Thousands of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. South could have been avoided if more people masked, social distanced, kept kids from school and made other behavioral changes to reduce the spread of the virus, researchers say. In other words, if they had acted more like folks up North. The study authors suggested that if the… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
Dangerous Germs Floating on Microplastics in Ocean Wind Up in Food, Water
Land parasites that pose a risk to human and wildlife health can hitch rides on the millions of pounds of microplastics that float between oceans, a new study shows. “It’s easy for people to dismiss plastic problems as something that doesn’t matter for them, like, ‘I’m not a turtle in the ocean; I won’t choke… read on > read on >
Patients Hospitalized With COVID Face Similar Risks, Regardless of Variant
If you’re unlucky enough to need hospitalization for COVID-19, it won’t really matter which variant you’re infected with: The same level of care is required for patients with either Delta or Omicron, a new study reveals. This is true even though people infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are much less likely to be… read on > read on >
Dog Years: Research Shows Which Breeds Live Longest
If longevity were a priority when choosing a pup, Jack Russell terriers and Yorkshire terriers would be top picks. Those little dynamos have the longest life expectancy of a host of common dog breeds, according to a new study by Dr. Dan O’Neill, an associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College… read on > read on >
Vaccine Taken During Pregnancy Might Shield Baby Against RSV
An experimental vaccine given during pregnancy has shown early promise for protecting infants from a potentially severe respiratory infection. The vaccine, being developed by Pfizer, aims to protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Most of the time, RSV causes nothing more than a cold. But it can lead to serious lung infections in… read on > read on >
Teens on TikTok: Fun, But Addictive and Maybe Harmful
In the fall of 2021, TikTok announced a major milestone to coincide with its fifth anniversary: The amassing of roughly 1 billion global users, many of them young, turning to the app every month as a way to view, make and share bite-sized videos. But what exactly do those young users think of the app?… read on > read on >
Climate Change Will Make Pandemics Like COVID More Likely: Report
Planet Earth is growing hotter, forcing different animal species to migrate to new areas and interact with other unfamiliar creatures at an increasing rate. That phenomenon could have dire consequences to human health, a new study says, raising the odds for new viral illnesses such HIV (which originated in primates), as well as pandemics such… read on > read on >
Moderna Asks FDA to Authorize Its COVID Vaccine For Children Under 6
Moderna announced Thursday that it has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize the emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 6. It’s the first vaccine maker to seek U.S. authorization of a COVID-19 shot for that age group. “We believe mRNA-1273 [the Moderna vaccine] will be able… read on > read on >
COVID Deaths Cluster in Poorly Vaccinated Communities
COVID-19 death rates are significantly higher in U.S. counties that remain largely unvaccinated than in those where more people have gotten their shots, according to a new study. The findings add to evidence that vaccination among individuals can prevent infection and illness on a much larger scale, University of Oxford professor Christopher Dye wrote in… read on > read on >
EU Says Europe Out of ‘Emergency’ Phase of Pandemic
(HealthDay News) – The European Union (EU) announced Wednesday that Europe is moving out of the emergency phase of the pandemic, and the EU will now focus on vaccination, surveillance and testing in preparation for a possible COVID surge next fall. “New variants can emerge and spread fast,” said EU President Ms. Ursula von der… read on > read on >