Numerous COVID restrictions will be dropped in England because government experts believe the Omicron variant “has now peaked nationally,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday. As of Jan. 27, COVID-19 passes will no longer be needed to enter large-scale events and the use of face masks in public schools will no longer be required.… read on > read on >
A seemingly endless wait in an emergency department can be taxing for many reasons, but new research suggests that long delays in being admitted to the hospital may even raise a patient’s risk of death within the following 30 days. Why? One possible reason: A crowded ER might mean care happens in suboptimal spaces, said… read on > read on >
Homelessness is difficult enough, but when it’s compounded by serious mental health issues the result can be an inability to function at even the most basic level. Sometimes that leads to round-the-clock involuntary hospitalization, and when that happens a state-appointed psychiatric conservator can take over, making critical health care decisions for a person deemed mentally… read on > read on >
If COVID-19 vaccines and medicines are shared equally worldwide, the pandemic could ease this year, a top World Health Organization official said Tuesday. However, if wealthier countries don’t share their resources with poorer countries, there will continue to be high rates of deaths and hospitalizations, warned Dr. Michael Ryan, head of emergencies at WHO. “What… read on > read on >
Did you watch your waistline expand during lockdown? You’re not alone. Nearly half of U.S. adults piled on excess pounds during the first year of the pandemic, making a national obesity crisis even worse, a new study shows. “Obesity was an epidemic before the pandemic, and little was known on body weight changes in the… read on > read on >
Even if you don’t have side effects from your COVID-19 vaccine, it’s likely still working to protect you, a reassuring new report shows. Many people who receive the mRNA COVID vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna experience body aches and fatigue that indicate the vaccine is triggering their immune system to recognize and fight the coronavirus.… read on > read on >
Big surprise bills for any colonoscopy done after a positive result from a stool-based screening test will be prevented under new federal rules, a group of U.S. medical organizations say. On Jan. 10, the Biden administration issued guidance requiring private insurers to cover such colonoscopies. The guidance expands on the requirement that plans provide the… read on > read on >
It was slated to debut on Wednesday, but the federal government quietly launched its website for Americans to order free at-home COVID tests one day early. Go to COVIDTests.gov and you can quickly order four tests delivered to your home by the U.S. Postal Service. Only four tests will be given to a single residential… read on > read on >
It’s too soon to determine whether Omicron’s rapid spread will turn a pandemic virus into an endemic disease, America’s top infectious disease expert says. That “would only be the case if we don’t get another variant that eludes the immune response to the prior variant,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week during the Davos Agenda,… read on > read on >
If you vape and catch COVID-19, you may feel a whole lot worse than people who come down with the virus but don’t use electronic cigarettes, researchers say. When compared to folks with COVID-19 who didn’t use e-cigarettes, those who did were more likely to report chest pain, chills, headaches, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea… read on > read on >
