Fewer heart attack and stroke patients are seeking medical care since the coronavirus pandemic began and doctors are wondering why. It’s possible that during the pandemic, patients are ignoring symptoms that would otherwise worry them, doctors from Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles suggest. While investigators are trying to figure out what’s happening, Dr. Patrick Lyden, a… read on >
Hundreds of millions of Americans heeded recent government advice and rushed to wear cloth face masks, hoping they might prevent transmission of the new coronavirus. But there’s another option: The clear plastic face shield, already in use by many health care personnel. Now, a team of experts say face shields might replace masks as a… read on >
Social distancing guidelines crafted by the federal government to stem the spread of coronavirus expire on Thursday, but President Donald Trump said Wednesday he has no intention of extending the measures. “They’ll be fading out, because now the governors are doing it,” Trump explained during a media briefing. More than half of the United States,… read on >
If you toss and turn every night because the coronavirus epidemic has left you anxious and worried, one sleep expert has some advice. Financial struggles, loss of control, or worries about loved ones can affect peoples’ quality and duration of nightly sleep, said sleep psychologist Emerson Wickwire, an associate professor of psychiatry and medicine at… read on >
New research adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests men are far more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 than women are. Although both genders fall ill in the same numbers, men are 2.5 times more likely to get severe disease and die, the study from China showed. The finding comes as scientists in New… read on >
Fear of exposure to COVID-19 appears to be exacting an unexpected toll on public health: Childhood vaccination rates have plummeted, leaving millions at risk for other life-threatening illnesses. “We’re seeing a general drop in pediatrician visits of 70% to 80% — and that’s very concerning,” said Dr. Sara Goza, president of the American Academy of… read on >
COVID-19 might raise stroke risk in young and middle-aged adults, with virus-linked blood clots causing severe damage to their brains, doctors warn. Word has already spread that the novel coronavirus appears to increase clotting in some patients, experts say. Now, a series of five cases at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City… read on >
As the U.S. coronavirus case count climbed past 1 million and the death toll neared 60,000, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that forces beleaguered meat processing plants to stay open so the country’s food supply isn’t threatened. The order used the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure,… read on >
Even though many Americans might not even know what pulse oximeters are, the tiny devices are flying off pharmacy shelves as high-risk folks worry about COVID-19. That’s because they perform a critical function, measuring the concentration of oxygen in the blood. How? Just clip the device onto a patient’s finger for a reading. A healthy… read on >
Heart failure raises the risk of complications and death from COVID-19, and requires extra vigilance during the pandemic, the American Heart Association (AHA) says. More than 6 million people in the United States have heart failure. It occurs when the heart no longer pumps blood as well as it should. “When the cardiac system is… read on >
