Nearly 13 million U.S. adults a year skip or delay filling needed prescriptions due to high price tags, new research shows. This figure includes more than 2.3 million Medicare beneficiaries and 3.8 million privately insured working-age adults who didn’t get needed medications each year in 2018 and 2019 because of cost, according to a nationally… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
Pandemic Data Suggests Cars Spew More Ammonia Than Suspected
COVID-19 lockdowns brought surprising news to scientists studying pollution: Cars spew much more ammonia into the air than previously thought. Ammonia is a common air pollutant that’s a major cause of lung and heart disease, especially in cities. “The tricky question has always been: How do we separate out ammonia concentrations owing to traffic from… read on > read on >
Windy Days Are Safer Days When It Comes to COVID-19
If you’re getting together with others outdoors, a windy day might be best, researchers say. The investigators found that when people socialize outside, the risk of coronavirus infection is as much as 45% greater when there’s hardly any breeze than when there are stronger winds. “The issue is really about an increased danger of infection… read on > read on >
Second Omicron Case Reported in Man Who Traveled to NYC Anime Convention
Just one day after the first Omicron case was reported in the United States, federal officials announced a second case on Thursday, this time in a Minnesota man who had traveled to an Anime convention in New York City in November. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is working on the… read on > read on >
Is the Mumps Vaccine Becoming Less Effective?
Children and teenagers vaccinated against the mumps virus have accounted for one-third of infections in recent years, a new U.S. government study finds. The reasons are unclear, and experts stressed that routine childhood vaccination remains the best weapon against mumps — a contagious infection that is usually mild, but can cause serious complications. After the… read on > read on >
After Vaccines & Easing of Lockdowns, College Students’ Mental Health Still Poor
College students are not bouncing back from the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, a troubling new study finds. Researchers were surprised to find that one year after the start of the pandemic, college students were still less active and more at risk for depression even as social restrictions were lifted and many were… read on > read on >
Survivors of Severe COVID Face Doubled Risk for Death a Year Later
People who recovered from a severe case of COVID-19 may have more to worry about: New research finds that patients hospitalized with COVID are 2.5 times more likely to die within the year than people who never contracted the coronavirus. They also are nearly twice as likely to die as people who had a mild… read on > read on >
Biden to Announce Plan to Battle Omicron, Delta Variants This Winter
President Joe Biden plans to announce a new round of measures to protect Americans against the spread of coronavirus variants on Thursday. The strategy will include making rapid at-home COVID-19 tests free for more people, extending rules on mask wearing on planes and other modes of transport, launching public awareness campaigns on vaccinations and booster… read on > read on >
Pfizer or Moderna? Head-to-Head Study Shows One Shot Has an Edge
Which coronavirus vaccine is best at beating COVID-19 — Moderna or Pfizer? New research hands that honor to Moderna: In what is billed as the first head-to-head comparison of the two shots, researchers analyzed the health records of nearly 440,000 U.S. veterans who received one of the two vaccines between early January 2021 and mid-May… read on > read on >
A Little Cash May Help Women Quit Smoking During Pregnancy: Study
Quitting smoking is especially important during pregnancy, and now a new study suggests that when it comes to kicking the habit, cash may be just the incentive some women need. The study results suggest progressive financial rewards for smoking abstinence “could be implemented in the routine health care of pregnant smokers,” the French researchers said.… read on > read on >