It’s less enchanting than reading tea leaves, but federal health officials announced Friday that they are expanding nationwide efforts to track COVID-19 by monitoring virus levels found in raw sewage. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects to add an additional 250 surveillance sites over the next few weeks to a list of… read on > read on >
The American Red Cross is pleading for donors as it grapples with its worst blood shortage in more than a decade. The shortage poses a risk to patient care because doctors are forced to make decisions about which patients receive blood transfusions and which ones must wait until more blood becomes available, the Red Cross… read on > read on >
Many Americans are bone-weary following two straight years of pandemic stress, and a new HealthDay/Harris Poll shows that sleeplessness is only part of the problem. One-third of poll participants said they feel more tired now than they did before March 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But just 28% said they’re getting less sleep… read on > read on >
You have almost certainly seen the pleas while scrolling through social media: Called crowdfunding, folks try to raise money to pay for their sick loved one’s mounting medical bills. But new research shows these grassroots campaigns rarely raise enough money to make a difference. According to GoFundMe, which corners over 90% of the U.S. crowdfunding… read on > read on >
If the pandemic taught the world nothing else, it’s that viruses can mutate, potentially giving rise to new and more harmful variants. Now, new research reveals that’s exactly what has happened with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Called VB (for virulent subtype B), the “new” HIV variant actually seems to have emerged more than… read on > read on >
Most health care workers at a large U.S. hospital who initially refused COVID-19 vaccines eventually went and got their shots, new research reveals. “This study found health care workers’ attitudes about COVID-19 vaccination could change in a very short period of time,” said lead study author Charlesnika Evans. She is a professor of preventive medicine… read on > read on >
Following a bout of severe COVID-19, some children suffer lasting neurological complications, part of a rare condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a new study finds. The neurological symptoms are wide-ranging, and can include headaches, difficulty falling and staying asleep, daytime sleepiness, brain fog, attention difficulties, social problems, anxiety and depression, all of… read on > read on >
Those hard-to-find COVID-19 home tests are becoming more available, particularly with the U.S. government offering four free tests for every household. So far, roughly 60 million American households have ordered the free tests, according to the White House. But many folks still have a lot of basic questions about them, said Krist Azizian, chief pharmacy… read on > read on >
Nine in 10 Americans — 91% — live within an hour of lifesaving stroke care, researchers say. That’s up from about 80% a decade ago, due to an increase in hospitals with specialized staff, tools and resources, as well as expanded use of telestroke services that use the internet to link small and rural hospitals… read on > read on >
Stroke is a possible complication of COVID-19, and researchers say they now know when that risk is highest. A new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the risk of COVID-related ischemic stroke appears greatest in the first three days after you’re diagnosed with the virus. Not just higher, but 10… read on > read on >
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