Here’s reassuring news for moms-to-be: Pregnant women who receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines appear to transfer protective antibodies to their babies, a new study says. The researchers assessed 122 pregnant women who received the vaccines. They also analyzed the cord blood of the women’s babies at the time of birth. The helpful antibodies… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
COVID Anxieties Still High for Americans: Poll
Americans’ anxiety and concerns about COVID-19 remain high a year into the pandemic, and mental health effects of the health crisis are on the rise, a new survey shows. Hispanic (73%) and Black Americans (76%) are more anxious about COVID-19 than white people (59%), according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) online survey of 1,000… read on > read on >
Finding a Doctor Is Tough and Getting Tougher in Rural America
Health care in rural America has become ever more scarce during the coronavirus pandemic, with folks finding it increasingly difficult to find a doctor or get to a hospital. For a decade, rural areas have been losing hospitals to financial problems, forcing residents to either drive long distances or shrug their shoulders and forgo needed… read on > read on >
Herd Immunity for Americans May Be an Elusive Goal, Experts Say
While more than half of American adults have gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, many scientists and public health experts now believe that herd immunity cannot be reached in the foreseeable future. Instead, the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will circulate in the United States for years to… read on > read on >
Obamacare Gave More Breast Cancer Survivors Access to Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction rates rose significantly among Black women after Obamacare expanded access to Medicaid, a new study says. It also found a large increase in reconstruction rates among women with lower income and education levels. The findings suggest “that Medicaid expansion was highly effective in doing what it was supposed to do — breaking down… read on > read on >
Stressed, Burned-Out Nurses Make More Medical Errors: Study
Critical care nurses with poor mental and physical health are more likely to make mistakes, but a more supportive work environment could improve the situation, a new study suggests. “It’s critically important that we understand some of the root causes that lead to those errors and do everything we can to prevent them,” said lead… read on > read on >
Urgent Care or the ER? Which Should You Choose?
Say you twist your ankle playing catch with your kids. Or maybe your daughter has a rash that’s spreading. Do you visit urgent care or the hospital emergency department? Many cases of injury or illness can be handled at an urgent care clinic rather than a hospital emergency department, an expert says. “Urgent care is… read on > read on >
Needle Anxiety Behind J&J COVID Vaccine Reaction Clusters: Study
Anxiety was the cause of 64 vaccine reactions, including fainting, in people who got the Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in early April at sites in five states, a new study finds. Researchers led by Anne Hause of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that “anxiety-related events, including syncope [fainting], can… read on > read on >
COVID Deaths Continue to Decline in U.S.
In a sign that the coronavirus pandemic is beginning to ebb in America, a new analysis finds the seven-day average of new COVID-19 deaths in the United States has hit its lowest point since last October. As of Wednesday, 684 new deaths had been reported, data from Johns Hopkins University showed. That’s roughly an 80%… read on > read on >
Heat Waves Topping 132 Degrees F Likely in Middle East Without Action on Climate Change
The Middle East and North Africa are already among the hottest spots on the planet, but new research warns that if nothing is done to slow climate change there will be life-threatening heat waves with temperatures of 132 Fahrenheit or higher in those regions. “Our results for a business-as-usual pathway indicate that, especially in the… read on > read on >