Author: Claudinne Miller
‘Unprecedented outbreak’ of bird flu reaches Puget Sound harbor seals
Seattle News They might be fun to look at, but experts a warning to keep distance from harbor seals in the Puget Sound. This warning comes after a worldwide outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza jumped to local harbor seals. In September, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fisheries announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary […]
Oct 10, 2023
Pulmonary Embolism During COVID Infection a Deadly Mix
MedPageToday 20% of patients with both died during pandemic’s first year versus 7% of those with PE alone. During the first year of the pandemic, patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) had higher in-hospital mortality rates when they also had concomitant COVID-19, according to a nationwide retrospective cohort study. Using data from the 2020 National Inpatient […]
Oct 10, 2023
Lower Microbiome Diversity May Indicate Severe COVID Infection
MedPageToday Patients admitted to the ICU had significant increases in certain bacteria, study shows. Patients with severe COVID-19 infection had lower microbiome diversity, indicating a potential biomarker of disease progression and severity, researchers said here. Stool samples taken from patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe COVID showed significant increases Parasutterella, Odoribacter, Staphylococcus, […]
Oct 10, 2023
Vaccine Scientist Warns Antiscience Conspiracies Have Become a Deadly, Organized Movement
Scientific American Peter Hotez is no stranger to scientific backlash. The esteemed pediatrician and vaccinologist has been working to develop vaccines for neglected tropical diseases for decades and has encountered fierce opposition to his work. But in recent years the backlash has gained momentum and spread beyond vaccines to science and scientists in general. Hotez, […]
Oct 10, 2023
About 4 million Americans got updated COVID vaccines in September
Reuters Around 4 million Americans received the updated COVID-19 shots in September, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), even as some people have found it difficult to book vaccination appointments or find the vaccines at no cost. “The Biden-Harris Administration, through HHS, has been working directly with manufacturers and distributors […]
Oct 10, 2023
The Flu Vaccine Works—In a Way Most People Don’t Appreciate
Scientific American The CDC is emphasizing how the flu vaccine can turn the virus from “Wild to Mild”. It’s like clockwork: first comes a brisk fall breeze, then comes the public health push to get a flu shot. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s messaging this year might look a little different from […]
Oct 10, 2023
Hidden Assault on Heart: COVID-19 Infects Coronary Arteries and Increases Plaque Inflammation
SciTechDaily SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can directly infect the arteries of the heart and cause the fatty plaque inside arteries to become highly inflamed, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings, published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, may help explain why certain […]
Oct 10, 2023
People who’ve had Covid at least 5 times describe how the illness changed with each reinfection
NBC News Three people interviewed said their later infections were less severe than their first ones. Even so, getting Covid over and over takes a mental toll. Nearly four years after Covid’s emergence, plenty of people have tested positive at least twice. But an unlucky group has been hit with reinfection after reinfection. “I’ve seen […]
Oct 10, 2023
End of an era: The CDC has stopped printing Covid vaccination cards
NBC It’s the end of an era for a once-critical pandemic document: The ubiquitous white Covid vaccination cards are being phased out. Now that Covid vaccines are not being distributed by the federal government, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped printing new cards. The federal government shipped more than 980 million cards […]
Oct 10, 2023
Kids’ Mental Health Spending Soared 26% During Pandemic
Forbes Anxiety, adjustment disorders and ADHD are largely to blame for a sharp 26% rise in mental healthcare costs for children in the two-and-a-half years following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study out Tuesday found—the latest evidence of the pandemic’s dire impact on both kids’ and adults’ mental health. Researchers with the RAND Corporation, […]
Oct 4, 2023