If it’s been a while since you’ve seen your doctor, it may be time to schedule a visit to catch up on preventive health screenings or discuss any health concerns and chronic medical conditions. During the 15 months since people began quarantining, many have avoided leaving their homes except when necessary, including not going to…  read on >  read on >

U.S. teens are getting their COVID shots — how does that change their daily lives? Besides letting teens resume many of their normal activities, U.S. authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people as young as 12 is crucial to slowing the spread of the coronavirus, one expert says. “We know that teenagers can not…  read on >  read on >

A twice-daily pill can dramatically reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence in women who are genetically prone to the disease, researchers report. The pill — olaparib (Lynparza) — works by blocking a natural enzyme called PARP that normally fixes DNA damage in healthy cells, but in these women actually promotes the growth of cancerous…  read on >  read on >

If it seems like your dog knows exactly what you’re saying, that’s because dogs are born ready to communicate with people, according to a new study. The research, published June 3 in the journal Current Biology, suggests that even puppies have a capacity to interact with people without any prior experience or training. However, some…  read on >  read on >

America, get ready for a baby boom. That’s the likelihood anyway, according to a new forecast that suggests a drop in pregnancy and birth rates seen during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic is about to be reversed. “We expect a dramatic rebound soon,” said study lead author Dr. Molly Stout. She is maternal…  read on >  read on >

The cost of COVID-19 hospitalizations averaged nearly $22,000 for older Americans in 2020 — and much more for those who became critically ill, a new government study finds. Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the cost of COVID-19 care to the Medicare program, which covers Americans aged 65 and…  read on >  read on >