Outbreaks of a drug-resistant “superbug” fungus spread among patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities in Texas and Washington, D.C., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. The fungus, Candida Auris, preys on people with weakened immune systems. The CDC said evidence suggests these cases involved person-to-person transmission, …
Read More »Drug Overdose Deaths in US Reach Record High in 2020 Amid COVID-19 Lockdowns
The US is in the midst of a drug overdose epidemic as a fresh report claimed that the number of people who died from an overdose in 2020 rose by almost 30% year-on-year to more than 93,000, and experts said that the isolation and mental health pressures caused by the …
Read More »US life expectancy dropped 1.5 years in 2020
Black and Hispanic Americans saw a more dramatic plunge, with life expectancy dropping by three years. Overall life expectancy in the United States fell by a year and a half in 2020, the largest one-year decline since World War II, health officials have said – but the decrease for Black …
Read More »Kamala Harris will not quarantine after being in contact with two Covid-19 positive Texas Democrats
Despite being in maskless contact with two Texas House Democrats who tested positive for Covid-19, US Vice President Kamala Harris does not plan to self-isolate, her aide told the media. Harris’ spokesperson Symone Sanders confirmed in a statement over the weekend that Harris met with members of the Texas state …
Read More »Delta COVID variant now dominant strain worldwide, US deaths surge -officials
The Delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain worldwide, accompanied by a surge of deaths around the United States almost entirely among unvaccinated people, U.S. officials said on Friday. U.S. cases of COVID-19 are up 70% over the previous week and deaths are up 26%, with outbreaks occurring …
Read More »Guillain-Barre syndrome: FDA flags ‘small’ risk with J&J jab
US health officials issue new warnings over rare neurological reactions for people getting the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. United States regulators have added a new warning to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine about links to a rare and potentially dangerous neurological reaction. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced …
Read More »A warning will be issued about rare heart inflammation related to Pfizer, Moderna vaccines, says FDA
The US Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it plans to move quickly to add a warning about rare cases of heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults to fact sheets for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
Read More »US children ages 12 to 15 could begin COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday
U.S. regulators authorized Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12 and said they could begin receiving shots as soon as Thursday, widening the country’s inoculation program as vaccination rates have slowed significantly. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized in the United …
Read More »New studies reveal very good news about coronavirus immunity
The novel coronavirus is just too new for scientists to figure out how long immunity might last. That’s a key detail that will help with immunization protocols once vaccines are available, as well as public health campaigns for containing outbreaks and reducing infection rates. The longer the immunity lasts, the …
Read More »Facebook, citing virus misinformation, deletes Trump post
Facebook has deleted a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policy against spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. The post in question featured a link to a Fox News video in which Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus. Facebook said Wednesday that the “video includes false …
Read More »Trump pushes state, local leaders to reopen schools in fall
US President Donald Trump launched an all-out effort pressing state and local officials to reopen schools this fall, arguing that some are keeping schools closed not because of the risks from the coronavirus pandemic but for political reasons. “They think it’s going to be good for them politically, so they …
Read More »Millions of people may have had coronavirus in the past without knowing it – American CDC
With infection numbers rising in more than 30 states, the US set a daily record for new coronavirus cases. And federal health officials warned that the number of people who’ve been infected is vastly undercounted. Almost 40,000 coronavirus cases were reported Thursday, surpassing a previous one-day high on April 24, …
Read More »Pelosi worried about ‘morbidly obese’ Trump taking hydroxychloroquine
Nancy Pelosi has said that Donald Trump’s decision to take the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to prevent Covid-19 was “not a good idea”. Mr. Trump surprised commentators on Monday with the news that he was taking hydroxychloroquine pills in an attempt to prevent infection. That comes despite the US Food and …
Read More »15 US states investigating cases of children suffering from rare inflammatory syndrome, Cuomo says
Health officials are looking into a rare inflammatory syndrome and how it could be impacting children during the coronavirus pandemic. Now 15 states, including New York, are investigating cases that could be linked to Kawasaki disease – a rare inflammatory condition that often impacts children aged five years or younger …
Read More »Fauci to testify before US Senate about pandemic
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, will testify before a Senate committee Tuesday, his first appearance before Congress since March. Fauci will appear alongside Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other officials to discuss reopening the economy amid …
Read More »The mysterious illness that could be linked to coronavirus in children
A mysterious illness that’s affecting children and could be linked to the coronavirus has left officials alarmed and searching for answers as infections increase. Doctors are referring to the condition that has hospitalized dozens of children as “pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome,” and health officials believe it could be linked to …
Read More »FDA to announce emergency use of remdesivir after ‘very optimistic’ study
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to authorize the emergency use of remdesivir to treat those infected with the coronavirus. The experimental antiviral drug is being tested on patients as a treatment for Covid-19. Both Dr. Anthony Fauci and President Donald Trump have expressed optimism about early results from …
Read More »China investing millions in WHO to make up for Trump cuts, officials say.
China has pledged to invest millions of additional dollars into the World Health Organisation (WHO) after Donald Trump announced he was cutting off US funding for the group while reviewing its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Beijing said it would contribute an additional $30m as the United Nations organization battles …
Read More »Doctors urge public not to listen to Trump’s ‘suicidal’ disinfectant advice
Doctors and health experts urged people not to drink or inject disinfectant on Friday after US President Donald Trump suggested scientists should investigate inserting the cleaning agent into the body as a way to cure COVID-19. “(This is an) absolutely dangerous crazy suggestion,” said Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine …
Read More »US OKs 1st coronavirus test that allows self-swab at home
U.S. health regulators on Tuesday OK’d the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states. The test from LabCorp will initially only be available to health care workers and first responders under a …
Read More »