The US reported more than 80,000 new coronavirus infections Friday — the highest daily case number since the pandemic began. That comes amid other bleak patterns including rising hospitalizations and daily death tolls across the country, with experts warning that the worst is yet to come. Friday’s case count of at least 80,005 surpasses the…… MORE
For the longest time in this pandemic, coronavirus had infected and killed more African Americans in Mississippi than White people, which experts explained in part by pointing to racial health disparities in one of the most impoverished states. Early on, Black Mississippians accounted for roughly 60% of the state’s cases and deaths, the state health…… MORE
If 95% of Americans wore masks in public, more than 100,000 lives could be saved from Covid-19 through February, a new modeling study suggests. The study — from the Covid-19 forecasting team at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation — notes that, as of September 21, only about 49% of US…… MORE
Women’s health is about far more than reproductive health. That was true long before the coronavirus pandemic struck, says Maya Dusenbery, author of “Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick.” Women already face many inequities in the health care system, documented in Dusenbery’s 2017 book,…… MORE
As the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter, whether a fever and cough mean the flu or Covid-19 is a nerve-racking guessing game. There is, however, a silent killer that causes similar symptoms and could be lurking in your home. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that’s produced when a fossil fuel — coal, crude…… MORE
The coronavirus pandemic is causing “unacceptable” shortages of US drug supplies in the United States, according to a report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. The report says shortages have limited 29 of 40 drugs critical for treating Covid-19 patients, including propofol, albuterol, midazolam, hydroxychloroquine, fentanyl,…… MORE
When the Philadelphia Phillies met the Miami Marlins on the field last July, a batch of Marlins players were infected with coronavirus, although they didn’t know it. One case led to 19 other cases — a superspreader event, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. But with no fans in the stands…… MORE
Once a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to monitor vaccine recipients for any health problems through text messages and online surveys, as part of a new program called V-SAFE. “V-SAFE is a new smartphone-based active surveillance program for Covid-19,” Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, deputy director…… MORE
The US Food and Drug Administration approved remdesivir for the treatment of coronavirus infection, the drug’s maker, Gilead Sciences, said Thursday. The drug, sold under the brand name Veklury, has been used under emergency use authorization. It is the first drug to be approved for treating Covid-19. “In the United States, Veklury is indicated for…… MORE
The Trump Administration’s faltering response to the coronavirus pandemic has led to anywhere between 130,000 and 210,000 deaths that could have been prevented, according to a report released Thursday by a team of disaster preparedness experts. Insufficient testing, a lack of national mask mandates or guidance, a delayed overall response and outright mocking of basic…… MORE
