,With widespread testing still not a reality, a new phone app aims to help epidemiologists track COVID-19 symptoms across the United States in real time. Called the “COVID Symptom Tracker,” the nonprofit app has a number of objectives. One is to quickly identify hotspots that could benefit from a rapid deployment of medical supplies or…  read on >

Having your baby in a hospital is the still the safest choice, even during the coronavirus pandemic, updated guidelines from a leading pediatricians’ group say. “We recognize that women have different reasons for planning a home delivery, such as cultural or religious beliefs — and right now, concerns over the coronavirus pandemic,” guideline author Dr.…  read on >

The lifesaving benefits of strict social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic far outweigh their projected harm to the U.S. economy, a new report claims. “Our benefit-cost analysis shows that the extensive social distancing measures being adopted in the U.S. likely do not constitute an overreaction,” said lead author Linda Thunstrom, an assistant professor of…  read on >

The virus struck swiftly, stoking panic, fear and mistrust as it sickened millions and killed thousands — and now, more than a century later, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic offers lasting lessons for a world in the grip of COVID-19. “The questions they asked then are the questions being asked now,” said Christopher Nichols, an…  read on >

Today’s youngsters are as socially skilled as previous generations, despite concerns about their heavy use of technology, like smartphones and social media, new research shows. The researchers compared teacher and parent evaluations of more than 19,000 U.S. children who started kindergarten in 1998 — six years before Facebook appeared — with more than 13,000 who…  read on >

(HealthDay News) — President Donald Trump announced new federal guidelines on Thursday that governors can use to re-open their states amid the coronavirus pandemic. The national plan lays out three phases that slowly return life to a “new normal” that continues to use some of the most fundamental aspects of social distancing. “We are not…  read on >

(HealthDay News) — As the U.S. coronavirus death toll climbed to 30,000 on Wednesday, state and federal officials hammered out the details of plans for re-opening some parts of the country in May. Amid those efforts, President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the United States will halt payments to the World Health Organization pending a…  read on >

Trying to identify animals that are most likely to transmit viruses to humans may not help prevent future pandemics, researchers say. Instead, the focus should be on specific types of viruses and how they spread, they suggest. The current coronavirus pandemic is believed to have originated in bats, and most emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic,…  read on >