A new, huge study provides real-world proof that mask-wearing limits the spread of the coronavirus. “I think this should basically end any scientific debate about whether masks can be effective in combating COVID at the population level,” Jason Abaluck, a Yale University economist who helped lead the study, told the Washington Post. He called the… read on > read on >
All Mommy:
AI May Not Be Ready to Accurately Read Mammograms
Radiologists still outperform artificial intelligence (AI) when it comes to breast cancer screening, a new paper shows. Many countries have mammography screening programs to detect and treat breast cancer early. However, examining mammograms for early signs of cancer means a lot of repetitive work for radiologists, which can result in some cancers being missed, the… read on > read on >
Teachers Have No Higher Risk of Severe COVID-19: Study
As the new school year begins, teachers can take comfort in a new report that finds they have no greater risk of catching or being hospitalized for severe COVID-19 than anyone else. Researchers in Scotland say that might be because many schools take precautions that other workplaces don’t. It’s also possible that the teachers in… read on >
UTIs, Sepsis, Staph: COVID Is Upping Rates of Other Hospital Infections
The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a resurgence in other infections that strike hospitalized patients, a U.S. government study finds. The study, by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, highlights the broad toll the pandemic has taken. It found that rates of several types of hospital-acquired infections rose after the pandemic reached U.S. shores… read on > read on >
Risk of Long COVID Falls by Half in ‘Breakthrough’ Cases
In a finding that should reassure Americans who have already lined up to get their coronavirus shots, a new study shows the risk of long COVID-19 is halved in fully vaccinated adults if they do get a breakthrough infection. Researchers analyzed data from people who provided information for a COVID symptom study in the U.K.… read on > read on >
COVID Vaccines’ Power Fades With Time, But Still Protective: Study
A new study of more than 19,000 San Diego health care workers finds that COVID-19 vaccination may have lost some of its power to ward off “breakthrough” infections. But that’s no reason to lose faith in the vaccines: In the study, the rate of COVID-19 infection in July among unvaccinated workers was nearly triple that… read on > read on >
Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Might Help Save Hospitalized COVID Patients
As doctors around the world come up against severe cases of COVID-19, some positive news has emerged: New research shows the rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib may help reduce hospitalized COVID patients’ risk of death. Current standard-of-care medications aren’t enough, said study co-author Dr. E. Wesley Ely, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center… read on > read on >
COVID Vaccines Cut Odds of Hospitalization By Two-Thirds
If you’re vaccinated against COVID-19, you may still get infected — but the odds you’ll need hospitalization are reduced by about two-thirds compared to unvaccinated people, a new study reveals. Vaccination also greatly increases the chances that COVID-19 infection will be asymptomatic and halves the risk of long-haul symptoms — those lasting 28 days or… read on > read on >
One Key Factor Drives Weight Gain in College
College students often put on weight during their freshman year, and a lack of structured exercise may be largely to blame, a new study suggests. Weight gain is so common among first-year college students that it has spawned the phrase “the freshman 15” — though that figure is something of a myth. More often, studies… read on > read on >
Why Are Sports-Linked Concussions Rising Among Girls?
Sports-related head injuries in male athletes tend to grab all of the headlines, but new research shows that female athletes are also increasingly at risk. From 2000 to 2019, there was a threefold jump in sports-linked concussions seen among high school-aged girls. These injuries were most likely to occur during soccer, basketball, cheerleading, softball and… read on > read on >