, how can you separate fact from fiction? A communications expert at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg said identifying reliable and useful sources of information is key. Here’s her advice: “Be skeptical of social media posts about the COVID-19 virus, even those that have the superficial look… read on >
In a bit of good news about the novel coronavirus, one expert says it looks like livestock and poultry don’t appear to be at risk from COVID-19. The coronavirus most likely jumped from an animal species into humans and mutated into a virus that mostly affects people, said Jim Roth, director of the Center for… read on >
It has spread across the globe in just a few short months, sickening hundreds of thousands, but the new coronavirus has the dubious distinction of not really being a living organism, biologists say. “Viruses aren’t considered alive — in class, I call them pseudo-alive,” said Eric Mendenhall, an associate professor of biological sciences at the… read on >
In a lesson for what can be achieved with social distancing, researchers report that school and workplace closures in Wuhan, China, reduced the number of coronavirus cases there. And officials are extending those measures until April now instead of March, which could hold off a second wave of cases until later this year, the researchers… read on >
Many hospitals across the United States regularly operate with most of their beds taken by patients, limiting their ability to handle a sudden influx of folks sick with COVID-19, a new study reports. Only about 1 of every 3 U.S. hospital beds is empty on any given day, according to research from the Urban Institute,… read on >
