Scientists studying the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus — which causes COVID-19 — believe they’ve discovered why face masks might help limit transmission of the virus. The virus tends to first infect the nasal cavity, replicating less well in the lower respiratory tract, University of North Carolina (UNC) researchers found. However, sometimes it’s sucked into the lungs, where…  read on >

The U.S. center hardest hit by COVID-19 isn’t headline-grabbing New York City; it’s the Navajo Nation in the American southwest. About the size of West Virginia and situated on 27,000 square miles of land spread across Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, Navajo Nation is home to approximately 175,000 people. It’s also home to a coronavirus…  read on >

New York City finally reopened its economy on Monday after being the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic for months, and a new study shows that stay-at-home orders may have been worth it, preventing nearly 60 million U.S. infections. The research, published in the Nature medical journal, examined how different social distancing policies and measures…  read on >

People infected with COVID-19 who need surgery have much higher odds of dying soon afterward, a new study finds. Infected patients who had surgery died at rates nearly equal to those of the sickest COVID-19 patients in intensive care units, the researchers found. For the study, the investigators looked at data on more than 1,100…  read on >

Federal data released Friday offered signs of hope on the economic front, as jobless numbers actually fell — from 14.7 percent in April to 13.3 percent in May. The economy, hit hard by stay-at-home orders and shuttered businesses tied to the coronavirus crisis, ended up adding 2.5 million job in May, as some Americans warily…  read on >

As the U.S. coronavirus case count eclipsed 1.8 million and the death toll passed 107,000 on Thursday, America’s jobless rolls swelled to nearly 43 million. That’s close to one-quarter of the country’s work force. The U.S. Labor Department reported 1.9 million more people filed new unemployment claims last week, a sobering reminder of the economic…  read on >

Face masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19, but some people find them awkward, uncomfortable or downright unbearable to wear. There’s another good option available for people who just can’t get used to strapping on a face mask while out in public, experts say. Plastic face shields offer another means of deterring COVID-19 that some…  read on >

There’s been a nearly 60% drop in broken bones among U.S. children during the coronavirus pandemic, but the rate of fractures that occur at home has climbed, a new study finds. The researchers analyzed data on 1,735 youngsters treated for acute fractures at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) between March 15 and April 15,…  read on >

Four of the earliest U.S. cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome in kids with COVID-19 are described in a study that offers insight into the condition. The four children — aged 5, 10, 12 and 13 — arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City with what is known as exaggerated cytokine storm, an…  read on >