The wildfire smoke now smothering wide portions of the United States isn’t just stinging eyes and tightening chests — it also might be contributing to the current surge of severe COVID-19 cases. Data from three Western states subject to frequent wildfires shows that COVID-19 cases and deaths increase with the amount of smoke pollution in… read on > read on >
Rewards such as “likes” and “shares” fuel expressions of moral outrage on social media because they reward people who post such messages, a new study suggests. “Social media’s incentives are changing the tone of our political conversations online,” said first author William Brady, a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.… read on > read on >
COVID-19 vaccination triggers a strong immune response in people with HIV, meaning they’re likely protected against the coronavirus, a new, small study shows. “Previous research has suggested a suboptimal response to COVID-19 vaccines in people living with HIV; however, these studies did not fully characterize and define that response, both for cellular [where the immune… read on > read on >
The benefits of regular outdoor exercise in areas with air pollution outweigh the risks, a new, long-term study claims. “Habitual exercise reduces the risk of death regardless of exposure to air pollution, and air pollution generally increases the risk of death regardless of habitual exercise,” said researcher Dr. Xiang Qian Lao, from the Jockey Club… read on > read on >
Freaked out about trading Zoom meetings and the privacy of working at home for a return to the office? You’ve got plenty of company. As more workplaces reopen, stress about health risks and new routines is front and center. The Center for Workplace Mental Health knows what you’re are going through. The center, a program… read on > read on >
Masks are making an unwanted comeback in many parts of the United States, after new data showing that fully vaccinated people with “breakthrough” coronavirus infections carry enough virus in their bodies to pose a potential risk to the unvaccinated. But these breakthrough infections — which have become slightly more common with the highly transmissible Delta… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized a third “booster” shot of coronavirus vaccines for people with weakened immune systems, as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to surge across the country. Expanding the emergency use of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines should help protect those patients who are considered most vulnerable to… read on > read on >
A coronavirus outbreak on a Carnival Cruise Line ship that sailed from Galveston, Texas, to Belize is one of the largest reported on a vessel sailing from the United States since cruises relaunched this summer. The 27 cases on the Carnival Vista reported by the Belize Tourism Board include 26 crew and one guest. All… read on > read on >
Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for teachers now has the support of the United States’ largest teachers’ union. “It is clear that the vaccination of those eligible is one of the most effective ways to keep schools safe,” Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said Thursday in a statement, The New York Times reported. She… read on > read on >
The drug Xywav has been approved for expanded use in adults with a rare sleep disorder called idiopathic hypersomnia, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. The drug has a checkered history: In the 1960s, it was given to women during childbirth to dampen their consciousness, The New York Times reported, while an illicit… read on > read on >
