Kottke.org: “The CDC recently released their report on Mortality in the United States, 2020 and this graph of US life expectancy at birth since 1950 by Christopher Ingraham dramatically summarizes the report’s main finding: That’s a decrease in life expectancy of 1.8 years from 2019. Here are some more of the report’s significant findings: In… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Medicine
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes First Oral Antiviral for Treatment of COVID-19
“Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, co-packaged for oral use) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kilograms or about 88 pounds) with positive… Continue Reading
US Army Creates Single Vaccine Effective Against All COVID & SARS Variants, Researchers Say
Defense One – “Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide. The achievement is the result of almost… Continue Reading
This Scientist Created a Rapid Test Just Weeks Into the Pandemic
ProPublica: “Here’s Why You Still Can’t Get It. Irene Bosch developed a quick, inexpensive COVID-19 test in early 2020. When COVID-19 started sweeping across America in the spring of 2020, Irene Bosch knew she was in a unique position to help. The Harvard-trained scientist had just developed quick, inexpensive tests for several tropical diseases, and… Continue Reading
The World’s Most Profitable Traffic Jam
“Welcome to BIG, a newsletter about the politics of monopoly. If you’d like to sign up, you can do so here. Or just read on…Today’s issue is on an unusual type of story – it’s about how politics can work to fix a major social problem. Ten days ago, the House of Representatives passed a bill… Continue Reading
President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Americans and Help Communities and Hospitals Battle Omicron
Fact Sheet: “…Increased Support for Hospitals: The President will take several steps to ensure states and health systems across the country have the personnel, beds, and supplies they need as they battle rising Omicron hospitalizations, mostly among the unvaccinated. Today’s steps build on the President’s Winter Plan, which made over 60 Winter COVID-19 emergency response… Continue Reading
Visions of a Volatile World
The New York Times – “The year 2021 opened with the promise of vaccines, and the belief that we would all return to “normal” after the tumultuous year of the pandemic. But the year instead took off with an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, and saw a summer of carefree gatherings derailed by a fast-spreading… Continue Reading
Lessons from COVID-19 on Executing Communications and Engagement at the Community Level During a Health Crisis
National Academies: “On May 20, 2021, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a virtual convening of public health and communications practitioners to examine the challenges, opportunities, and lessons they saw while executing effective communications and community engagement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic….Participants in the convening discussed how communicating about COVID-19 to… Continue Reading
We reviewed three at-home covid tests. The results were mixed.
“Over-the-counter home tests for covid-19 are finally here. MIT Technology Review obtained kits sold by three companies and tried them out…Over-the-counter coronavirus tests are finally available in the US. Some are more accurate and easier to use than others…” See also beSpacific –When should I get a Covid-19 test? Here’s a simple guide. Continue Reading
When should I get a Covid-19 test? Here’s a simple guide.
Vox – “Vaccinated and confused about whether to get tested? We asked four experts for help…the immune protection from vaccines wanes over time, and the rise of variants like omicron stand to erode that shielding further. This leaves even vaccinated people at risk of contracting the virus, sometimes without any symptoms, and potentially spreading it… Continue Reading
How to find the right coronavirus test for new U.S. travel rules
Washington Post: “The United States on Monday [December 6, 2021] began requiring all inbound international travelers to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within a day of their flight to enter the country. The requirement is mandatory for anyone at least 2 years old, even American citizens and legal residents, regardless of vaccination… Continue Reading
SCOTUS Will Gaslight Us Until the End
Slate – “Oral arguments today made clear that this court will overturn Roe—and that they’ll insist on their own reasonableness the whole time…Perhaps it would be refreshing if the conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court no longer felt the need to lie to us. The lying, after all, is becoming nearly untenable—especially for an institution… Continue Reading
