With the number of coronavirus cases in the United States approaching 3 million on Monday, hospitals across the Sun Belt continued to be flooded with COVID-19 patients. Arizona reached 89 percent capacity for ICU beds, as Alabama, California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas also reported unprecedented numbers of hospitalizations, the Washington Post reported.…  read on >

(HealthDay News) — Deep sleep is essential for good health, and too little of it may shorten your life, a new study suggests. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is when dreams occur and the body repairs itself from the ravages of the day. For every 5% reduction in REM sleep, mortality rates increase 13% to…  read on >

(HealthDay News) — For the 27th day in a row, the rolling seven-day average for daily new coronavirus cases in the United States set another record on Sunday, climbing past 48,000 COVID-19 infections in just 24 hours. At the same time, coronavirus-related hospitalizations rose to their highest levels to date in Arizona and Nevada, the…  read on >

Stressed from home-schooling your kids? Lonely from lockdown? Worried about a sick loved one isolated in a nursing home? Worried you might lose your job? The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone’s mental health in ways small and large, and experts are concerned that for many, today’s anxiety will become a tidal wave of mental…  read on >

Stress from social distancing and isolation to stop the spread of COVID-19 can lead to increased family violence at home, Tulane University experts say. These changes in routine can upset kids, who may lash out and test limits. Stress from bad behavior, along with financial and other concerns can result in angry outbursts — even…  read on >

Even the sickest COVID-19 patients make T-cells to fight the infection, a new study finds. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine will have to cause the body to make T-cells along with antibodies, researchers say. The immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, was the same in American and Dutch patients in the…  read on >

(HealthDay News) — As the daily toll of new coronavirus cases broke yet another record and topped 55,000 on Thursday, COVID-19 hospitalizations were also climbing across the South and West. Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Nevada and Arizona all set records for hospitalizations on Thursday, a sobering harbinger of what is yet to come, the Washington Post…  read on >

People with HIV who were hospitalized with COVID-19 didn’t have worse results than COVID-19 patients without HIV, new research shows. “Throughout the pandemic, we’ve suspected that immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV, could be at a higher risk for infection and suffer more severe outcomes, but without data on how COVID-19 affects patients with…  read on >

West Virginia loosened fireworks sales rules in 2016. And since then, the state has seen a 40% boom in fireworks-related injuries, researchers say. The regulation change made it easier for people to buy Class C fireworks such as Roman candles, bottle rockets and fountains. “Since there has been a trend among states to liberalize these…  read on >

With communities across the United States canceling Fourth of July celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, backyard fireworks are likely to be more popular than ever. And that has many health experts worried. They fear injuries will soar among amateurs who don’t know how to use fireworks safely. Even before the holiday, explosives are being…  read on >