“I live in Washington state,” said the caller, “but my husband is on a plane to New York City, and I just got a call from my doctor telling me that he’s positive for COVID! What should I do?” “I take care of my grandmother,” said another, “and she goes to this temple whose Rabbi… read on >
COVID-19 spreads easily among people who live together and other family members, even before an infected person shows any symptoms, new research shows. The study — published June 17 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal — also said that the new coronavirus spreads among household members more easily than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or… read on >
A ruptured appendix is one medical emergency that a general surgeon colleague of Dr. Jacqueline Fincher hadn’t treated for more than 15 years in their small town of Thomson, Ga. That’s because the signs and symptoms of appendicitis are so well-known that nearly everyone gets to the hospital well before an inflamed appendix has a… read on >
If a loved one is dealing with COVID-19 at home, there are several steps you can take to aid in their recovery. First and foremost: Limit your direct exposure to them. Stay 6 feet away whenever you can. “If possible, sleep in different rooms, use different bathrooms, and have your family member isolate him- or… read on >
Anesthesiologists can help save the planet, a new study suggests. Increased use of regional anesthesia instead of general anesthesia may help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, according to researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Unlike general anesthesia, regional anesthesia doesn’t use volatile halogenated agents, such as… read on >
The COVID-19 pandemic may be stressing out most people, but it has had a surprising upside for college students: They’re sleeping better. That’s the upshot of a new study that investigated sleep habits of 139 college students before and after Colorado enacted a stay-at-home order to prevent spread of the new coronavirus. “In the end,… read on >
With U.S. fatalities from COVID-19 now past 115,000, British scientists delivered some welcome news on Tuesday: A drug that appears to cut the odds of death in ventilated patients by one-third. The drug is a low-cost steroid called dexamethasone, which has been in use for decades, noted a team at the University of Oxford. In… read on >
After reopening, states such as Arizona, Florida and Texas are all seeing record-high one-day increases in new coronavirus cases. According to The New York Times, on Tuesday, Florida reported 2,783 new cases, Texas 2,622 and Arizona 2,392. The trio of Sun Belt states are among 20 that have seen upticks in cases over the past… read on >
Sunny days are associated with higher rates of COVID-19, likely because they tempt more people outdoors, putting them at increased risk of infection, researchers say. But they also found that higher heat and humidity may slow the spread of COVID-19. And they said their study might shed light on how different seasons may affect the… read on >
A large cloud of virus-laden droplets can be released high into the air when you flush a toilet — and it can hang around long enough to be inhaled by others, a new study says. The new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can be found in the feces of infected people, and this finding suggests it… read on >
