In the short time since the emergence of Omicron, the latest SARS-CoV-2 variant, many questions have arisen. Is it more transmissible, how bad are the symptoms, and most importantly, will the vaccines protect against it? Until more data are available, there are no firm answers, but many are optimistic that vaccines offer at least some protection. Medical News Today investigated the current hypotheses.
Can COVID-19 vaccines stand...
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued an advisory calling for swift action to respond to a growing mental health crisis among youth that has worsened due to stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It would be a tragedy if we beat back one public health crisis only to allow another to grow in its place,” Murthy wrote in the introduction to the new advisory , released on Tuesday and titled...
PORTSMOUTH - The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched hospitals and medical staff to the limits, but two special women at Portsmouth Regional Hospital say they have never considered doing anything else - even now.
A spokesperson for the Portsmouth hospital said Chief Nursing Officer Michelle Dodd, RN, and Associate Chief Nursing Officer Megan Gray, RN, are nurse leaders of like mind and heart. And, when it comes to nursing during a...
After 23 years as a physician assistant, Leslie Clayton remains rankled by one facet of her vocation: its title. Specifically, the word “assistant.”
Patients have asked if she’s heading to medical school or in the middle of it. The term confounded even her family, she said: It took years for her parents to understand she did more than take blood pressure and perform similar basic tasks.
“There is...
Health care workers at Thailand's Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute. During the pandemic, nurses and midwives around the world have had to sacrifice and work around the clock and with limited personal protective equipment. Photo by: Pathumporn Thongking / UN Women / CC BY-NC-ND
At this stage in the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have grown numb to the grim statistics.
But we cannot...
Jim Petersen, 83, who lives alone in an assisted living community outside Denver, recently had pneumonia. But rather than be admitted to the hospital, he was offered another choice: hospital-level treatment in his home.
Petersen didn’t hesitate. “In plain English, there’s no place like home,” he says. “You can get good care in a hospital, but you never sleep really good.”
In the wake of...
Joe Biden believes that there’s no greater economic engine in the world than the hard work and ingenuity of the American people. But for too long, the economy has worked great for those at the top, while working families continually get squeezed. President Biden promised to rebuild the backbone of the country – the middle class – so that this time everyone comes along. He also campaigned on a promise to make government work...
Researchers investigated the effects of a diet high in processed foods on rats’ memory and whether omega-3 supplementation could stave off negative effects.
They found that omega-3 supplementation reduced some, but not all, neuroinflammatory markers.
The researchers note that their results do not mean that omega-3 supplements offset the negative health effects of processed foods and that people should ensure they...
The U.S. will roll out a new travel system in two weeks that will open borders up for millions of vaccinated international visitors.
The system launching Nov. 8 will end the U.S. travel ban that has been in place for dozens of countries since the start of the pandemic . It will also make reentry more challenging for unvaccinated U.S. citizens and...
Researchers highlight the dangers of misinformation on cell-based treatments for COVID-19.
Most of the treatments are in the early stages and require further tests until they are proven effective.
The researchers say that science communicators should not exaggerate findings from preliminary studies and that they should engage with the public on these matters directly.
They also call for more stringent regulations on those...
When Canadians Rana Allawnha and her sister Rodanna first began travelling stateside as children, they never dreamed they’d cross the border to save lives as adults. “Our parents owned a convenience store in southwest Detroit,” says Rana. “So, growing up, it wasn’t unusual for us to be in the U.S. every day.”
Today, both sisters retain dual Canadian/American citizenship. Rana is a Registered Nurse at...
A recent study investigated the association between the opening of K-12 schools and the community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States.
The study found that counties with in-person or hybrid schooling, especially those without a staff mask mandate, experienced a higher number of COVID-19 cases and deaths after reopening than those providing remote learning.
Fully opening K-12 schools with in-person learning was...