A common bug called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulating among American kids during what’s normally its off-season may cause concern if parents don’t know how to tell it apart from COVID-19, experts say. Getting RSV during the summer is unusual, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued an alert about a…  read on >  read on >

Nearly half of coronavirus patients in a large, new study were still suffering at least one lingering symptom of their illness a full year after being hospitalized for COVID-19. The latest findings add to a growing pile of evidence that suggests recovery is no easy task with this virus. Published Thursday in The Lancet journal,…  read on >  read on >

New research delivers an answer to a burning question: When are COVID-19 patients most infectious? The answer? Two days before and three days after they develop symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of rapid testing and quarantine if someone is feeling sick, the study authors said. The researchers also found that infected people are more…  read on >  read on >

Students face a number of challenges as they head back to school this fall — from potential exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses to injuries on the playing field. “This return to school season is like no other,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Schools must be…  read on >  read on >

Despite all of the criticism of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests there was a silver lining: more shut-eye for middle and high school students. “Without the required transportation time or time required to get ready for school in the morning, online students were able to wake later, and thus get more…  read on >  read on >

One-third of the U.S. population — about 103 million people — had been infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus by the end of 2020, but more than three-quarters of the cases weren’t officially confirmed, according to a Columbia University study. “It is these undocumented cases, which are often mild or asymptomatic infectious, that allow the virus…  read on >  read on >

More than 171 million people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States, but the highly infectious Delta variant has left some with “breakthrough” cases nonetheless. These cases were anticipated, because the COVID vaccines weren’t designed to eliminate all virus infections, but rather to lower a person’s risk of severe illness and hospitalization. Even…  read on >  read on >

Coronavirus cases and deaths in Florida are at record highs as the Delta variant ravages the state and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis holds firm on forbidding vaccine and mask mandates. As of Tuesday, Florida had reported a record average of 227 COVID-19 deaths a day this week, and the average number of new known cases…  read on >  read on >