The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a wave of accidental poisonings from household cleaners and disinfectants. With the National Poison Data System recently reporting a more than 20% spike in such emergencies, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) emphasized the need to store cleaning products safely away from children. Bleach and alcohol-based hand sanitizers account for a… read on >
Hydroxychloroquine is a key therapy for the autoimmune disease lupus, but interest in it as a potential COVID-19 treatment could make it hard for lupus patients to obtain, experts warn. Hydroxychloroquine is the only medication known to increase survival in patients with systemic lupus. That’s the most common form of lupus, a disease in which… read on >
If most Americans get COVID-19, the cost of their care could top $650 billion, a new study finds. To reach that estimate, researchers created computer models that simulated various scenarios. Each model dealt with patients who developed different symptoms over time and were seen at clinics or in an emergency room. The simulations considered the… read on >
Next time you inspect your salad greens to make sure they look clean, consider this: Researchers are trying to determine if drying leafy greens using the spin cycle of a retrofitted washing machine is safe. Some farmers use the method instead of expensive, commercial-grade spinners to dry leafy greens after they’re washed. But it’s not… read on >
(HealthDay News) — The U.S. House passed a $484 billion deal on Thursday that would replenish a small business loan program that has run out of funding. The bill also directs more money to hospitals and COVID-19 testing. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law on Friday, the Washington Post reported.… read on >
The COVID-19 coronavirus has saturated the United States, and it appears to be spreading quickly in some places that are planning to ease social distancing restrictions soon, a new study shows. County-level data shows COVID-19 cases in all 306 “hospital referral regions” in the United States, the areas where people go for hospital or specialist… read on >
(HealthDay News) — Lawmakers were poised to pass a $484 billion deal on Thursday that would replenish a small business loan program that has run out of funding and direct more money to hospitals and COVID-19 testing. The Senate has already passed the measure, and the House is now expected to do the same, the… read on >
Even at the beginning of April, large percentages of residents at U.S. homeless shelters were testing positive for the new coronavirus, studies show. One study looked at the results of coronavirus testing conducted at homeless shelters in four American cities — Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle. Testing included almost 1,200 residents and 300 staffers… read on >
Dozens of drugs are being investigated for their value in treating COVID-19, as desperation drives doctors and researchers to look for something that could battle the virus and save lives. “There are really no FDA-approved medications for the treatment of COVID-19, unfortunately,” said Ashley Barlow, a pharmacy resident with the University of Maryland Medical Center… read on >
Contact lens users may be at increased risk for coronavirus infection, so they need to be extra careful, an eye expert says. “There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 transmission by handling of contact lenses,” said David Chu, assistant professor of ophthalmology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, in Newark. “However, since contact lenses can… read on >
