Author: Claudinne Miller
Why do people get sick with viruses in the winter?
Medical Express Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and influenza surge in the colder months. And it’s not just because people are spending more time indoors. Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Microbiology Molecular Lab and co-director of the Clinical Virology Lab at Mayo Clinic, explains what other factors promote virus spread in the winter. “It’s […]
Jan 2, 2024
Covid Slashed Consumer Choices. This Is Why They Aren’t Coming Back.
WSJ The furniture retailer Malouf sells beds and bedding in a fraction of the colors it did a few years ago. Newell Brands, the Sharpie maker, has retired 50 types of Yankee Candle. Coca-Cola offers half as many drinks. Covid slashed consumer choices as companies pared their offerings to ease clogs in the supply chain. The logistical […]
Jan 2, 2024
New coronavirus variant JN.1 is spreading fast. Here’s what to know.
Washington Post The rapid growth of the coronavirus subvariant JN.1 during the holiday season could fuel winter waves of illness in the United States and beyond, public health authorities warn. JN.1 caused nearly half of new U.S. coronavirus infections in the two weeks leading up to Christmas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. The World Health […]
Jan 2, 2024
Respiratory virus activity is high and rising across the United States, CDC data shows
CNN As seasonal virus activity surges across the United States, experts stress the importance of preventive measures – such as masking and vaccination – and the value of treatment for those who do get sick. Tens of thousands of people have been admitted to hospitals for respiratory illness each week this season. During the week […]
Jan 2, 2024
Avian influenza death of Alaska polar bear is a global first and a sign of the virus’ persistence
Juneau Empire A polar bear found dead on Alaska’s North Slope is the first of the species known to have been killed by the highly pathogenic avian influenza that is circulating among animal populations around the world. The polar bear was found dead in October near Utqiagvik, the nation’s northernmost community, the Alaska Department of […]
Jan 2, 2024
Every COVID Infection Increases Your Risk of Long COVID, Study Warns
Science Alert Vaccines ensure bouts of COVID are far less deadly than they were at the pandemic‘s start, yet multiple studies now suggest even seemingly mild cases of the coronavirus have a cost. With every single infection, our risk of long COVID increases. While this risk starts (relatively) low for most of us, particularly those vaccinated and in […]
Dec 27, 2023
Mouse Fever: What To Know About The Virus “Mowing Down” Putin’s Soldiers Fighting In Ukraine
Forbes A disease spread by rodents that causes vomiting and bleeding from the eyes called “mouse fever” is tearing through Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian intelligence, illustrating the poor conditions soldiers face as the war edges towards stalemate and nears the two-year mark. “Mouse fever” is reportedly “mowing down” Russian troops “en masse” near […]
Dec 27, 2023
A big shift in collecting COVID data — from case counts to monitoring poop
NPR Earlier this year, the CDC stopped collecting data on new infections (as in positive tests) – relying instead on COVID hospitalizations, deaths and, increasingly, on wastewater surveillance – a network set up during the pandemic to regularly test sewage samples from around the country. The surveillance network has expanded beyond COVID to track flu, RSV, norovirus and other health threats that are […]
Dec 26, 2023
A new COVID vaccine strategy could help — if only people would pay attention
NPR Updated COVID vaccines came to U.S. consumers this fall, promising better protection against recent variants. And there was new messaging too: Get an annual COVID boosters along with your flu shot every fall. But anticipated “high demand” did not materialize. By mid-December, fewer than 20% of US adults had gotten the updated shot, and the CDC warned […]
Dec 26, 2023
Long COVID will take your health, your wealth — then it will come for your marriage
ABC Sarah* fully expected that catching COVID would be a disaster for her health. As a health researcher, she’d followed the science of SARS-CoV-2 more closely than many people — she understood how serious the pandemic was. She also has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes her muscles to weaken and […]
Dec 26, 2023