Florida reached another grim milestone on Sunday when it broke a previous record for COVID-19 hospitalizations that was set before vaccines were available. The new hospitalization record came a day after the state recorded the most new daily COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, the Associated Press reported. As of Sunday, Florida had…  read on >  read on >

The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines is borne out in new government data showing that more than 99.99% of fully vaccinated Americans have not had a breakthrough infection resulting in hospitalization or death. There were 6,587 COVID-19 breakthrough cases as of July 26 — including 6,239 hospitalizations and 1,263 deaths — among more than 163 million…  read on >  read on >

Sun protection is essential as you enjoy the outdoors this summer, a skin expert stresses. “Skin cancer is the most common cancer in humans so it’s important that we do what we can to protect ourselves,” Dr. Ida Orengo, a professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said in a school news…  read on >  read on >

Sunglasses are often considered a fashion statement, but one expert says the style you choose is less important than picking a pair of shades that best protect your eyes from the sun’s damaging rays. “Wearing sunglasses without 100% UV protection is actually a serious health risk,” said Dr. Dianna Seldomridge, clinical spokesperson for the American…  read on >  read on >

Death rates from Alzheimer’s disease are particularly high in the rural United States, a preliminary study finds, highlighting a need for health care resources in traditionally under-served areas. Researchers discovered that over the past two decades, rural areas in the Southeast have seen the highest death rates from Alzheimer’s, at 274 per 100,000 people. That’s…  read on >  read on >

A new internal government document claims the Delta variant appears to cause more severe illness than earlier coronavirus variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox. In laying out the evidence that this variant looks like the most dangerous one yet, the document urges health officials to “acknowledge the war has changed,” the Washington Post reported.…  read on >  read on >