New research suggests that many people who’ve undergone an organ transplant do not get an immune response from COVID-19 vaccines that’s strong enough to ward off a “breakthrough” infection. In a new review of 14 such cases, these breakthrough COVID-19 infections occurred in 10 recipients of new kidneys, two liver recipients, one lung recipient and… read on > read on >
Women whose diets tend to feed inflammation may have a heightened risk of breast cancer, a preliminary study suggests. The study, of more than 350,000 women, found that the more “pro-inflammatory” foods women consumed, the higher their breast cancer risk. The term refers to foods thought to contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation throughout the body… read on > read on >
Bots, not individual users, drive much of the COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook, according to a new study. Bots are large numbers of automated accounts controlled by single users. “The coronavirus pandemic has sparked what the World Health Organization has called an ‘infodemic’ of misinformation,” said study leader John Ayers, a scientist who specializes in public… read on > read on >
Plunging vaccination rates are imperiling President Joe Biden’s goal of getting COVID shots into the arms of at least 70% of American adults by July 4, while public health experts worry that Southern states, where immunization numbers are the lowest, could see a spike in cases over the summer. The United States is averaging fewer… read on > read on >
People hospitalized for COVID-19 are often discharged in much worse shape than before their illness — underscoring the value of preventing severe cases with vaccination. In a new study, researchers found that during the pandemic’s early months, almost half of COVID-19 patients discharged from their health system had some degree of “functional decline.” That’s a… read on > read on >
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 >
In some good news for those who have already suffered through a bout of COVID-19, a new study finds they may have a much lower risk of reinfection for at least 10 months. For the study, the researchers analyzed rates of SARS-CoV-2 infections between October 2020 and February 2021 among more than 2,000 nursing home… read on > read on >
An initial 25 million doses of coronavirus vaccines will be sent out this month to a “wide range of countries” in Latin America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and Africa, along with the Palestinian territories, war-ravaged Gaza and the West Bank, the White House announced Thursday. The doses are the first of 80 million that President… 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 >
