Bright Side: Sunnier Areas Have Lower COVID-19 Death Rates

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• April 9, 2021
• Full Page

COVID-19 might have a tough new foe: The sun.

New research shows that sunnier regions of the United States have lower COVID-19 death rates than cloudier areas, suggesting that the sun's UV rays might somehow provide some protection against the disease.

The effect i...

Two Vaccines Show Effectiveness Against Emerging COVID Variants

• Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
• April 8, 2021
• Full Page

Two COVID-19 vaccines appear to work well against a rapidly spreading coronavirus variant that arose in California, but less effective against a variant that first emerged in South Africa, researchers report.

"The good news is the California variant does not appear to be...

No Proof COVID Vaccines Can Trigger Guillain-Barré Syndrome

• Steven Reinberg
• April 7, 2021
• Full Page

Two people in the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine trial developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, but it's highly doubtful the vaccine is to blame, according to a just-published case study.

Although both people were in the same trial, one was given the vaccine and the other...

A Few People With COVID Went a Crowded Bar: Here's What Happened

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• April 7, 2021
• Full Page

COVID-19 is so contagious that even a single breach of social distancing measures can have far-reaching consequences.

A case in point: An explosion of new COVID-19 cases traced to five people who joined in on a bar's opening night in rural Illinois in February.

F...

Moderna COVID Vaccine Offers Protection for at Least 6 Months: Study

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• April 6, 2021
• Full Page

There's good news for the millions of Americans who've already received a dose or two of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine: New research shows the vaccine should protect against illness for at least six months.

The new study tracked 33 participants in the trials that led to the...

Low Risk That Scientists Can Pass Coronavirus to North American Bats

• Cara Murez
• April 6, 2021
• Full Page

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists thought twice about studying North American bats in their winter habitats. But they've now determined that the risk of humans passing the coronavirus to bats under these conditions was low.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)...

When Will America's Kids Get Their COVID Vaccines?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 2, 2021
• Full Page

Kids will be kids, and that's exactly why Holly McDade plans to get her three young children the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available to them.

"Little kids can't help but touch their mouths and their noses and touch other things," said McDade, 32, of Strasbur...

Can Vaccinations Stop COVID Transmission? College Study Aims to Find Out

• Sarah Collins HealthDay Reporter
• April 1, 2021
• Full Page

It's the question everyone wants answered because reopening the world depends on it: Can coronavirus vaccines stop transmission of the virus?

Now, 21 universities across the United States are teaming up to find out.

The project, called Prevent COVID U, was started ...

He Watched His Hospitalized Son Battle COVID-Linked Illness

• Serena McNiff HealthDay Reporter
• March 31, 2021
• Full Page

In January, the coronavirus swept through Brian and Maria Padla's family of seven in Philadelphia, starting with their oldest daughter, 16, and then infecting Brian, Maria, and their four younger children.

The virus seemingly came and went without much fanfare for the fa...

New Coronavirus Can Also Infect Cells in the Mouth

• Robert Preidt
• March 30, 2021
• Full Page

Add another part of your body to the list of what COVID-19 can invade: New research shows mouth cells can be infected with the new coronavirus.

Previous studies have shown that the coronavirus infects the upper airways and lungs, the digestive system, blood vessels and k...

Have to Travel During Spring Break? Here's How to Stay Safe

• Robert Preidt
• March 30, 2021
• Full Page

If you must travel during the spring break, be sure to follow recommended COVID-19 pandemic safety measures, an emergency medicine doctor advises.

Millions of people are packing airports, while only one-quarter of the U.S. population has received at least one shot of a C...

In Rare Cases, People Can Get COVID After Vaccination

• Steven Reinberg
• March 25, 2021
• Full Page

It's very rare, but it is possible to catch COVID-19 even if you've been vaccinated, a new study finds.

Looking at vaccinated health care workers at two University of California campuses, researchers found a tiny number tested positive for the virus. This finding highli...

Another Study Finds COVID Doesn't Spread in Schools With Proper Safeguards

• Robert Preidt
• March 24, 2021
• Full Page

COVID-19 transmission is rare in schools that follow precautions such as mandatory masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing, a new study finds.

And that's true even among close school contacts of people who test positive for the new coronavirus, according to re...

COVID-19 May Trigger Long-Term Thyroid Issues: Study

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• March 22, 2021
• Full Page

Yet another organ seems to be affected by a bout of COVID-19: the thyroid.

Italian researchers have examined the thyroids of dozens of patients who've recovered from moderate-to-severe cases of COVID-19. The study found evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection may trigger an i...

Some Kids With Type 1 Diabetes Face High Risk of Severe COVID-19

• Robert Preidt
• March 22, 2021
• Full Page

Poorly controlled type 1 diabetes significantly increases a child's risk of COVID-19 complications and death, researchers warn.

The risk of complications is 10 times higher in youngsters with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes than in those with well-controlled diabetes, ...

Still Leery of COVID Vaccines? Top Expert Debunks Those Myths

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 18, 2021
• Full Page

Don't believe everything you hear: A sizable minority of Americans are still hesitant about getting the new COVID-19 vaccine, but their fears are mostly not warranted, a leading vaccine expert says.

"Not only has it been shown to be safe in tens of thousands of people be...

Some Long Haul COVID Patients Are Feeling Better After Vaccination

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• March 17, 2021
• Full Page

For many, it's like emerging suddenly from a long, dark tunnel.

Some people who've been laid low for months by so-called "long haul" symptoms after a coronavirus infection say that within days of getting their COVID-19 vaccine, those symptoms nearly disappeared.

Sp...

Disappointment and Hope From Two HIV Prevention Trials

• March 17, 2021
• Full Page

An antibody infusion being tested for preventing HIV does not seem to thwart most infections -- but its success against certain strains of the virus suggests researchers are on the right track.

That's the takeaway from a clinical trial that put the antibody, called VRC01...

Half of COVID Survivors Struggle With Depression: Study

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• March 16, 2021
• Full Page

To the lingering damage of COVID-19 infection, add this side effect: New research shows that more than half of those sickened by COVID-19 report depression.

Among more than 3,900 people who had COVID-19 surveyed between May 2020 and January 2021, 52% suffered symptoms of...

Health Care Workers More Likely to Catch COVID at Home, Not Workplace

• Robert Preidt
• March 16, 2021
• Full Page

Health care workers are more likely to catch COVID-19 at home or in their community than on the job, a new study finds.

"The news is reassuring in that it shows the measures taken are working to prevent infections from spreading in health care facilities," said study co-...

Nearly All Americans Who Got First COVID Shot Are Are Getting Their Second

• Robin Foster
• March 15, 2021
• Full Page

In more good news on the coronavirus vaccine front, a new government report finds that 88% of Americans who get their first COVID-19 shot return for their second.

That bodes well for the United States, since full vaccination is vital to stopping the pandemic.

In De...

People With Intellectual Disabilities at High Risk for Fatal COVID-19

• Robert Preidt
• March 15, 2021
• Full Page

Having an intellectual disability is second only to being elderly as a risk factor for dying from COVID-19, a new study suggests.

"The chances of dying from COVID-19 are higher for those with intellectual disability than they are for people with congestive heart failure,...

Backyard Chicken Coops Pose Threat of 'Viral Spillover' to People

• Robert Preidt
• March 12, 2021
• Full Page

Raising chickens in your backyard -- a popular trend during the COVID-19 pandemic -- holds risks that can come home to roost in an unwelcome way.

It's already well known that poultry can spread the salmonella bacteria to human handlers. But chickens cooped up in backyard...

How Bad Was COVID in Your State? Governor's Party Affiliation Was Key

• Robert Preidt
• March 12, 2021
• Full Page

Could whether your governor is a Democrat or a Republican have influenced how many coronavirus cases and deaths your state has seen during the pandemic?

Yes, claim researchers who discovered a strong link between the two -- by late last summer, the odds of dying from COV...

Social Distancing Probably Stopped 2020 Outbreak of Paralyzing Disorder in Kids

• Robert Preidt
• March 11, 2021
• Full Page

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have prevented an anticipated outbreak of a rare polio-like syndrome in children, researchers report.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a spinal condition that causes weakness in the limbs, impairs motor function an...

Vaginal Ring Could Shield Women From HIV for 3 Months at a Time

• March 9, 2021
• Full Page

A vaginal ring that slowly releases an antiviral medication could protect women against HIV for up to three months, a preliminary trial suggests.

It assessed two formulations of a vaginal ring that releases the antiretroviral dapivirine in the vagina over the course of 9...

With 3 COVID Vaccines Approved, Is There a 'Best' Shot?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 5, 2021
• Full Page

Americans love to have choices, and now there are three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States.

But infectious disease experts say that all three protect strongly against severe COVID-19, so there is only one criteria to use in deciding which vaccine is ...

She Barely Survived a Severe Form of COVID-19 Hitting Kids

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• March 4, 2021
• Full Page

Like many people this past year, teenager Tyona Montgomery began experiencing a sore throat and a loss of sense of smell and taste in November that suggested she might have COVID-19.

A positive test confirmed it, but she quickly felt better.

Then, just two weeks la...

New Coronavirus Variant Out of Brazil Now in 5 U.S. States

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 3, 2021
• Full Page

The first U.S. case of a Brazilian COVID-19 variant that doctors fear can re-infect the previously sick surfaced in Minnesota in early January 2021, and the more infectious variant has since been found in four other states, a new government report says.

Known as the P.1 ...

What You Need to Know About the New J&J COVID Vaccine

• Steven Reinberg
• March 2, 2021
• Full Page

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the emergency use of Johnson & Johnson's single-shot coronavirus vaccine, adding a third weapon to the arsenal the United States is building to battle the pandemic.

The overall effectiveness of the J&J vaccine in protec...

If Protections Expire, COVID Patients Could Soon Face Big Medical Bills

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 1, 2021
• Full Page

Older Americans on a Medicare Advantage plan could face hospital bills of $1,000 or more if private insurers start charging out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving COVID-19 care, a new study warns.

Cost data show that Medicare Advantage patients pay an average $987 out-of-poc...

Pandemic Is Adding to Teachers' Stress, and Quit Rates

• Robert Preidt
• February 25, 2021
• Full Page

Stress is the No. 1 reason U.S. teachers left the profession before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new poll reveals.

Nearly 1,000 former public school teachers were polled in December. Three-quarters said their job was often or always stressful during their final ye...

Could Americans Get to COVID Herd Immunity by Late Spring?

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• February 24, 2021
• Full Page

Hungry for good news on the pandemic? One epidemiologist believes Americans might reach herd immunity to the new coronavirus as soon as late spring.

That's the view held by Suzanne Judd, a professor with the school of public health at the University of Alabama (UA) at Bi...

Coronavirus Antibodies Appear to Stop Reinfection for Months

• Ernie Mundell and Steven Reinberg
• February 24, 2021
• Full Page

Protective immune system antibodies that develop after being infected with COVID-19 last for at least a few months, a new study suggests. And reinfection does seem to be relatively rare.

That could have big implications for public health and societies, including allowing...

COVID No More Deadly for People With Asthma, Large Study Shows

• Robert Preidt
• February 24, 2021
• Full Page

During the pandemic, people with asthma have worried that their respiratory condition might raise their risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19, but new research findings should calm their fears.

After analyzing data from 57 studies that included a total of over 58...

'What's Wrong With Me?' Young COVID Survivors Battle Long-Haul Symptoms

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

It's been nearly a year since David Speal, 38, first fell ill with COVID-19, but a racing heartbeat remains a regular reminder of his brush with the new coronavirus.

Even the littlest thing -- not eating at the right time, not drinking enough water, too much exercise, a ...

Many Older Adults Confused About Proper Use of Antibiotics: Poll

• Robert Preidt
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

Many older Americans lack knowledge about antibiotics, with some admitting to using leftover medication, a new survey reveals.

More than 2,200 adults, aged 50 to 80, were questioned. Nine out of 10 said they're cautious about using antibiotics, and nearly that number kne...

You've Got Tens of Thousands of Virus Species Living in Your Gut

• Robert Preidt
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

Researchers have identified more than 140,000 viruses that live in the human gut, including half that were previously unknown.

The number and variety of viruses found in more than 28,000 gut microbiome samples gathered from different parts of the world are surprisingly h...

New Variants Mean COVID Vaccines, Tests May Need Tweaking: FDA

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 22, 2021
• Full Page

The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants could require a quick pivot on the part of pharmaceutical and medical device companies, to help stay one step ahead of COVID-19.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued guidelines Monday encouraging drug and test developers t...

You've Had Your COVID Vaccine: Here's What to Expect After

• Robert Preidt
• February 22, 2021
• Full Page

Worried or wondering about COVID-19 vaccines?

Many Americans are, so experts at Penn State Health are offering some reassuring insight.

"People are approaching this vaccine with more hesitation because it was approved quickly, but that really just speaks to how far...

A Third of COVID Survivors Have Long-Haul Symptoms, Even After Mild Cases

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 19, 2021
• Full Page

Many patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 could become "long haulers," suffering symptoms months after they clear their non-life-threatening infection, new research shows.

About 33% of COVID-19 patients who were never sick enough to require hospitalization continue to...

Communities of Color Struggling to Get Vaccines to Those in Need

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 19, 2021
• Full Page

The greatest threat from COVID-19 has been for Black and Hispanic Americans, who are three times more likely to be hospitalized and about twice as likely to die from an infection with the novel coronavirus, compared with white people.

Now, street-level community groups a...

Kids' Robust Immune Systems May Shield Them From COVID-19: Study

• Robert Preidt
• February 18, 2021
• Full Page

Children have largely been spared severe COVID-19 infection, and new research hints at why.

In the study, children's immune systems attacked the new coronavirus faster and more aggressively than adults' immune systems did, the findings showed.

The researchers analy...

What Causes Herpes Cold Sore Flare-Ups? New Study Offers Clues

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• February 17, 2021
• Full Page

Scientists may have discovered why cold sores caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) are triggered by stress, illness and sunburn.

The finding could lead to new ways to prevent recurring cold sores and herpes-related eye disease, U.S. and British researchers say.

Health Care After COVID: A New Focus on Infectious Diseases

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 16, 2021
• Full Page

When New York City was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic last spring in the United States, nearby Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital was treating more than 400 COVID-19 patients at one time, remembers Dr. Aaron Glatt.

Infectious disease experts had warned for...

When Will Kids Get the COVID Vaccines?

• February 15, 2021
• Full Page

For parents with questions about COVID-19 vaccines and children, Johns Hopkins Medicine experts offer answers.

While vaccinations for adults are underway in the United States, clinical trials for the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-authorized COVID-19 vaccines ha...

Tips to Making a Highly Effective COVID Mask at Home

• Cara Murez
• February 12, 2021
• Full Page

When choosing a face mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, it seems like the choices are endless.

To make the decision a little easier, researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, tested several styles in 41 types of fabric.

The u...

COVID Vaccines Safe for Organ Transplant Recipients: Study

• Robert Preidt
• February 12, 2021
• Full Page

Here's some good news for people who've had solid organ transplants and have weakened immune systems: mRNA coronavirus vaccines are safe for these vulnerable folks, new research shows.

The study included 187 transplant recipients who received an initial dose of either th...

Prior Exposure to Common Cold Won't Shield You From COVID: Study

• Robert Preidt
• February 11, 2021
• Full Page

It would be nice if it were true, but a bout of the common cold won't protect you against the new coronavirus infection, researchers report.

Colds are caused by seasonal coronaviruses (CoVs) and previous studies have suggested that exposure to cold coronaviruses may saf...

Genes Could Raise COVID Risks for People With Down Syndrome

• Robert Preidt
• February 11, 2021
• Full Page

Certain genetic factors in people with Down syndrome may increase their COVID-19 risks.

Previous studies have found that people with Down syndrome are 10 times more likely to die from COVID-19, and experts have said they should be among those given priority for vaccinati...