The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that COVID-19 continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern, its highest form of alert. The pandemic was likely in a “transition point” that continues to need careful management to “mitigate the potential negative consequences,” the agency added in a statement. It is three years […]
Category: Personal
FDA to roll out a new COVID vaccination strategy
A committee of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on a proposal to simplify the nation’s strategy for vaccinating people against COVID-19. The recommendation is that future COVID-19 vaccines should be interchangeable: no matter whether you’re getting your first dose or a booster, the vaccines would all have the same formulation targeting […]
Do rapid Covid tests really work or are they worthless?
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its fourth year, a negative result on a little plastic at-home test feels a bit less comforting than it once did. Still, you dutifully swab your nostrils before dinner parties, wait 15 minutes for the all-clear and then text the host “negative!” before leaving your KN95 mask at home. It […]
Are Vitamin Supplements a waste of money?
With cold and flu season in full swing, ’tis the season for many Americans to throw back one or more dietary supplements in the hopes of fending off illnesses. And it isn’t just a winter habit; for many they’ve become routine, with nearly 58% of people ages 20 and older reporting using at least one […]
Opioid crisis was deadly in 2022; over 100k lost
When the history of America’s long, devastating opioid crisis is finally written, 2022 may be remembered as both a low point and a turning point. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the avalanche of overdose deaths — driven largely by the spread of illicit fentanyl –may have crested in March. Researchers […]
What now for the 1000’s of workers fired over the vaccine mandate?
For ten years, George Garvey had a routine. He’d set his alarm for 4:30 a.m., jump in the shower, grab his coffee and be out on the streets of New York City collecting trash at 6 a.m. Nowadays, he gets up, makes breakfast for his teenagers before school, finds things to do around the house […]
US Life expectancy lowest in 20 years
The average life expectancy for Americans shortened by over seven months last year, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That decrease follows an already big decline of 1.8 years in 2020. As a result, the expected life span of someone born in the U.S. is now 76.4 years — […]
CDC Reports That Long COVID Can Be Deadly
More than 3,500 Americans died of long-COVID-related illness during the pandemic’s first 2 ½ years, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics. Long COVID lacks a specific definition, but generally covers signs, symptoms, and conditions that continue or develop after initial infection. The […]
CDC authorities urge indoor masks in major cities
Public health officials are revisiting the topic of indoor masking, as three highly contagious respiratory viruses take hold during the holiday season. Over the past few weeks, a surge in cases of COVID, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus — known as RSV — has been sickening millions of Americans, overwhelming emergency rooms and even […]
Congress could end military’s vaccine mandate
Congress could soon end the military’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate. Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate are considering allowing a Republican bill to suspend the mandate to advance, two Republican aides and one Democratic aide familiar with the matter told NBC News. The bill, as it is currently written, would direct the Secretary of […]
Infectious Covid virus can stay on groceries for days
The Covid virus can reside on some ready-to-eat groceries for days. Scientists carried out tests for the Food Standards Agency (FSA), purposely smearing the virus on to packaging and food products, including fruit, pastries and bottled drinks. They chose items that people might put in their mouth without cooking or washing. For most food products […]
NY to involuntarily hospitalize mentally ill people
More seriously mentally ill New Yorkers will be transported to area hospitals for psychiatric evaluations without their consent under a directive Mayor Eric Adams issued Tuesday. Emergency workers are already empowered to hold dangerously violent individuals. But the directive expands the interpretation of that policy to include more people whose inability to care for themselves […]