Here’s reassuring news for moms-to-be: Pregnant women who receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines appear to transfer protective antibodies to their babies, a new study says. The researchers assessed 122 pregnant women who received the vaccines. They also analyzed the cord blood of the women’s babies at the time of birth. The helpful antibodies… read on > read on >
All Mommy:
COVID Anxieties Still High for Americans: Poll
Americans’ anxiety and concerns about COVID-19 remain high a year into the pandemic, and mental health effects of the health crisis are on the rise, a new survey shows. Hispanic (73%) and Black Americans (76%) are more anxious about COVID-19 than white people (59%), according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) online survey of 1,000… read on > read on >
Finding a Doctor Is Tough and Getting Tougher in Rural America
Health care in rural America has become ever more scarce during the coronavirus pandemic, with folks finding it increasingly difficult to find a doctor or get to a hospital. For a decade, rural areas have been losing hospitals to financial problems, forcing residents to either drive long distances or shrug their shoulders and forgo needed… read on > read on >
Herd Immunity for Americans May Be an Elusive Goal, Experts Say
While more than half of American adults have gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, many scientists and public health experts now believe that herd immunity cannot be reached in the foreseeable future. Instead, the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will circulate in the United States for years to… read on > read on >
Opioids After Dental Work May Be Dangerous
Getting a prescription for an opioid painkiller from your dentist could put you or your family at risk for an overdose, a new study warns. The finding is based on an analysis of data from 8.5 million Americans who had teeth pulled or 119 other types of dental work between 2011 and 2018. All had… read on > read on >
5 Steps to Protect Young Athletes’ Eyes
As children begin to return to their favorite sports, parents need to ensure that their youngsters use protective eyewear, a leading group of eye specialists says. Nearly 30,000 people suffer sports-related eye injuries every year in the United States, but 90% of emergency room visits for such injuries could be prevented by protective eyewear, according… read on > read on >
Researchers Seek Antiviral Pill That Would Ease COVID Severity
COVID-19 research efforts must now shift toward the development of a pill that can prevent serious illness in the recently infected, experts say. “We need a pill that can keep people out of the hospital, and the time to develop that is right now,” Dr. Rajesh Gandhi said during a Thursday media briefing by the… read on > read on >
COVID Deaths Continue to Decline in U.S.
In a sign that the coronavirus pandemic is beginning to ebb in America, a new analysis finds the seven-day average of new COVID-19 deaths in the United States has hit its lowest point since last October. As of Wednesday, 684 new deaths had been reported, data from Johns Hopkins University showed. That’s roughly an 80%… read on > read on >
Your Blood Type Might Raise Odds for Certain Health Conditions
Certain blood types may increase a person’s risk of different health problems, a new study suggests. The research confirms some previous findings and reveals new links between blood types and diseases, according to the authors of the study published April 27 in the journal eLife. “There is still very little information available about whether people… read on > read on >
Young, Immune-Compromised Patients Are Hotspots for Coronavirus Mutations: Study
COVID-19 infections may last longer in young people with weakened immune systems, and that extended period could lead to more mutations in SARS-CoV-2, according to the authors of a new case study. The study included two children and a young adult who had weakened immune systems due to treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. For months,… read on > read on >