Washington Post – Dr. Leana S. Wen answers reader questions on: the new bivalent booster that is widely available; which family members should get the shot, the timing in relationship to the flu shot; the continued need for N95 or an equivalent mask on an entire airline flight; who should request and take paxlovid; and… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Medicine
Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the Covid 19 pandemic
The Lancet: “As of May 31, 2022, there were 6·9 million reported deaths and 17·2 million estimated deaths from COVID-19, as reported by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME; throughout the report, we rely on IHME estimates of infections and deaths; note that the IHME gives an estimated range, and we refer to… Continue Reading
Rape victims can face huge hospital bills if they seek help
Vox: “When victims of rape or sexual violence seek emergency medical assistance following an attack, they may be saddled with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in medical bills, a new study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine found. These bills can further traumatize victims, the study authors warn, and deter… Continue Reading
TikTok’s Search Engine Pumps Toxic Misinformation To Its Young Users
NewsGuard: “[A] NewsGuard investigation found that for a sampling of searches on prominent news topics, almost 20 percent of the videos presented as search results contained misinformation. This means that for searches on topics ranging from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to school shootings and COVID vaccines, TikTok’s users are consistently fed false and misleading… Continue Reading
Omicron boosters are the future of COVID vaccines in the US
Popular Science: “Over Labor Day weekend, pharmacies across the country began receiving shipments of new Omicron- specific mRNA booster shots against COVID-19, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off on their use last week. The updated formulas, which will become the standard booster for almost… Continue Reading
Climate Change Remains Top Global Threat Across 19-Country Survey
Pew – Concerns about climate, misinformation and cyberattacks predominate across 19 countries, but people are also concerned about the global economy and spread of infectious diseases. “With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, a hot war between Russia and Ukraine ongoing, inflation rates rising globally and heat records being smashed across parts of the world, countries… Continue Reading
What you need to know about fall booster shots of coronavirus vaccine
Washington Post: “New coronavirus boosters are just around the corner following authorization Wednesday by federal regulators. The updated shots are designed to provide a stronger shield against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants still causing tens of thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths every day in the United States. The boosters will be part… Continue Reading
How Quickly Can You Get Infected With Omicron After An Exposure?
HuffPo: “Early in the pandemic, an exposure to COVID meant waiting anxiously for many days to see if you were infected. Now, the window is getting smaller and smaller, according to a new review published in the journal JAMA Network Open. Researchers analyzed 141 studies to determine how COVID’s incubation period ― the time from… Continue Reading
It took two years for the WHO to admit covid is airborne
Quartz – The reason is rooted in science history: “Covid, it’s now an established fact, is airborne. Like other infectious diseases such as measles, chickenpox, or tuberculosis, it spreads through aerosols that can stay in the air for long periods of time, and travel long distances. The airborne quality of the virus is recognized by… Continue Reading
A Simple Rule for Planning Your Fall Booster Shot
The Atlantic – Everyone will probably gain something from the updated vaccines. Here’s how to make the most of it. “In less than two weeks, you could walk out of a pharmacy with a next-generation COVID booster in your arm. Just a few days ago, the Biden administration indicated that the first updated COVID-19 vaccines… Continue Reading
New data shows long Covid is keeping as many as 4 million people out of work
Brookings – Around 16 million working-age Americans likely have long Covid today – “The Census Bureau’s June to July 2022 HPS survey found that 16.3 million people (around 8%) of working-age Americans currently have long Covid. This report uses HPS data rather than Current Population Survey (CPS) data—which is generally more robust—because the HPS asks questions… Continue Reading
How to Use the Emergency SOS Feature on Your Smartphone
Wired: “Emergency SOS works in a similar way across mobile platforms, as we’ll outline below. Whether you’re dealing with a medical emergency or other safety concerns, its main purpose is to let emergency services and your trusted contacts know that you’re in trouble and where you are.” Continue Reading
