FRIDAY, Oct. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Coronavirus cases have plunged by 60% since mid-September’s Delta-driven peak, U.S. health officials said earlier this week. But with winter on the way, they warned that Americans still need to protect themselves and others against COVID-19. “We are now heading in the rightContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Oct. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A cheap and widely available antidepressant drug called fluvoxamine may reduce COVID-19 patients’ risk of serious illness requiring hospitalization, according to a new study. The trial included almost 1,500 unvaccinated outpatients in Brazil. All of the patients tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV-2Continue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Routine face mask ventilation during an operation doesn’t increase the surgical team’s risk of coronavirus infection, according to a new study. Face mask ventilation is typically used for surgical patients under general anesthesia. However, its designation as an “aerosol-generating procedure” by the WorldContinue Reading

MONDAY, Oct. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 could now face thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical costs, according to a new report. In 2020, most health insurance companies waived co-pays, deductibles and other cost-sharing for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but many stopped doing that early this year,Continue Reading

THURSDAY, Oct. 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Dr. Tiffany Braley works with patients who have experienced strokes and other serious health conditions, treating them at the Michigan hospital where she works as they begin their recovery. Braley noticed there was a trend among patients who resisted being admitted to orContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Since the rise of the Delta variant, one Texas hospital has seen a surge in severe COVID-19 among pregnant women — nearly all unvaccinated. Researchers at the Dallas hospital found that in late August and early September, 10% to 15% of pregnant patientsContinue Reading

TUESDAY, Oct. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Full vaccination with the two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been 90% effective in protecting against hospitalization for at least six months, a new study shows. That includes the time during which the highly contagious Delta variant has been circulating in the United States.Continue Reading

FRIDAY, Oct. 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. said Friday that it will seek federal approval for emergency use of its new antiviral pill molnupiravir, after a clinical trial showed the drug halved the risk of hospitalization or death when given to high-risk people shortly afterContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Having a child in the hospital is distressing for families, and not knowing what that stay might cost can add to that stress, researchers say. A new study has found that three-quarters of U.S. families want to have conversations about the costs ofContinue Reading

TUESDAY, Sept. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Older children and kids with chronic diseases are those most likely to wind up in the hospital with COVID-19, researchers have found. Conditions such as obesity, diabetes and neurologic problems, among others, put kids at risk for severe COVID-19, according to a newContinue Reading

TUESDAY, Sept. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Potentially dangerous symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children are not always immediately recognized by primary care providers, new research suggests. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas fails to make enough insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar used for energy byContinue Reading

MONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A study of millions of people vaccinated against COVID-19 has identified those at greatest risk of hospitalization and death after breakthrough infection. The most vulnerable are those who are immunosuppressed from chemotherapy, a recent bone marrow or solid organ transplant, or HIV/AIDS. AlsoContinue Reading

MONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Hospitalized opioid addicts die at a rate similar to people who have a heart attack after leaving the hospital. Nearly 8% of patients addicted to opioids died within 12 months of hospital discharge, according to researchers from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).Continue Reading