Full vaccination with the two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been 90% effective in protecting against hospitalization for at least six months, a new study shows. That includes the time during which the highly contagious Delta variant has been circulating in the United States. For the study, researchers analyzed Kaiser Permanente Southern California data on more…  read on >  read on >

Depression rates rose three-fold among U.S. adults during the first year of the COVID pandemic, new research shows. Surveys of more than 6,500 adults found that about 33% have had more intense symptoms of depression this year, compared to 28% in the pandemic’s early months in spring of 2020 and 9% before it began. “The…  read on >  read on >

Misinformation and medical mistrust are major drivers of vaccine hesitancy among U.S. Hispanics, new research shows. The researchers also found that protecting other family members is an important factor in convincing Hispanics to get vaccinated. The small study included 22 Hispanic mothers in Oregon and 24 of their children who were in grades 9 to…  read on >  read on >

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has hit minority groups in the United States hard, with significantly more deaths among Black and Hispanic Americans compared with white and Asian Americans, a new study finds. According to the report, these disparities highlight the need to address ongoing inequities influencing health and longevity in the United States. What’s more,…  read on >  read on >

Booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for people aged 18 and older have been given the green light by the European Medicines Agency. They “may be considered at least six months after the second dose for people aged 18 years and older,” the European Union’s drug regulator said Monday, the Associated Press reported. The…  read on >  read on >

From the fear of getting sick to lockdown isolation, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased stress levels, and for many women, the uptick led to changes in their monthly periods. More than half of respondents to an online survey reported changes in their menstrual cycles during the pandemic, including differences in premenstrual symptoms and in the…  read on >  read on >

MONDAY, Oct. 4, 2021 (Healthday News) — Johnson & Johnson plans to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve emergency use of a booster shot of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine early this week. While the request has yet to be submitted, the FDA on Friday scheduled an Oct. 15 meeting of its expert…  read on >  read on >

In a health emergency, social media giants like Facebook can be both quagmires of misinformation and sources of social support and reliable guidance, a small, new study suggests. Researchers surveyed 32 Facebook users weekly for eight weeks. All were asked about their online experiences during March and April 2020, when COVID-triggered lockdowns unfolded. The Facebook…  read on >  read on >