As COVID Surges in China, US Begins Testing More Travelers

Shubham Chandra knows how dangerous the coronavirus can be: He lost his dad during the pandemic. So when he cleared customs at Newark Liberty International Airport and saw people offering anonymous COVID-19 testing, he was happy to volunteer. “It’s a minimum amount of effort to help a lot of people," said the 27-year-old New York City man, who had just stepped off a plane from Cancun, Mexico....Read More

How Hospitals and Health Systems Can Change the Health Equity Landscape

Envisioning a more equitable health care landscape will require new ideas around data, culture and collaboration, according to Pamela Sutton-Wallace, Yale New Haven Health’s chief operating officer, who spoke at the recent "The State of Equity in America".At the event, thought leaders and experts from business, government, health, the nonprofit world and other sectors came together to highlight solutions to address economic and health inequities across the country.....Read More

WHO: 1st Ebola Vaccines to Arrive in Uganda Next Week

The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that he expects the first doses of Ebola vaccine targeting the strain causing the current outbreak in Uganda to arrive in the country next week. At a press briefing, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said an expert committee convened by the agency had evaluated three experimental Ebola vaccines and decided they should all be tested......Read More

FDA Authorizes Updated COVID-19 Booster Shots from Moderna, Pfizer for Children as Young as 5

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized updated COVID-19 booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer for children as young as 5 years old, citing concerns about increased exposure as kids are back in school and resuming other activities. “Since children have gone back to school in person and people are resuming pre-pandemic behaviors and activities, there is the potential for increased risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19,” Peter Marks,....Read More

Japan to Drop COVID Restrictions, Ease Entry for Tourists

Japan announced plans Thursday to relax tight COVID travel restrictions, making it easier for tourists to return to the country. Independent tourists can begin traveling to Japan on Oct. 11. Some tour groups had already been allowed. The country will also end a cap on tourist numbers, as well as pandemic-era visa requirements......Read More

US Data Reveals Racial Gaps in Monkeypox Vaccinations

The Biden administration said Friday there's enough monkeypox vaccine available now but health officials say the shots aren’t getting to some of the people who need the protection the most. About 10% of monkeypox vaccine doses have been given to Black people, even though they account for one-third of U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.......Read More

Mapping Monkeypox Cases in the U.S.

Since the first case of monkeypox was reported in the U.S. in mid-May, infections have grown to the highest number reported in any country. The U.S. has documented nearly 5,200 cases of monkeypox as of July 29, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. States reporting the highest number of cases include New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Texas and Georgia......Read More

Taking Stock of Breakthroughs and Struggles in Pediatric Cancer Care

Despite many treatment advances, about 10,500 children under age 15 are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to statistics from the American Cancer Society. And while new approaches to care have improved overall survival rates, cancer is still the No. 1 cause of death by disease for kids......Read More

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Sparked a Surge in Opioid Overdose Deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported 93,980 drug overdose deaths in 2020, a record high. That's about 5,000 people short of the population of Erie, Pennsylvania. The number of overdose deaths, up from 70,890 in 2019, marks the largest annual surge in at least five decades. Federal officials attributed nearly three-quarters of the fatal overdoses to opioids. Many of the deaths were associated with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic drug. Overdose fatalities from use of methamphetamines and cocaine......Read More

When Allergy or Cold Medicine Makes You Drowsy

Most medications carry the risk of side effects, and one of the more common of these is drowsiness. Those with seasonal allergies, now in full pollinated swing, are especially aware of this. "Many common over-the-counter and prescription medications can cause drowsiness, including pain relievers, cold and allergy medications, muscle relaxants, sleep aids and some blood pressure medications," says Dr. Ada Stewart, a family physician in Columbia, South Carolina,.......Read More

5 Ways Stress Makes You Gain Weight

You’re stressed out lately and you’ve been comfort eating like there’s no tomorrow. Then "tomorrow" comes, and your belly is a little bigger. Is it just the result of extra calories you’re consuming or is there something more to stress and weight gain? The answer is a bit of both. “Stress provides the perfect storm for gaining weight and having difficulties losing weight down the road......Read More

Should I Get the COVID-19 Booster?

Recommendations for getting the COVID-19 booster vaccine keep getting stronger. Now, with winter coming and omicron emerging as the latest variant of concern, everyone ages 16 and and older can get a booster shot after their initial vaccine series, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention......Read More

First confirmed case of omicron variant detected in United States

The California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health have confirmed the first case of the omicron variant in the United States in an individual in California who was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and returned Nov. 22 from South Africa, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today. The individual had mild symptoms that are improving and is self-quarantining. All of the individual’s close contacts have been contacted and tested negative, CDC said.......Read More

U.S. CDC Calls for More COVID-19 Vaccinations Among Pregnant Women

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday issued a health advisory to increase COVID-19 vaccinations among women who are pregnant, recently pregnant or trying to become pregnant, to prevent serious illness and death.The CDC said its data showed only 31% of pregnant people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. .........Read More

Even at Same Hospital, Black Patients Face More Complications Than Whites

Black Americans admitted for inpatient hospital care are far more likely than white patients to experience safety-related health complications -- even when both are treated in the same facility, And having good insurance didn't appear to bridge racial differences in patient safety, investigators found.....Read More

Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine is 96% Effective, Safe in Teens, Trial Shows

I Got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine. Now What?

Don't panic. U.S. health officials on Tuesday recommended pausing vaccinations with J&J's shot as they look into reports of six clots out of nearly 7 million doses given in the country. Health officials say to be vigilant, but to remember that reports of blood clots that may be associated with J&J’s single-dose vaccine are....Read More

Heart Damage Seen in Many Hospitalized COVID Patients: Study

Heart damage was found in more than half of a group of hospitalized COVID-19 patients after they were discharged, according to a new British study. The study included 148 patients who were treated for severe COVID-19 at six hospitals in London. The patients all had raised levels of a protein called troponin, which is released into the blood when the heart muscle is injured........Read More

California faces 'darkest days' as COVID-19 cases surge, pushing hospital staff to the breaking point

These are scenes from a battlefield. Full intensive care units. Doctors and nurses working for hours without sleep. Waves of patients dying. Across California, a post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 spike is ravaging cities and counties that once had been models for how to keep coronavirus cases low. To date, the state has logged 1.9 million cases and 22,000 deaths, with new records seemingly set daily........Read More

FDA gives emergency authorization to drug that can keep COVID-19 patients out of the hospital

In more good news for the fight against COVID-19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration late Monday authorized use of a drug that appears to protect infected people at high risk from getting very sick. The FDA issued an emergency use authorization to drug-maker Lilly for bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody that mimics the immune system’s response to infection with the virus that causes COVID-19......Read More

Rising vaccine wariness in some nations doesn't bode well for COVID vaccines

Public confidence in vaccines varies widely around the world, with low but improving acceptance in some areas of Europe and growing wariness in countries experiencing political instability and religious extremism,.....Read More

With emergency visits down 42%, US hospitals reeling from COVID-19

In April, 42% less people visited emergency departments (EDs) across the United States than in April last year, according to data published today in Morbidity and Mortality . This significant drop-off, which took place while most states had stay-at-home orders, translates to millions of dollars lost by US hospitals still fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and Americans becoming at risk for worsening outcome.....Read More