COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among American adults fell by one-third in the first five months of 2021, a new study finds, but distrust of vaccines and the government are still keeping many people from getting vaccinated. Researchers analyzed data gathered from about 1 million Americans a month between January and May as part of an ongoing…  read on >  read on >

Watch videos on TikTok and you’re likely to see plenty of positive portrayals of vaping, a new study shows. And that’s a problem, according to researchers, who call for tighter regulation of the platform popular with kids and teens. “Viewing other young people, friends, acquaintances or influencers vaping in fun and entertaining contexts, is likely…  read on >  read on >

The rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant around the world means that the United States will continue with COVID-19 international travel restrictions for now, a White House official said Monday. The Delta variant now accounts for 83% of all U.S. coronavirus cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While…  read on >  read on >

Even if they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19, certain people may need to take extra precautions to prevent “breakthrough” infections with the highly transmissible Delta variant, experts say. The Delta variant is causing most of the new COVID cases in the United States, and older people and those with immune-compromising conditions may be at greater risk…  read on >  read on >

Air pollution causes you to gasp and wheeze. Smog puts strain on your hearts and inflames your lungs. Could dirty air also be costing you your brain health? A trio of new studies finds that air quality appears linked to a risk of thinking declines and dementia, and bad air might even promote toxic brain…  read on >  read on >

Eight in 10 American adults who haven’t received a COVID-19 shot say they are unlikely to get one, a new survey shows. The results mean “that there will be more preventable cases, more preventable hospitalizations and more preventable deaths,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, told the Associated…  read on >  read on >