If you’re wondering whether to intentionally expose yourself to the Omicron variant with the goal of developing immunity, the answer is absolutely not, experts say. “It sounds like playing with fire to me,” said Dr. Nicole Van Groningen, a hospitalist who has treated hundreds of COVID-19 patients at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. First of all,…  read on >  read on >

Children in sub-Saharan Africa have a far higher risk of death from COVID-19 than those in the United States and Europe, a new study shows. “Although our study looked at data from earlier in the pandemic, the situation hasn’t changed much for the children of Africa. If anything, it is expected to be worsening with…  read on >  read on >

Cannabidiol, a compound derived from marijuana, appears to show promise in blocking replication of the COVID-19 virus and preventing its spread, lab and animal studies show. CBD inhibited the ability of the coronavirus to spread in human lung cell samples, and also suppressed COVID-19 infection in the lungs and nasal passages of lab mice. Although…  read on >  read on >

The coronavirus can leave more than 40% of children hospitalized for COVID-19 with headaches and other lingering neurological symptoms, a new study claims. And the kids who developed these headaches or experienced an altered mental status known as acute encephalopathy were more likely to need intensive care, said researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical…  read on >  read on >

A brain implant that helps control severe epilepsy in adults may do the same for children who suffer from unrelenting seizures, new research suggests. The study is one of the first to examine the responsive neurostimulation (RNS) system in children. RNS has already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adult patients…  read on >  read on >

Losing weight before beginning fertility treatment doesn’t boost the odds that a woman who is obese will have a successful pregnancy, a new study shows. Obesity has been linked with difficulty conceiving, as well as pregnancy complications and loss. Many women who are obese and want to get pregnant are advised to lose weight to…  read on >  read on >

Booster shots are keeping the Omicron variant from landing millions of Americans in hospitals, emergency rooms and urgent care clinics across the country, three new government studies show. In one study, published Friday in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a third dose of either the Pfizer…  read on >  read on >