With U.S. coronavirus cases surging past 3.8 million on Tuesday, Congress is negotiating yet another pandemic relief package for cash-strapped Americans. The package is likely to include a payroll tax cut, along with funding that would be tied to whether schools fully reopen, the Washington Post reported. Although local and state officials have said they… read on >
All Mommy:
U.S. Coronavirus Case Counts Continue to Break Records, Pooled Testing Approved
As yet another record for the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in the United States was broken on Sunday, federal health officials prepared to start pooled testing for COVID-19. The strategy could speed results, stretch lab supplies further, reduce costs and expand testing, the Associated Press reported. On Sunday, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oregon and South… read on >
Black Kids Face Higher Odds of Post-Op Complications Than White Kids
When healthy kids have surgery, serious complications are uncommon. But even in that low-risk scenario, Black children fare worse, a new study finds. Looking at more than 172,000 U.S. children who had inpatient surgery, researchers found that Black kids faced higher post-operative risks. That included more than three times the risk of dying within 30… read on >
When Teens Feel Loved, Conflicts With Parents Are Easier to Manage: Study
Parents can ease conflict with their teens by showing them warmth, researchers say. In their new study, they analyzed daily diary entries from parents and teens in 151 families. The teens were 13 to 16 years old, and 95% of the parents were women. “By using 21 consecutive days of daily diaries, we were able… read on >
U.S. Breaks Another Daily Record for New Cases, With More Than 75,000 Infections
Yet another daily record for new U.S. coronavirus cases was shattered on Thursday, with 75,600 new infections reported. It’s the 11th time in the past month that the daily record had been broken, The New York Times reported. The previous single-day record, 68,241 cases, was reported last Friday. The number of daily cases has more… read on >
COVID-19 Deaths Have Already Left 1.2 Million Americans Grieving
Each COVID-19 death in the United States leaves an average of nine close family members to grieve, researchers say. With more than 137,000 deaths so far in the pandemic, that means about 1.2 million Americans have lost a grandparent, parent, sibling, spouse, child or other close relative. “In just a few short months, over 1… read on >
Placenta May Help Shield Fetus From COVID-19
Some key molecules used by the new coronavirus to cause infection aren’t found in the placenta, which may explain why the virus is rarely detected in fetuses or newborns of women with COVID-19. U.S. government researchers found that placental membranes lack the messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule required to make the ACE2 receptor. SARS-CoV-2 — the… read on >
Contact Tracing Useless Unless It’s Speedy: Study
It’s the Holy Grail for containing the spread of coronavirus, but contact tracing only works if it is done quickly, researchers report. The modeling study showed that even if all contacts are successfully traced, a delay of three days or more between the start of symptoms and testing will not reduce transmission of the virus… read on >
More States, Retailers Turn to Face Mask Mandates as U.S. Cases Top 3.5 Million
As the number of U.S. coronavirus cases topped 3.5 million on Wednesday, more states, cities and major retailers turned to face mask mandates to try to stem the spread of COVID-19. Increasingly seen as a last hope to slow soaring infection rates across the country, Alabama, Montana and the city of Tulsa on Wednesday moved… read on >
More COVID-19 Patients in ICUs Are Surviving Now: Study
Even as new coronavirus infections soar in the United States, a new study offers one piece of good news: Severely ill COVID-19 patients are significantly more likely to survive now compared to a few months ago. In fact, deaths for COVID-19 patients in intensive care units have fallen by nearly a third in North America,… read on >