Here’s more evidence that marijuana may make driving more dangerous: As pot has been legalized in more countries and states, a greater number of people are driving intoxicated by the drug and crashing, researchers report. THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, has been detected in twice as many injured Canadian drivers since 2018, when cannabis…  read on >  read on >

Americans should avoid travel to Canada due to “very high” levels of COVID-19 cases in that country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. The agency placed Canada under a Level 4 travel health notice, which is the highest category and includes other countries such as France, Germany, Britain, Spain and South…  read on >  read on >

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced that pre-departure tests for people traveling to the United Kingdom will no longer be required because restrictions meant to contain the international spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant are now meaningless. The change should come as welcome news to people who had refrained from traveling overseas…  read on >  read on >

The Omicron variant continued to keep flights grounded on Monday as airlines canceled at least 2,400 more flights around the world, including 900 in the United States. Several airlines acknowledged that COVID-19 was contributing significantly to the cancellations, not just the usual bad weather and maintenance issues, the New York Times reported. A JetBlue spokesman…  read on >  read on >

Taking to the skies for a long-awaited holiday? Choose your seat on the plane wisely and don’t overlook familiar steps like keeping your mask on to reduce your odds for getting COVID-19 or another contagious disease, experts suggest. “Spacing is an obvious challenge on airplanes, especially when the planes are filled at or near capacity…  read on >  read on >

MONDAY, Dec. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Starting Dec. 31, the United States will lift travel restrictions from eight countries in southern Africa. The restrictions were first announced in late November in response to concerns about Omicron, the new highly contagious variant of COVID-19. Omicron was spotted first in southern Africa. The restrictions had been…  read on >  read on >

Add heat waves to the many health threats facing homeless people. Last year, the United States had 580,000 homeless people — 28% of them in California, where seven in 10 live outdoors. That’s nearly nine times more than in any other state. “The same weather that makes living unsheltered possible in California also exposes people…  read on >  read on >

Lockdowns keep people home for a few weeks, but they lose their luster after a few months, claims a new study that comes as many countries consider a return to lockdowns to slow the renewed spread of COVID-19. The findings could be used by policymakers when deciding whether to impose lockdowns, the researchers said. For…  read on >  read on >