The homemade cloth masks recommended for slowing the spread of COVID-19 seem to expel invisible cotton fibers into the air as people talk, cough or even breathe — underscoring the importance of regularly washing them, researchers say. In experiments, researchers found that medical-grade masks — surgical and N95 — blocked most exhaled “particles” from the…  read on >

The common cold can make you miserable, but it might also help protect you against COVID-19, a new study suggests. The researchers added that people who’ve had COVID-19 may be immune to it for a long time, possibly even the rest of their lives. The research focused on memory B cells, long-lasting immune cells that…  read on >

If your husband or wife is hospitalized in intensive care, you’re more likely to have a heart attack or other serious heart problem in the next few weeks, a new study warns. “Spouses of ICU patients should pay attention to their own physical health, especially in terms of cardiovascular disease,” said senior author Dr. Hiroyuki…  read on >

Black children are more than twice as likely as white kids to die from surgical complications, and minority children are about half as likely to even have surgery as white children, two new studies show. In one study, researchers found that of nearly 277,000 children who had inpatient surgery between 2012 and 2017, 10,425 suffered…  read on >

SATURDAY, Oct. 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) — President Donald Trump was being treated for coronavirus infection at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday, after announcing that he had tested positive for COVID-19 early Friday morning. Trump is struggling with a fever, a cough and nasal congestion, among other symptoms, two officials familiar with…  read on >

FRIDAY, Oct. 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) — President Donald Trump announced early Friday morning that he and his wife, Melania Trump, have tested positive for the coronavirus. In a tweet sent out at 1 a.m., Trump said they will both quarantine in the White House for an unspecified period of time, The New York Times…  read on >

Ordinary conversation releases airborne droplets that can spread widely through indoor spaces, a finding with big implications for transmission of the new coronavirus, researchers say. Their experiments showed that everyday talk can expel droplets farther than the typical “social distancing” limit of 6 feet. “People should recognize that they have an effect around them,” said…  read on >

Antibodies against COVID-19 in people who’ve recovered from the disease begin to vanish about three months after they develop symptoms, researchers say. This suggests that sooner is better for recovered COVID-19 patients to donate antibody-containing blood plasma for convalescent plasma treatment, according to the authors of a small study published Oct. 1 in the journal…  read on >

Coronavirus infections are surging in the American heartland, with Wisconsin bearing the brunt of COVID-19’s relentless spread. Many Midwestern states are seeing some of the nation’s highest per capita rates of infection, and while federal health officials have again urged some governors in the region to require masks statewide, some Republican governors have resisted, the…  read on >

In rural America, drinking has become particularly deadly for many, a new government report shows. Deaths related to alcohol use in those regions rose 43% between 2006 and 2018, health officials reported. Over that time, the rate of deaths went from 11 per 100,000 people to 15 per 100,000. Also, the rate of deaths among…  read on >