COVID-19 vaccine makers such as Pfizer should focus on getting shots to poor countries instead of trying to persuade wealthy nations to give their citizens booster shots, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said at a press briefing held Monday. Despite a lack of evidence that third doses of vaccines are necessary, drug companies are lobbying… read on > read on >
Women who use electronic cigarettes during pregnancy may be at heightened risk of having an underweight or preterm baby, a new study suggests. The study of more than 79,000 U.S. mothers found that when women regularly used e-cigarettes late in pregnancy, their babies’ risk of low birth weight rose. Of women who “vaped” but did… read on > read on >
Lawsuits claiming that the widely used bug killer chlorpyrifos caused brain damage in children were filed Monday in California. Past research has shown that the pesticide harms the brains of fetuses and children, the Associated Press reported. Chlorpyrifos is approved for use on more than 80 crops, but was banned for household use in 2001.… read on > read on >
Breathing in protection: Scientists say an experimental inhaled COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in animal tests. “The currently available vaccines against COVID-19 are very successful, but the majority of the world’s population is still unvaccinated and there is a critical need for more vaccines that are easy to use and effective at stopping disease and transmission,”… read on > read on >
The pandemic may have triggered yet another burgeoning health problem: New research suggests that more than twice as many young people as is normal were hospitalized with eating disorders in the first 12 months of the COVID-19 surge in the United States. There were 125 eating order-related hospitalizations of patients ages 10 to 23 at… read on > read on >
Want to learn something new? Pick up your pencil. New research suggests that despite the ease of using a computer for typing notes or watching videos, people learn certain skills significantly better and faster when writing them by hand. “The question out there for parents and educators is, why should our kids spend any time… read on > read on >
An elderly woman in Belgium was simultaneously infected with two COVID-19 variants of concern, according to a report describing one of the first documented cases of co-infection. The authors said their findings highlight the need for health care providers to be watchful for double infections and the emergence of new variants. The 90-year-old woman was… read on > read on >
A major U.S. hospital system had a strong rebound in most cancer screening tests after a steep drop-off in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows. The findings are based on an analysis of data from the Boston-based Mass General Brigham system. Depending on the type of test, between March and… read on > read on >
Men with low testosterone levels have a much higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, a new study from Italy finds. The study included nearly 300 symptomatic male COVID-19 patients who arrived at the emergency department and were admitted to San Raffaele University Hospital in Milan during the first wave of the pandemic.… read on > read on >
When schools open their doors this fall, teachers and students who are vaccinated can enter without masks, according to a new guidance issued Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The relaxed recommendation comes as a national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 can get COVID-19 shots unfolds, accompanied… read on > read on >
