Nearly 14 million Americans got their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in August, a steep rise from July, White House officials said Tuesday. The statistic is a sign that vaccine skepticism may be waning, as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to fuel case surges across the United States. “We’ve accelerated the pace of…  read on >  read on >

Unvaccinated Americans should stay home during the holiday weekend as COVID-19 cases surge due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. “First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House…  read on >  read on >

Another trial of an experimental HIV vaccine has been halted after researchers concluded the vaccine provided only limited protection. The trial in five sub-Saharan African countries was launched in 2017 to assess the Johnson & Johnson HIV vaccine in over 2,000 young women at high risk of HIV infection. This is the latest in a…  read on >  read on >

A woman who calls herself AntiVaxMomma on social media faces a number of charges for selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, New York prosecutors said Tuesday. They allege that Jasmine Clifford, of Lyndhurst, N.J., sold about 250 fake vaccination cards via her Instagram account in recent months, the Associated Press reported. Clifford provided the bogus cards…  read on >  read on >

Sports-related head injuries in male athletes tend to grab all of the headlines, but new research shows that female athletes are also increasingly at risk. From 2000 to 2019, there was a threefold jump in sports-linked concussions seen among high school-aged girls. These injuries were most likely to occur during soccer, basketball, cheerleading, softball and…  read on >  read on >

Along with other dangers, the aftermath of Hurricane Ida could pose significant heart health risks. Stress and trauma from the storm that slammed into Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and other states could increase heart risk, and the impact may be more significant for heart disease and stroke patients, the American Heart Association (AHA) warns. For example,…  read on >  read on >

Algeria recently became the last country in the world to halt sales of highly toxic leaded gasoline, the U.N. Environment Agency (UNEP) said Monday. The agency said that marked the “official end” of the use of the fuel that’s been linked to a wide range of human health problems, the Associated Press reported. “The successful…  read on >  read on >