Children who have had COVID-19 aren’t protected against the Omicron variant, but vaccination does cut their chances of infection, a new study shows. “I hear parents say, ‘Oh, my kid had COVID last year,’” said senior study co-author Dr. Adrienne Randolph, from Boston Children’s Hospital. “But we found that antibodies produced by prior infections in…  read on >  read on >

The percussive skill needed to bang out rhythms on a drum may help improve socializing, inhibition control and focus among teens with autism, new research suggests. The finding follows work with 36 teens with an autism spectrum disorder. Half were randomly chosen to receive two months’ worth of drum training, based on a standard electronic…  read on >  read on >

How the COVID-19 virus affects someone may be exacerbated by the air they breathe. Researchers found a link between exposure to airborne particulate matter, including fine particles known as PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and heightened risk of serious coronavirus complications. “Our research demonstrated that one-year average exposure to PM2.5 translated to a 20-30% increase…  read on >  read on >

Cancer patients continue to face more risk from COVID-19, even if they’ve been vaccinated. Although vaccination is effective for most people who have cancer (even though they’re immunocompromised by the disease and their cancer treatments), its effectiveness wanes more rapidly in this group, by three to six months compared to the general population, new research…  read on >  read on >