WEDNESDAY, Jan. 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The record-breaking numbers surrounding the Omicron surge are dizzying, with so many Americans falling prey to the highly infectious COVID-19 variant. The United States reported more than 1.3 million COVID cases on Monday, the highest daily total recorded for any country in theContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Jan. 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The United States has passed another grim milestone in the pandemic as the Omicron variant races across the country: COVID hospitalizations have now eclipsed a previous peak, which was seen last January. There were 142,388 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday, moreContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Jan. 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) — A review of cases from 465 U.S. hospitals underscores the protection provided by COVID-19 vaccines. The new review — by researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health — found that vaccinated adults who got breakthrough infections rarely got severely ill. Respiratory failure,Continue Reading
TUESDAY, Jan. 4, 2022 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 hospitalizations among children are surging across the United States just as students return to school and the highly transmissible Omicron variant begins to dominate the country. At least nine states have reported record numbers of COVID-related pediatric hospitalizations: They include Connecticut, Georgia,Continue Reading
MONDAY, Jan 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) – New animal research offers a compelling explanation as to how the Omicron variant causes less severe disease than some of its predecessors: It seems to settle in the nose, throat and windpipe, rather than traveling down to the lungs. “It’s fair to sayContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Dec. 31, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A certain gene mutation known as APOE4 has long been known to raise the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Now, researchers report it may also predispose people to increased susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and severe symptoms, including small brain bleeds. Researchers in Finland, whereContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Dec. 31, 2021 (HealthDay News) — By now, most folks know obesity is a leading risk factor for severe COVID-19, but a new study suggests that losing a significant amount of weight can reduce that risk. “The research findings show that patients with obesity who achieved substantial and sustainedContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A program meant to encourage the use of a drug that can help people overcome opioid addiction led to dramatic increases in its use in emergency rooms, researchers report. Buprenorphine is a medication that stabilizes opioid withdrawal and soothes cravings. Using it canContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Child hospitalizations for COVID-19 jumped 30% this past week as the Omicron variant spread like wildfire throughout the United States. By Dec. 28, the country had an average of 260 pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations each day, according to the latest data from the U.S.Continue Reading
TUESDAY, Dec. 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Compared to previous coronavirus variants, Omicron appears to cause less severe illness, but is more resistant to the Pfizer vaccine, researchers at South Africa’s largest health insurer report. The team at Discovery Health analyzed 211,000 positive coronavirus cases during the country’s fourth wave,Continue Reading
MONDAY, Dec. 13, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Big “surprise” medical bills may still be a problem for Americans. According to a new study, more than half of U.S. hospitals haven’t complied with recent regulations requiring that they disclose their prices online for all services, to help prevent unexpected bills forContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Dec. 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) — U.S. operating rooms got busy once again soon after the first round of pandemic shutdowns, according to a study that challenges the widely held belief that operations have been curtailed indefinitely during the age of COVID-19. “It’s an untold story,” said senior studyContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Dec. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The coronavirus appears to target both fat cells and certain immune cells within body fat, which may explain why overweight and obese people are more likely to develop severe COVID-19, researchers report. When the virus gets into those cells, it triggers a damagingContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Booster doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine set recipients up to effectively withstand the ravages of both the Delta and Omicron variants, a group of new studies suggest. Boosted folks are 90% less likely to die from a Delta infection than people relying solelyContinue Reading