Too Soon to Tell if Omicron Will End Pandemic: Fauci

It's too soon to determine whether Omicron's rapid spread will turn a pandemic virus into an endemic disease, America's top infectious disease expert says.

That "would only be the case if we don't get another variant that eludes the immune response to the prior variant," Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week during the Davos Agenda, a virtual e...

Vaping Might Worsen COVID-19 Symptoms

TUESDAY, Jan. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- If you vape and catch COVID-19, you may feel a whole lot worse than people who come down with the virus but don't use electronic cigarettes, researchers say.

When compared to folks with COVID-19 who didn't use e-cigarettes, those who did were more likely to report chest pain, ch...

Do You Feel Old? It Could Be Aging You

TUESDAY, Jan. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- People who believe their bodies and minds will break down with age may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, a recent study suggests.

Researchers found that older adults with a dim outlook on aging tended to report more physical health symptoms on days when they were stressed ...

Which Kids Are Most Vulnerable to Severe COVID-19?

TUESDAY, Jan. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- As a record number of American kids are being hospitalized with COVID-19, a new study helps clarify which ones are at the highest risk for serious complications.

The study tracked over 3,200 children and teenagers who landed in an emergency room with COVID-19 symptoms and tested...

Vaccine 'Nocebo': If You Expect Side Effects, They May Come

Before getting their first dose of a COVID vaccine, many Americans were nervous about how they would react to the shot, but new research shows that fears of side effects may actually make side effects more likely.

To investigate this so-called "nocebo" effect in people receiving COVID-19 vaccines, researchers analyzed data from 12 clinical...

AHA News: What Heart and Stroke Patients Need to Know About COVID-19 in 2022

Two years into the pandemic, researchers have learned a lot about how COVID-19 affects people with heart disease and stroke survivors. But like the coronavirus itself, what everyone needs to know keeps evolving.

"You can't assume that what was true three months ago is true now," said Dr. James de Lemos, a cardiologist at UT Southwestern Me...

Here's How to Get Your Free Home COVID Test Kits

Home COVID tests are now available at no cost to most Americans, as part of the Biden administration's effort to increase testing around the United States.

Folks can buy home tests online or in stores and be fully reimbursed by their private insurance, without any copays or deductibles.

The White House also plans to distribute 1 bill...

Her Arm Got Caught in Family's Treadmill. It Could Have Been Worse.

It can happen so fast.

One moment, a family is eating dinner together like usual. Soon after, they go off to do other things before being brought back together by a child's scream.

That is what unfolded in the Beckman home in State College, Pa., one October evening three months ago. The youngest of the family's three children,...

At-Home COVID Tests Accurate for Ki​ds: Study

Despite earlier concerns that at-home COVID-19 tests might be less accurate than PCR tests, new research in U.S. children and teens adds to evidence that the rapid tests are highly accurate.

The scientists said the accuracy of the tests — which can be used at home and in schools and provide quick results — is similar to that of PCR tes...

COVID-19 Treatments: What You Need to Know

Two years into the pandemic, coronavirus treatments like monoclonal antibodies and antiviral pills have been approved to treat COVID-19, but it's hard to keep track of which ones still work, experts say.

For example, the monoclonal antibody cocktails are approved for emergency use in treating COVID-19, but some aren't work against the high...

Politics Clouds Folks' Views on COVID Rules, Global Survey Confirms

People's political views do affect their opinions about COVID-19 policies, a new study confirms, but researchers also found that advice from trusted experts can override those political biases.

"These findings underscore how important it is to have communications come from scientific sources that are not seen as political and to keep promi...

Insurance Often Covers Ivermectin for COVID, Even Though Drug Doesn't Work

U.S. insurers are paying millions of dollars a year to cover the cost of ivermectin for COVID-19 patients despite a lack of proof the anti-parasitic drug is effective against the virus, a new study finds.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization say ivermectin pills — typically used to treat parasitic...

COVID Fatigue: Are You Among the 'Vaxxed & Done'?

You've gotten vaccinated. You've gotten boosted. You wear your mask, maintain social distancing, wash your hands — you do everything you've been asked to do to protect yourself and others.

And you are completely fed up.

If that description sounds like you, you might be part of a contingent of people who consider themselves "vaxxed ...

COVAX Program Has Now Sent 1 Billion COVID Vaccines to Poorer Nations

The latest shipment of 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Rwanda this weekend signaled a noteworthy achievement: The COVAX program, a United Nations-backed program providing poorer countries with vaccines, has now shipped one billion of the doses to combat the coronavirus in 144 countries.

But still, that "is only a reminder of the work tha...

AHA News: Transplanting Pig Hearts Into Humans Offers Promise – and Peril

Surgeons recently transplanted a genetically modified pig's heart into a man with life-threatening heart failure. The successful surgery became a medical first that is raising hopes of a new, viable alternative for people at risk of dying before limited human cadaver hearts become available and for those too sick or ineligible for human heart tr...

Carbon Monoxide Deaths Soar During Power Outages

Power outages are becoming more frequent in the United States, and a new study highlights one consequence of prolonged blackouts: carbon monoxide poisonings.

Looking at major U.S. power outages between 2007 and 2018, researchers found that carbon monoxide poisonings spiked during those disruptions, versus the days immediately before.

CBD and Cannabis Products for Acne, Psoriasis? Buyer Beware, Dermatologists Say

Growing numbers of folks are turning to CBD or cannabis products to treat skin conditions like acne or rosacea, but researchers warn that the science on their safety and power hasn't kept up with demand.

When more than 500 adults were asked about their use of CBD (cannabidiol) or marijuana, fully 17.6% said they used an over-the-counter ca...

COVID Cases Surge Again in U.S. Nursing Homes

Residents of nursing homes have been a particularly at-risk group throughout the pandemic, and the advent of the fast-spreading Omicron variant has them facing another wave of infections and deaths, new data shows.

During the week ending Jan. 9, U.S. nursing homes reported more than 32,000 COVID-19 cases and 645 deaths among its residents,...

Astronauts at Risk of 'Space Anemia'

Astronauts can develop a condition called space anemia because their bodies destroy more red blood cells than normal when in space, a groundbreaking study shows.

Assessments of 14 astronauts over six months between space missions found that 54% more blood cells were destroyed while they were in space than when they were on Earth, according...

CDC Study Shows Power of Flu Vaccine for Kids

Flu vaccines protect children against serious illness, even when the vaccine doesn't match the circulating flu virus, according to a new study that reinforces the importance of flu shots.

Flu viruses are constantly changing, and the effectiveness of flu vaccines can be influenced by the similarity between the viruses used in vaccine produ...