CDC panel criticized for postponed meeting on COVID-19 vaccines, rare heart issues
June 21, 2021 at 21:14
An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drew criticism after it postponed a discussion on heart inflammation among a small fraction of COVID-19 vaccine recipients in observance of the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday....
'Black fungus' infections on the rise in India: report
June 21, 2021 at 18:21
Cases of mucormycosis or "black fungus," a rare but serious fungal infection, are climbing in India among some coronavirus patients, per news reports. Infections have risen to over 30,000 in three weeks, with at least 2,100 deaths, the New York Times report...
FDA adviser who resigned over Alzheimer's drug says 'no good evidence' it works
June 21, 2021 at 15:40
One of the FDA advisory panel members who resigned after the agency granted Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Accelerated Approval has said "the drug showed no good evidence that it worked." Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and...
Rare COVID-19-linked syndrome in kids possible in adults too, case report notes
June 21, 2021 at 11:45
While research into the specific cause of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is ongoing, a new case report suggests that it may also appear in adults who have a history of COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure. In a case report involving a 60-ye...
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy puts India’s gains against virus at risk
June 21, 2021 at 11:06
So when a team of health workers recently approached Manju Kol to get vaccinated, she locked up her house, gathered her children and ran to the nearby forest. But the relief could be fleeting as a significant amount of the population is still reluctant to g...
Blood shortage forces New England surgery delay
June 21, 2021 at 10:53
Some New England hospitals are delaying or rescheduling surgeries because of a shortage of blood donations during the pandemic. "We haven’t seen anything like this in about 30 or 40 years at least," Dr. Vishesh Chhibber, director of transfusion medicine at...
Fauci doubles down on claim that attacking him is an attack on science
June 21, 2021 at 03:50
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top disease expert in the U.S., appeared to double down on recent comments he made that attacks on him are essentially attacks on science. Axios, citing New York Times writer Kara Swisher’s podcast, "Sway," quoted Fauci defending his...
CDC, FDA investigating rare tuberculosis outbreak potentially linked to contaminated bone repair product
June 21, 2021 at 01:40
The agency is recommending that surgeons should work with their respective health department's TB programs to immediately contact patients who underwent surgery using the recalled product. Patients should immediately begin drug treatment for TB disease, eve...
Delta variant cases rising in U.S., Midwest showing higher rate than national average
June 20, 2021 at 15:45
The Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread through the U.S., with Missouri and Kansas seeing high transmission as vaccination efforts remain sluggish in some parts of the country. Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that the variant...
Brain scans of coronavirus patients suggest ‘significant’ grey matter loss over time: study
June 18, 2021 at 23:09
An analysis of brain scans from people once infected with COVID-19 suggested a consistent pattern in loss of grey matter over time, researchers say. Researchers affiliated with the University of Oxford posted findings ahead of peer review this week to medRx...
Is it a cold or COVID-19? Symptoms to look out for
June 18, 2021 at 17:48
The risk of catching COVID-19 sent many in search of tests at the first signs of a common cold over the past year, and now as the nation gradually reopens there is an increased chance you will come into contact with someone carrying a summer cold. So how ca...
Murphy says NJ hits COVID-19 vaccination goal
June 18, 2021 at 17:06
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday the state hit a vaccination goal with 4.7 million people fully protected against COVID-19. "We are proud to announce that we have now exceeded our initial goal and with 12 days to go before our self-appointed dea...
CDC warns on uptick in RSV cases after low activity during COVID-19: What to know about respiratory illness
June 18, 2021 at 15:25
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national surveillance system has noted an uptick in the number of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases detected in the U.S. over the last several weeks, noting that the illness can be associated with s...
Doctors warn over TikTok challenge involving fake tongue piercings
June 18, 2021 at 15:05
Doctors are warning over a dangerous TikTok challenge involving fake tongue piercings with magnetic balls, said to pose a deadly risk if the magnets are swallowed. "Warning: Families, be aware of a TikTok challenge where kids pretend to have tongue piercing...
Canada: Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine preferred 2nd dose after AstraZeneca
June 18, 2021 at 12:05
Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization said Thursday people who got the AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose should get Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for their second shot. On June 1, committee had said AstraZeneca recipients "could" get Pfize...
Ohio ends COVID-19 state of emergency after 15 months
June 18, 2021 at 11:57
Ohio’s governor announced the COVID-19 state of emergency would end Friday citing a decline in new cases and hospitalizations. Mike DeWine, who first declared the state of emergency in March 2020, said the declaration "really does not impact what we need to...
Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines don’t lower sperm count, study says
June 18, 2021 at 11:43
Men who received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine did not see a drop in sperm count or quality, a new study found. Researchers at the University of Miami studied the sperm quality of 45 healthy volunteers before their first shot and 70 days after thei...
CDC panel meeting on COVID-19 vaccines, rare heart issues postponed in observance of Juneteenth
June 18, 2021 at 11:32
Friday’s scheduled CDC panel discussion on reports of heart inflammation among a small fraction of COVID-19 vaccine recipients has been postponed in observance of the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday, the agency said. In an update posted to the...
Fauci: US to spend $3.2 billion for antiviral pills for COVID-19
June 17, 2021 at 17:23
The United States is devoting $3.2 billion to advance development of antiviral pills for COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses that could turn into pandemics. The pills for COVID-19, which would be used to minimize symptoms after infection, are in developmen...
UK records over 10,000 coronavirus cases for first time since Feb
June 17, 2021 at 17:17
The U.K.'s latest surge in coronavirus infections gathered pace Thursday with new confirmed cases rising above 10,000 for the first time in nearly four months as a result of the spread of the more contagious delta variant. Government figures showed another...